black skirts eat just as voraciously. they make dashes at the surface and go crazy. you could get alot of them and call them your "pirhana."Aren't tetras at least distantly related to piranhas? Maybe your son could do some research and find out what kind of piranha is actually good for the set up. If he's part of the planning, he may be even more apt to do the upkeep
Piranha and a buddy????
- Thread starter cheyenna
- Start date
I remember I was around that age when my dad had a piranha school. They were extremely shy though I barely ever saw them. For a kid I'd never get one a piranha for how cool they seem to kids once you get them there not very cool. My dad had a few tanks and it took him a lot longer doing water changes the piranha tank because he would have to take a divider while siphoning the gravel to keep the fish to one side. I remember how disappointed I was with them..... Yeah I'm not saying he'll feel the same way and I'm not trying to discourage you but I'd suggest going for another type of fish but thats just me. Good luck
I had a piranha for about nine years. It ate all the other fish but it was easy to keep. I fed it every two weeks with some uncooked meat. It was a relatively small one, a Roseveltiela natteri? The one with the red belly. It never gave much trouble.
It is quite a boring hobby though. Even though it was not shy, a general freshwater tank with lots of small fish is much more fun IMHO.
It is quite a boring hobby though. Even though it was not shy, a general freshwater tank with lots of small fish is much more fun IMHO.
I think his son is probably fasinated with the hollywood version of Piranha...huge teeth and fangs dashing around eating and killing everything in site , even taking down herds of cattle, etc....
Once he gets his "real" Piranha, he'll probably be much less amazed and interested in him, haha. Just my guess.
Once he gets his "real" Piranha, he'll probably be much less amazed and interested in him, haha. Just my guess.
TheMightyQueenPixie
Best Invention EVER!
They are pretty boring fish... Skittish, like to hide and usually end up eyeless or ripping out someone elses eyes. At the end of the day you just KNOW some kid is going to stick their hand in the tank. Perhpas a species best left to adults?
One more note on tank buddies. If you have to get a P,don't stick a pleco in the tank. Pleco may be armored catfish, but agressive P species usually learn to tear their eyes out, then flip them over and eat them from the belly out. Oscars don't even last that long.
I'm with the rest of the thread. Try to talk him into something less dangerous. Predator fish are lots of fun, I keep a few myself, but there's plenty of them out there that swallow food whole, rather than tear it to shreds with a mouth full of tiny razor teeth.
I'm with the rest of the thread. Try to talk him into something less dangerous. Predator fish are lots of fun, I keep a few myself, but there's plenty of them out there that swallow food whole, rather than tear it to shreds with a mouth full of tiny razor teeth.
I would be more inclined to go with 3 Silver Dollar and telling him they are vegatarian Pirhana which they are.. google it and see...
Pacu need a 5000 gallon tank I think... lol...
I wonder if the OP is reading this or if the pirhana has already been purchased...
