Thinking about piranha...
- Thread starter Ares
- Start date
I have had experience in keeping a few piranhas. Believe it or not these were some of the first fish I ever kept when I was younger. I was very inexperienced and I obviously was not very mature at the time so I probably should of not had them. Anyway Hazzamaya has a point about keeping silver dollars before piranhas because they are both closely related, but as he pointed out, the silver dollars are veggies and other species of piranhas are usually not. If you do decide to go for piranhas, make sure you have a tank that will be big enough when they reach maturity, unless they are already adults when u purchase them. I believe that a 55 gallon is the bare minimum for adults. Keeping a few of them together is probably a good idea since they like to group together. Chances are that they will act more natural if they are in a small group. I once kept just 1 piranha in a tank and he seemed to get depressed cause he was by himself. You will also need good filtration for your tank, as well as having enough decor so that the piranhas will be able to have some privacy for themselves. The best thing to do before making a decision of whether or not to buy piranhas is to go and read a good book that explains the nature and needs of this highly interesting yet misunderstood fish. DO NOT BUY THIS FISH SOLELY FOR THE PLEASURE OF FEEdING IT LIVE FOOD. THIS WOULD BE A BIG MISTAKE AND IT WOULD BE UNFAIR FOR THE PIRANHAS.
Hey, ya'll...i've noticed this is the way things have been going lately in some of these threads...shoot first, ask questions later...but before making assumptions about why this Ares wants these fish, ask him why...dont just make assumptions like "do you want to look cool" or just flat out treat the person like he's doing this to be bad, or just to watch them eat, when in fact, Ares stance may be totally different.
And its not just you, and yes, there are many more much more aggressive threads out there, but, I dont know...it usually ends up with someone having to defend themselves when they hypothetically shouldn't have to and apologies having to go up all around.
Just my two cents, and i'm sorry if offended anyone and I DONT want to start a controversy, or an arguement, and i DONT want to be seen as someone telling you what to do, so dont think that, just think about these things before you jump the gun and start accusing them of their actions before the actions were ever committed or even perhaps entered their heads. Ares question seemed honest and good natured enough...what happened to innocent until proven guilty?
I am not the thought police, and i apologize if I came across like that...sorry sorry sorry ahead of time if I offend.
And its not just you, and yes, there are many more much more aggressive threads out there, but, I dont know...it usually ends up with someone having to defend themselves when they hypothetically shouldn't have to and apologies having to go up all around.
Just my two cents, and i'm sorry if offended anyone and I DONT want to start a controversy, or an arguement, and i DONT want to be seen as someone telling you what to do, so dont think that, just think about these things before you jump the gun and start accusing them of their actions before the actions were ever committed or even perhaps entered their heads. Ares question seemed honest and good natured enough...what happened to innocent until proven guilty?
I am not the thought police, and i apologize if I came across like that...sorry sorry sorry ahead of time if I offend.
i didnt make assumptions thats why it was a question if he really is interested in them for more then their reputation then he should get them i just dont like people that buy fish because they make them look cool then they starve them so they go berserk when you put food in with them to show off to their friends
i see how you could think that so i reworded it
i see how you could think that so i reworded it
In reply to both of your responses I have to say that I strongly agree with both of you. Soulfish, you brought up a very good point and I bet you that a lot of times people do purchase these fish so they can "show off" or so that they can just starve the fish and watch them eat. I think a good analogy would be like someone who doesn't really care for animals, but buys a pittbull so that they can look "tough" when they go walk down the street. And Ryan, I agree with you 110% when you brought up the point about people shooting down others on internet boards just because theres an opportunity to do so. BTW soulfish I am not trying to refer to your post, you have a very valid point, or question. I find that much too often someone might post something that "leaves them exposed" for others to start verbally attacking them. In turn I find that this type of method of responding to people on internet boards in general ends up being counter productive for everyone and just starts spam wars, as well as alienating people who might of not meant any harm in the first place. It's really unfortunate, it happens way way way too often, and it really really is starting to anger me. Again soulfish, you made a very valid statement and I was tempted to ask those questions as well when I first read Ares post, but I refrained because I wanted to try and be as impartial to his post as much as possible. Thats why I just eneded my initial post with that high cap warning. Kudos to both of you for how you handled this "HOT" topic. Again I don't mean to disrespect anyone here including Ares, but I think it's fair to say that we all need to give our opinion in as sensitive a manner as possible. I think I rambled on enough for now. 
WOW!!! I didn't mean to start such a controversial topic. And by the way, I am a girl. I know, the name is misleading, but it was my favorite Bettas name. Anyhow... I wasn't thinking about getting some piranha to look cool or show off for friends or any other such motive. Actually I really like the way that the redbellied piranha look and I thought that it might be interesting to have a fish that would eat live food other than the normal, impassive, flake food eating fish that I have. Perhaps that is a bad motive, I don't know. I just wanted to learn alot more about them and find out what others thought & knew before I made the decision to run out and buy some fish. I really love fish and I would never dream of purposefully being cruel to them. It's good to know that you people really care about these fish too. Thanx for everyone's input & defense
I know, the name is misleading, but it was my favorite Bettas name. Anyhow... I wasn't thinking about getting some piranha to look cool or show off for friends or any other such motive. Actually I really like the way that the redbellied piranha look and I thought that it might be interesting to have a fish that would eat live food other than the normal, impassive, flake food eating fish that I have. Perhaps that is a bad motive, I don't know. I just wanted to learn alot more about them and find out what others thought & knew before I made the decision to run out and buy some fish. I really love fish and I would never dream of purposefully being cruel to them. It's good to know that you people really care about these fish too. Thanx for everyone's input & defense lol i can imagine him getting bit by one of the piranhas. LMAO damn thatll be helarious at first but them but then itll become serious. thats what will happen when your starvin a piranha. itll bite you meat off you finger. i think itll just take your whole hand instead with bone and everything. im not saying youll starve it but its a hard fish to take care of. see im comparing you too me cause i KNOW i cant handle one.
and about the pitbull thing i know a pitbull thats afraid of chiuahuas(however you spell it).
~~Mike
and about the pitbull thing i know a pitbull thats afraid of chiuahuas(however you spell it).
~~Mike
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I've no experience with them - their downsides outweigh their merits for me. You'll need a big tank,at the least a metre long, and keep one or many rather than few. They grow very quickly, and you'll need a lot of filtration. I don't know how often you feed - twice a week with live fish, or substantial pieces of meat.
They don't tend to do too much and are often pretty nervous, nervous, especially when you only keep one. They have a habit of attacking weaker members of their own species, and usually start by biting out their eyes (all tetras do this, even neons!) - I had the recent displeasure in a shop I visited of seeing a tank of maybe 30 1cm red bellies, all without eyes except one or two of the largest.
I'd agree they look great, esp. between 5 and 10 cms, but the colour dulls when they get bigger.
The upside - if they get too big - they apparently make great eating. This is one of the classic ' don't release because it's got big' fish.
If you want something that's a bit more interesting than 'flake eating fish', there are other options to look at other than piranhas - jaguar cichlids, oscars, pike cichlids, other big cichlids, big catfish all strike me as a bit more human responsive and fun.
They don't tend to do too much and are often pretty nervous, nervous, especially when you only keep one. They have a habit of attacking weaker members of their own species, and usually start by biting out their eyes (all tetras do this, even neons!) - I had the recent displeasure in a shop I visited of seeing a tank of maybe 30 1cm red bellies, all without eyes except one or two of the largest.
I'd agree they look great, esp. between 5 and 10 cms, but the colour dulls when they get bigger.
The upside - if they get too big - they apparently make great eating. This is one of the classic ' don't release because it's got big' fish.
If you want something that's a bit more interesting than 'flake eating fish', there are other options to look at other than piranhas - jaguar cichlids, oscars, pike cichlids, other big cichlids, big catfish all strike me as a bit more human responsive and fun.
any of you ever seen a tank full of little baby pirhanas? they are adorable Kind of like a baby bulldog puppy, lol.....but just get uglier as they age, LOL....just my opinion though. I do think they are a cool fish....never kept them myself, only had experience with them when I worked at my LFS.
Amy
Kind of like a baby bulldog puppy, lol.....but just get uglier as they age, LOL....just my opinion though. I do think they are a cool fish....never kept them myself, only had experience with them when I worked at my LFS.Amy
Thks for the sympathy Ryan. In a way I have to laugh at what this immature person is doing. It actually is kinda funny except for the fact that the one liners section is now out of order due to this immature jerk. As for piranhas biting their eyes out, I can confirm what Wayne said cause I once had 2 piranhas together in the same tank, and to my horror I saw one bite the eye out of the other right in front of me! After this unfortunate incident the 2 piranhas never really fought again and no more eyes were lost.
The Piranha issue
Well, as I have done my fair share of screaming about people owning dangerous animals, I've grown hoarse!
Anyways, I looked at the reasons he had for getting them and have figured out an easy alternative. First, let's outline the conditions of keeping piranhas:
- Have to be kept in a LARGE tank if you have the amount of them needed to keep them successfully (more than 4 fish and a 60+ Gallon tank)
- They are really MESSY. Since they almost entirely meat, they make a lot of poop. So, as a result, they require a LOT of cleaning and filtration.
- In the rare chance you ever get bitten by at least one of them, they are incredibly fast and voracious about eating when blood is in the water. It's rare, since they are really shy about humans, that they would bite. But, you can never tell and one mistake would be a costly one. I know of people that have lost tips of their fingers to just a few seconds of a feeding frenzy. I need my mouse and keyboard fingers and I'm sure you do too!
So, what to do? Whats the solution?
ok. You want a fish that eats live food. Have you ever checked out the dozens of species of Cichlids? They are ALOT easier to care for and a lot cleaner than Piranhas. They are also, IMHO, infinitely more colorful!
You can also try the Clown (or other) Knife Fish, which can get huge, but is quite the voracious feeder when you put guppy fry in the tank for him and other feeders depending on his size.
See? There are lots of alternatives to the piranha which are much more interesting and much more active. In my experience with seeing Piranha in a home tank, they just sit around most of the time like a Pacu. Ghost Knives do that too, but at least their bottom fin looks wild while they sit waiting for feeding time.
Most Cichlids are mostly active doing something in the tank. If I got another large tank, I would definitely make it a Cichlid tank. But, I don't know if I would get the live food eating ones. Or else, I would find some alternative to giving them live food. Yeah, I know, I'm a wimp.
EDIT: SURE Soulfish! Go ahead and take my idea even before I am done typing!
Well, as I have done my fair share of screaming about people owning dangerous animals, I've grown hoarse!
Anyways, I looked at the reasons he had for getting them and have figured out an easy alternative. First, let's outline the conditions of keeping piranhas:
- Have to be kept in a LARGE tank if you have the amount of them needed to keep them successfully (more than 4 fish and a 60+ Gallon tank)
- They are really MESSY. Since they almost entirely meat, they make a lot of poop. So, as a result, they require a LOT of cleaning and filtration.
- In the rare chance you ever get bitten by at least one of them, they are incredibly fast and voracious about eating when blood is in the water. It's rare, since they are really shy about humans, that they would bite. But, you can never tell and one mistake would be a costly one. I know of people that have lost tips of their fingers to just a few seconds of a feeding frenzy. I need my mouse and keyboard fingers and I'm sure you do too!
So, what to do? Whats the solution?
ok. You want a fish that eats live food. Have you ever checked out the dozens of species of Cichlids? They are ALOT easier to care for and a lot cleaner than Piranhas. They are also, IMHO, infinitely more colorful!
You can also try the Clown (or other) Knife Fish, which can get huge, but is quite the voracious feeder when you put guppy fry in the tank for him and other feeders depending on his size.
See? There are lots of alternatives to the piranha which are much more interesting and much more active. In my experience with seeing Piranha in a home tank, they just sit around most of the time like a Pacu. Ghost Knives do that too, but at least their bottom fin looks wild while they sit waiting for feeding time.
Most Cichlids are mostly active doing something in the tank. If I got another large tank, I would definitely make it a Cichlid tank. But, I don't know if I would get the live food eating ones. Or else, I would find some alternative to giving them live food. Yeah, I know, I'm a wimp.
EDIT: SURE Soulfish! Go ahead and take my idea even before I am done typing!