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Thinking about getting a pet....

I was in a pet one day, we were buying some cod for the pond and I asked the employee, do u have piranha. Replying yes as she pointed out where they were. Looking at them as I talked to myself "goto get one or more." I was wondering does anyone here have them? If so, what r the conditions?
 
Hi. Are you sure they are real pirhana? I have heard that they arent legal in must areas without a permit. Could be a look alike like a pacu, sliverdollar, or even an oscar. Maybe you can check with your finger
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Hi,

Red-bellied piranhas are actually not too difficult to keep in terms of water quality. Being South American Characins, they prefer warm (23-27 deg. C), soft and slightly acidic water. But I have bred them in the harder more alkaline tap water of my area. They lived happily for many years.

Depending on how many fish you get, I would recommend a minimum 80 gallon tank for them. I had 3 in a 140 gallon tank, and IMO, I would have been comfortable adding only one more piranha to that, had I wanted to. Large pieces of drift wood should be added at the ends of the tank to prevent them from smashing into the glass when frightened, which is potentially fatal. Other 'solid' decorations should also be provided to offer shelter areas and reduce stress. Of course piranhas don't eat plants per se, but their teeth are so effective that they will nonetheless shred the plants quickly. Use floating plants if you want live plants in the tank. Their location generally protects them from the fish's teeth. Plastic plants are totally not recommended, since they will also be shredded, and could be eaten by the fish.

Water changes should be performed often. Due to their diet, they can 'foul' the water even quicker than many other fish their size.

In my experience, piranha do not need live food. I raised them mostly on fish fillets bought at the grocery store. Mostly I fed them salt water fish such as ocean white fish, cod, and such. I tried on a couple of occasions to feed them fresh water species such as trout, but they were absolutely uninterested in them. It is recommended to occasionally feed them vegetables, since they occasionally eat this in the wild. If your fish accept vegetable fare, peas, zucchini, and slices of apples can be offered once or twice a month.

Safety is of course a big concern with these fish, rightly. I have found the red-bellied piranha to be an especially cowardly fish, except at breeding time, when they will defend their nest vehemently. But don't let this fool you! Piranha have a strategy when frightened of continually opening and closing their mouths while they flee. Anything that gets between them and where they are going will quickly be shredded! Even when they become accustomed to you, they can still be dangerous in other ways. I had trouble feeding my piranhas because they became over eager, and would rush toward me while I lowered the food. They jumped right out of the water occasionally to grab the food. I had to be swift to avoid injury. I was also fortunate they didn't bust the glass cover of the tank and 'escape' onto the floor. They are just as dangerous out of the water as in.

While I generally frown on keeping them because of the "gore factor" (And I'm saying this in a CP discussion forum no less!(g)) they can be interesting, personable pets that recognize you and learn your habits. They will destroy any other fish you add to the tank, but beyond this, they are rather gentle in nature, and in fact can become boring to many people. If they still interest you, and you can meet their needs, then by all means get them. But be very careful anytime you go near the tank! :)

Take care!

Chris
 
Cephalotus88,
I'm positive that they are piranhas. Their belly was red.

Drosera,
What ever happen to them? Thanks for the info.
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Eplants,

Well, I'm rather ashamed of what happened to them. I had them for a good 7 years. They bred 3 or 4 times, but I could never grow the fry. They tended to bury themselves into the gravel and die. Should have done a bare-bottomed tank.

Anyway, this was quite a while ago. My boyfriend suggested using an outdoor waterhose to help with the water changes. We would fill a large bucket near the tank to treat for the chlorine using the hose, and then fill the tank from it. Using suction, it also quickened removing the water. At the time I had heard that hoses were bad to drink from, and I had assumed it could be bad for the fish too. We weren't on the net at this point, and I had no proof of my assumption. He pressed his case and persuaded me to use it. (Technically, they were his fish, though I of course had to do most of the work(g)) It actually didn't bother them for a long time, a couple of years I think. But the chemicals must have built up, because they became sick one day. No outward visible signs, but when the fish swim in upside down circles, you know something is wrong. By making massive water changes, (using only plastic pails at this point, purely by chance)we almost managed to save them since they got better. We were however still thinking the problem had been a disease, as opposed to the hose, the issue which had long been forgotten. A couple of weeks later, doing a water change with the hose yet again, and they died by the next evening.

They were fully mature fish, almost a foot in length, with one of the males having a fiery red belly. It was horrible to see, and we both felt guilty afterward. But at least I learned one thing. If I believe something, *he* can no longer persuade me against it! :)

In memoriam...

Chris
 
By the way, if you get some, make sure to gt at least 3-4. They are actually a bit of a schooling fish, and seem to need the company of their own kind. One or 2 alone would probably be stressed.

Take care!

Chris
 
Wow Chris... Not to change the topic, but what DON'T you know about?
 
the only pirahna i have is a stuffed one on my desk, (i can tease it all i want without it biting my finger off) so any ways i am thinking about getting a real one though......hmmmmmm
Kevin
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  • #10
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (drosera @ Oct. 21 2002,6:55)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">By the way, if you get some, make sure to gt at least 3-4. They are actually a bit of a schooling fish, and seem to need the company of their own kind. One or 2 alone would probably be stressed.

Take care!

Chris[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
but make sure ther're all the same size, or they'll eat each other!
Spectabilis73
 
  • #11
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (eplants02 @ Oct. 21 2002,6:10)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Cephalotus88,
I'm positive that they are piranhas. Their belly was red.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
well, I have two pacus.( red belly pacus) yours might be just red belly pacus, not piranhas. the person working at the pet store just said that to make you buy them, or doesn't know what he/shes saying. one of my pacus has a red belly, and one has a white belly, (I'm guessing the white bellyed one is a female, and the red a male.) if they are pacus, don't get them a smaller tank two start with. I got the two pacus in late July/early Aug. 2002. They were the size of silver dollars at that time, I thought it would take a years for them to grow to a foot, but the one whith a red belly is over 8 in. long!
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I gave themfor the first month or two, Tetras " Tetra, Natures Delica" along with flakes, and they grew like plants with a million pounds of Miricle grow! then I stopped giving them the "Miricle Grow" and gave them regular Tetra fish flakes, Hikari algea wafers, and Hikary tubifex worms. Today I give them the same stuff, but I have recently added Hikary Cichlid Staple,Large Pellet, to their diet.
Hope I could help

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I think pacus are alot better because they don't bite, and you can hand feed them. (well, it took a couple months to train them not to nibble my fingers while hand feeding)
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  • #12
D@mn, I would get one in a heart beat...missed my chance when I was younger. Til this day I wish I had of purchased one. That would be sweet to have a Gar pike, South American blue gill, Oscar, and a Red belly pirhana. *drooling* *evil giggle* The true “tank of terror”! Watch them kill other fish...Mother Nature can be so wicked and I am here to see it!
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travis

Factoid:
They are true pirhanas as they live in parts of the Nile River in South America.
 
  • #13
Just make sure when you get tired of them you don't release them into the neighborhood crick...
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  • #14
Me again,

What Spectabilis says about getting the same size is very true, though to be honest, piranhas will even sometimes eat conspecifics of the same size too, though this usually only happens when they are young, and something "unusual" has happened, like one of them getting injured.

I've been out of the aquarium loop for a couple of years, but the last I heard is that piranhas were only forbidden only in certain states, mostly in the south. If eplants lives in a more northern state, then he can still probably get them easily. It's not impossible that a salesperson could lead him astray (on purpose or not), but it would not be the norm in this particular circumstance, especially since any pet store selling piranhas where illegal could get into a lot of trouble.

Friendly correction: The Nile is in Africa. Piranhas come from the Amazon river system.

Parasuco, not much. ;-)

Take care!

Chris
 
  • #15
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Travis @ Oct. 22 2002,4:40)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Factoid:
They are true pirhanas as they live in parts of the Nile River in South America.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Really, The Nile River in in Africa, and what you are talking about is prob. The Amazon River.
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  • #16
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (drosera @ Oct. 22 2002,5:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Me again,

What Spectabilis says about getting the same size is very true, though to be honest, piranhas will even sometimes eat conspecifics of the same size too, though this usually only happens when they are young, and something "unusual" has happened, like one of them getting injured.

I've been out of the aquarium loop for a couple of years, but the last I heard is that piranhas were only forbidden only in certain states, mostly in the south. If eplants lives in a more northern state, then he can still probably get them easily. It's not impossible that a salesperson could lead him astray (on purpose or not), but it would not be the norm in this particular circumstance, especially since any pet store selling piranhas where illegal could get into a lot of trouble.

Friendly correction: The Nile is in Africa. Piranhas come from the Amazon river system.

Parasuco, not much. ;-)

Take care!

Chris[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
oops you typed the same thing and posted it one minute before me.
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  • #17
O' crud I mean Amazon...hehehe Then I guess that would not be a factoid. I really mean Amazon...my fault should really watch what I type. Never pays to ru$h. As I am sure that will not be my last typo error. Darn it!

tr@vi$
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  • #18
Drosera,
I live in NJ. Anyway I see them in pets stores. This persuade me to get them.
 
  • #19
uh oh...my pacu is now 8 3/4 in. long, 4-5 in. tall, and over an inch wide! My mom actually feels sorry for the poor thing, so do I. he bumps against the glass when he makes feeding spurts and just plays around, so my parents are thinking about getting him a 55 gallon aquarium! or get rid of him
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he's like a best freind. he eats out of my hand, very gently, sometimes splashes me with water, and actually looks at me throught the glass. I would hate it if we got rid of him. hes like a little brother.
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I'd say he has about one or two months before he grows out of the tank. If my parents don't pay for a new aquarium, I'll have to spend all of my cp money for the year.
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but I don't want to get rid of him, so I guess that's what I have to do.
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I guess parents don't understand that kind of stuff
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well, at least I might be able to move all of my fish to the new aquarium, and use the old one to make a terrarium!
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hmmmmmm....
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  • #20
ok maybe not a little brother or a best freind
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but hes a good freind
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