I became fasinated and drawn to these little creatures after noticing them at my g/f fathers house and seeing how beautifull they were in the way they live,communicate,hunt and their agressive nature is fun to watch. My g/f got her father 2 baby Pirahna for his birtday 4 years ago and I'm just amaze they're still living today and are healthy as ever! Anyone know the life expectency of these fishes? My main reason to start this thread is to have those owners of Pirahna to give me tips for as beganner on how to take care of them. I will be getting two pirahna soon after i know more about them. My local pet shop carries them but my main concern is that they are soo small, about an inch long. Will they actually be able take care of themselves as babies or should I wait until they get a little bigger before buying one? I mean, they're $15.00 a piece and it would be a waste if they die soon b/c they're so young. What about tank size? Certain care sites said a 15gallon tank will do and some said you need 50gallon...I'm a little confuse here. Judging from my g/f fathers pirahnas which is around 7in long I think a 50gallon is better. Also what do I need to watch out for when I first get them...the do's and don'ts. Anyway, all replies would be greatly aprreciated. Thanks!
I know that pirahna are illegal to own in Arkansas. Make sure you check your local laws before buying them, and if you do get them please do not release them into the wild.
My brother has had piranha for years. The biggest problems he has had is: 1) Make sure you keep the water clean (goldfish guts mess up water quickly) 2)Make sure you feed them often enough (but not too much) or they will start eating each other. When Piranha are about to attack they line up single file then dart at the prey one at a time. I've already seen my brother's piranha line up pointing toward another piranha (how they knew too line up w/out signaling the lone victim I'll never know) He allways bought the small ones and has had great success at them growing -- if you get them too big you don't know how old they are
I've been told that drained meat (beef, chicken, etc.) is better than live food because it's not as messy and these fish eat dead or wounded animals most of the time in the wild.
I had 2 in college - Cheech and Chong. They were about palm size and I had them in a 25 gallon tank. I think there are certain laws about where you can and can't own them - be sure to check that out first. You just have to figure out the feeding schedule and once you get that down it's pretty easy. I started out with a few other agressive fish before I went to them though. And - VERY IMPORTANT Don't let your drunkard college roomate take care of them when you go on a trip. I returned home after a week and Cheech had eaten Chong.
When you get tired of the pirahna please do not dump them in some lake where innocent sex-loving teens can be eaten. It seems to always end up that way. Instead, please flush them down the toilet so they can eat the giant alligators and CHUDs.
They're not legal in most states. Usually the southern states ban them for fear that people will dump them in rivers or lakes and kill the ecology in the process. More northern states allow them. Here is one of the better Piranha forums on the 'Net where you can learn from people that raise them. That being said, if you want to watch seriously crazy videos, go to http://www.piranha-fury.com/download/pafiledb.php?action=category&id=3 and watch piranhas being fed. ** WARNING ** : many of the videos above are not for the weak of stomach or PETA. They have piranhas attacking live mice and feeder fish.
Oh my god. I hate rats, I mean I seriously hate rats, they creep me out, I freeze when I see them on the street. I used to dig watching a friend feed mice to his boa. But that video of the 15 piranhas attacking that big white rat was sickening stuff, I could barely watch. His tail and rear floating around -- gross.
Yeah, I'm all for nature videos, but when I saw the one where they attacked the rat, I had to stop it... too much. I knew how vicious they were when attacking from watching Discovery Channel/Animal Planet specials, but my God, I saw that rat video and couldn't watch anymore. And no, Lil Pun, you can't have a piranha, so don't even start thinking 25 questions to ask.
The videos make me want one even more but I try to abide by the laws best I can and they are illegal in Arkansas. Time to move to Texas!
The mouse video is the worst one........the little guy is alive swimming back and forth in the tank. At first, the fish just sort of watch him swim back and forth and then one of them goes and takes a bite. Then another. Then another. The mouse is still swimming around, and then they attack. In like about five seconds, there's really nothing left.
If you plan on keeping them indefinitely, be sure and have a LARGE tank. And keep them well fed, or be careful about moving the rocks around. (although they're probably more freaked by the "giant thing" in the tank, then thinking about it as their next meal!) They are illegal in Texas, as the good Doctor pointed out, although I've seen them from time to time. (not in "mainstream" shops) Think Oscar, with mucho teeth. As a matter of fact, get an oscar instead, if that's you thing. (feeding fish, fish) Smeg and R2K, you haven't spotted this yet??
I live in IL and its leagal as well as a pupular pet to own. Trust me I know about sticking my hand in the tank...my g/f dad stuck his hand in his tank to rearrange the plant and one of the pirahna took a small chunk of his finger! What are oscar like and why do you prefer them over a pirahna?
They are aggressive, love to eat things like goldfish (if they are large enough, they eat them whole, and if they aren't that big, get smaller goldfish or guppies!), and have a lot of personality. They can recognize you, the guy who looks after them, from across the room and know you from someone else. They'll come up to the front of the tank and nose around, checking you out, and seeing if you might have a snack for them. And they won't take a chunk out of you. They are not my thing, but I've been around them a lot over the years and find them facinating. I certainly understand why someone would keep them. Just be sure to have a big tank. I'd say a 40 gallon "breeder" tank, at least, with a 55 or 70 gallon being much better. You can keep fish like cats, plecos and decent sized clown loaches with them. And some other stuff. Just depends. Things too big or too painful for them to eat.
noize, If you look at one of those videos - it may be the one with the rat - there's an Oscar in the tank with the piranhas. It looks like a red or a tiger oscar (I'd verify, but don't have the guts to go back and look). My dad used to have Oscars in his tank. He used to feed them feeder fish. They would sneak up on them and then in one swift motion *GULP*. There were times you'd see the oscar swimming in the tank turn and face you and inside its mouth you'd see another fish looking at you... Oscars are also legal in Texas. They're messy as hell though and ideally you need at least a 45-55 gallon tank for 1 or 2 of them - preferrably something like a 75 gallon. They grow to be 8-12 inches long.
