Piranha Man Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Let me know for future orders or general discussion. I love em. Had 'em off and on since 1986. By now most here have seen my favourite specimin TITUS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
African_Fever Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 I've always toyed with the idea of setting up a piranha tank as a bit of a display tank. Would probably look at a 6' tank, and would like about a half dozen if possible, but would rather have something different than the common red belly. Anything you'd recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Man Posted December 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Yes. Cariba's. They grow twice as fast and are twice as aggressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanker Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Reading through 'piranha-info.com' for info on piranhas I see notes about feeding minnows and goldfish is not recommended due to growth inhibiting properties of the feeders... is this just an overly cautious and generally unfounded statement or does this have some truth to it, in your experiences? (Holy Run-On Sentance, Batman!) I do not see this warning on any other site I have come across in my 'exhaustive' 30 minutes of research... so is this the exception or the rule? As well, how does a single red belly do alone? Should they be kept solitary or are they miserable without company? There seems to be a lack of info regarding this, other than size of tank suggestions for one fish or more... no one really nails down whether they are happy alone, or not. Reason being is I'd like to keep one but I don't have room for more. I'd like to have a carnivorous fish in my collection, but not at the expense of the fish's enjoyment of being a part of my home. Ideally I would like one solitary juvinile in my 30 and in 6 months move it to my 45 as a permanent home for it's adult years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reza Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Hi Tanker, I heard the red bellies have to be kept in groups due to the way they feed, tearing at food together instead of biting off pieces themselves. Could be wrong though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Man Posted December 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 Reading through 'piranha-info.com' for info on piranhas I see notes about feeding minnows and goldfish is not recommended due to growth inhibiting properties of the feeders... is this just an overly cautious and generally unfounded statement or does this have some truth to it, in your experiences?(Holy Run-On Sentance, Batman!) I do not see this warning on any other site I have come across in my 'exhaustive' 30 minutes of research... so is this the exception or the rule? As well, how does a single red belly do alone? Should they be kept solitary or are they miserable without company? There seems to be a lack of info regarding this, other than size of tank suggestions for one fish or more... no one really nails down whether they are happy alone, or not. Reason being is I'd like to keep one but I don't have room for more. I'd like to have a carnivorous fish in my collection, but not at the expense of the fish's enjoyment of being a part of my home. Ideally I would like one solitary juvinile in my 30 and in 6 months move it to my 45 as a permanent home for it's adult years. The gold fish issue is real... but withany carnivore. It has a growth inhibitor called Thiaminase. It's an enzyme that ingests Vitamin B1. As for shoaling vs. solitary... here it is: There are 4 genus' of Piranha. The two main ones are the ones that have the classic Piranha type predators, if you know what I mean. Pygocentrus (AKA. PYGO) Genus: There are 3 species that fall under this. Red Belly, or Nattereri. Piraya, which grow the biggest of all the piranha. And the most aggressive of this genus the Caribe, or cariba. All Pygos can be mixed. Expect aggression until they reach 7" plus however. You can keep any of these guys solitary. As for it being unhealthy... quite the opposite as Piranha's don't really shoal in the true sense of the word. They tolerate each other. Cannibalism is not rare in the Juvi-subadult stages. But with that said you are generally pretty safe. Serrasalmus (AKA. SERRA) Genus: This is the genus containing the widest variety of species. Sadly they are the most aggressive. Sadly i say because they MUST be kept solitary with a few exceptions, which doesn't make for an exciting tank.. The Violet Line piranha, or Geryii species seem to tolerate each other well in a decent sized tank. But these are very expensive. The infamous "Black Piranha" is of this genus. This name has little meaning to exporters because as juvenilles there are about a handful of serras that all look identical until subadult stages. The true "Black" piranha in hobbiest circles is the Rhombeus. It along with one other rare species, grows the largest of the Serra's. What makes them so intriguing is that depending on the river in SA they come from they have varying looks to them. The most common expressions used to describe the Rhombeus, if locality isn't known, is Black or Diamond. Diamond have a glitter to their body and Black's are a charcoal/ slate color. Interestingly the majority of Blacks are found in Peru in the Nanay river. They seem to grow the largest of all the varients. A biologist/exporter I talk with on MSN has caught black's that were 21". The greatest identifying mark of a Rhombeus, which is the very thing hobbiests go wild over, is they are the only piranha with a blood red eye. While Black (Rhombeus) piranha's grow huge they are very slow in aquariums. In fact the largeat reported growth in an aquarium for a Rhombeus is less than 12". For a person who wants to keep just one solitary piranha, say in like a 30 gallon... you could get away with any number of Serra's as most dont grow past 8-9". Of couse by then over 40g would be sufficient. also a powerhead is important as they are found in currents. As for any solitary set-up any piranha will thrive. I would recommend a Serra species as they are stealth hunters and grow slowly. One further note i should mention is... Piranha's can be pricey because of one important fact. They do not breed in captivity. Only the common Red Belly. That's why you see them everywhere. Outside of them if you get your hands on a Piranha, don't take that literally, you will have yourself a wild caught fish. If you Tanker, or anyone else are interested in scoring a rare piranha let me know. If you have a profile your looking for in a Piranha I can help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefishdude Posted December 10, 2005 Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 Awesome info Pat - :bow: you are a valuable resource that I am sure I will have questions for in the future - just out of curiosity, what kind of price would one be looking to pay for one of the wild caught P's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Man Posted December 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 (edited) Awesome info Pat -Â :bow: you are a valuable resource that I am sure I will have questions for in the future - just out of curiosity, what kind of price would one be looking to pay for one of the wild caught P's? Well remember... all Piranha's, except Red Bellies, are wild caught. Prices vary widely from LFS to LFS. It's hard to say... and depending on their size. Of course with all fish, with size increase, goes price increase. When you get into large Rhombeus 12" all the way to 18" it gets pricey, but rightfully so. A true Black Piranha, like I own, is found mainly with the exporters in Iquitos Peru. Of the 30 odd exporters only about a handful will handle these fish to ship. So a rare monster indeed... especially in Canada. Edited December 23, 2005 by Piranha Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
African_Fever Posted December 10, 2005 Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 What about smaller fish, in the 2-3" range, something that would be maybe a little more reasonable to get and then get a larger group of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanker Posted December 10, 2005 Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 You've got me sold. I am going to keep a casual eye open for a Red Belly, just to 'try' it out... although everytime I see them in the LFS they are completely beat to heck missing eyes and fins and whatever else... I'm not really 'actively seeking one' as the 30 gallon I was thinking of using just became a Malawi tank but if I find a little guy in decent shape then I can always make room. Assuming a Red Belly is 2" today, how big would one expect it to be in say 6, 12 and 18 months? When do they become 'full grown'? With the speed they can get darting for food is this fish going to punch a hole in my tank? Do they destroy things the way a bored oscar does? Last thing I feel like coming home to is 30 gallons of water on the floor surrounding a poached piranha with a 150W heater sticking out it's mouth. :grr: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Man Posted December 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 What about smaller fish, in the 2-3" range, something that would be maybe a little more reasonable to get and then get a larger group of? Exodons would be your best bet as no piranha's stay that small. I hear there's nothing like a swarm of exodons at feeding time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Man Posted December 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 (edited) You've got me sold. I am going to keep a casual eye open for a Red Belly, just to 'try' it out... although everytime I see them in the LFS they are completely beat to heck missing eyes and fins and whatever else... I'm not really 'actively seeking one' as the 30 gallon I was thinking of using just became a Malawi tank but if I find a little guy in decent shape then I can always make room. Assuming a Red Belly is 2" today, how big would one expect it to be in say 6, 12 and 18 months? When do they become 'full grown'? With the speed they can get darting for food is this fish going to punch a hole in my tank? Do they destroy things the way a bored oscar does? Last thing I feel like coming home to is 30 gallons of water on the floor surrounding a poached piranha with a 150W heater sticking out it's mouth. :grr: Good questions. A Red Belly at a true, not eyeballed, 2" today, along with typical fish care, will vary in size depending on frequency of eating. If you feed him everyday he will be 6 inches in probably 4-5 months and about 7-8 inches in 1 year. They will grow to about 11" after 3 yrs and maybe hit 12" with the right care and space. In the future if your serious about 1 fish I can get you a Black Piranha at a very reasonable price. I maybe getting 4 all around 4". That would be your best bet as they eat less and grow slower after 6". Plus they look more stealth and hate anything in their tank. Once a Black piranha hits about 6" he will only grow 1/2" per year. He would be good for years and years in a 40g+ tank with a powerhead. In fact I've contended thata 40g breeder is the perfect tank for any piranha under 10". A Piranha of the Pygo genus is not well suited for a medium tank for long. As for behaviour... piranha's don't uproot. They have bitten air lines though. They are quite a self-sufficient investment. Edited December 10, 2005 by Piranha Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
African_Fever Posted December 10, 2005 Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 Sorry, I was wondering about prices of piranha in the 2-3" range as I've got no problem with the size as I'd probably look at a 6' 120 for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Man Posted December 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 Sorry, I was wondering about prices of piranha in the 2-3" range as I've got no problem with the size as I'd probably look at a 6' 120 for them. I gotcha! Sorry 'bout that. The most reasonalby priced piranha would be your domestic red belly piranha. In the tank you described you could permanantly house 6 of them. As for prices in the 2-3" range. I've seen them as low $10 piece. Actually Riverside in Calgary has good prices on there Red Belly's from what I have seen. The last 4"ers i bought were 2 for $25. Red Belly's while somewhat common are none the less a great piranha. They grow well and are the typical 'make the water boil' eating fish. And they can breed. The only bad part about a breeding pair of p's are that they turn into red devil/ dovii like fish. While I'm writing that brings me to an issue that comes up alot with new piranha owners. People will often complain that their piranha isn't aggressive like alot of Cichlids.... chasing you through the glass. That is true in most cases but WHY would you want a fish as dangerous as the Piranha is to be that way? If you get bit by an adult piranha you will be in alot of trouble. And if it's quite large you will literally lose digits. My guy would remove a bite the size of a raquet ball out of me if he got a hold of me. Some people complain that they dont move around alot. It's because they are opportunistic predators and will watch you all day if they have to. The trick to solving this is to run a powerhead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tysie Posted January 11, 2006 Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 I love piranhas i have just recently got into them and am amazed. i have 6 red bellied (2 5'' and 4 babies.) i am looken into getting the cariba kind but its hard to find them know of anyone who has them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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