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This and other species of the genus Serrasalmus known as Piranhas are aggressive predators with extremely powerful teeth, although rare they have been shown to attack and overpower humans. Piranhas in nature act as the sanitary police as they attack and consume any weak or sick animal. Their aggressive instincts are stimulated by blood or open wounds and the accounts of animals being reduced to bones are basically true. If you would like to see some photos of Piranha breeders and fry Click Here.

Quick stats:

Listed tank sizes are the minimum
Size:	Up to 12" (30cm)
Tank:	48 inches
Strata:	Bottom-middle
PH:	6.0 to 7.5
Hardness:	Soft to medium. dH range: 5-18
Temperature:	75ºF to 84ºF (24-29°C)

Classification

Order:	Cypriniformes
Suborder:	Characoidei
Family:	Serrasalmidae
Genera:	Pygocentrus

Red-Bellied Piranha

Additional species photographs

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Distribution

South America, Widely distributed throughout the Amazon and Orinoco river basins.

Similar to the more common Silver Dollar, but more elongated. The body height is about one half the body length. Their predatory nature is reflected by their powerful teeth and fleshy lips. The Caudal fin is distinctly forked, the Adipose fin is lobed shaped and fringed and the Ventral fin is ragged like a saw. They get quite large and can reach up to thirteen inches in length.

The color can vary depending on location and age. The sides are pale Brown to slightly Olive. Some of the small scales can produce an intense Golden Yellow reflection. The body can have some variable dark markings across it in no particular pattern. The back is Blue- Gray to Brownish and the throat and belly areas are blood Red in healthy specimens. The Ventral, Pectoral and Anal fins are also bright Red. The Caudal and Dorsal fins are gray.

Although they appear quite robust, they are not an easy specimen to keep. Even in a very large aquarium an acclimated fish can suddenly become aggressive. The tails of their own species and of larger fish will be bitten off, causing possible disease threats. They can be fed worms and young specimens will take other live food as well. Their water should be soft and Acidic, with a good amount of water movement in the tank. The temperature should be in the range of 75 to 80 °F. Due to their large size and specialized requirements I do not believe that they have been bred in the home Aquaria.

I found this on the net for free use:

Piranhas are unique creatures that have gained popularity not just because of their appearance, but also due to the many myths that are told about them. Unfortunately only a few species of piranha have been bred, including Serrasalmus nattereri, S. spilopleura, S. gibbus, S. rhombeus. Another that is considered relatively easy to breed is S. maculatus.

Whichever of these species you choose, you should have an aquarium of at least 100 gallons. A group of 5-6 piranhas is quite appropriate; however if you want them breeding it is best to keep a pair only, so that there are no other fish to bother them. To find a mating pair select two adult piranhas, one thick and the other thinner - in most cases thick piranhas represent females and thinner piranhas represent males. Just make sure you are not looking at them after they have been fed. Although having found a male and a female doesn't automatically mean success, it is a step on the way.

The ideal temperature is between 73°-83°F. Standard fluorescent bulbs are fine for the lighting. Piranhas also like some protective cover, and you should also make the lighting of half of the aquarium darker than the other. Piranhas are hardy fish but it is a good idea to maintain the water clean and clear. In their original Amazon River habitat, the rainy season is when most fish spawn. Frequent and bigger water changes seem to have an immense effect on the success of breeding (as they simulate the rainy season) and are most helpful in getting the piranhas into breeding condition.

When your piranhas lose all their colour and turn almost completely black, they are in breeding condition! Both of them may start to protect a certain spot; chasing off other piranhas that come too close. When they start picking up gravel in their mouths as if digging, it usually means they have already begun the mating process. Be careful not to disturb your piranhas during this time! The female will release eggs into the pit, and then leave the nest (but might stay close by it). The male is usually responsible for guarding the nest and eggs. The number of eggs laid varies from 700-4000. The eggs hatch in 2-3 days.

If you are lucky enough to have reached this stage, then it's time to take care of the fry. Prepare a 10 to 15 gallon tank with heater and undergravel filter. Water should be from the parents' tank. Be very, very careful when transferring the fry, as the parents can be extremely protective and aggressive. The fry will quickly absorb their yolk sacs and you can start feeding them live baby brine shrimp as food.

One thing you should be aware of is the legal issues. Some states do not allow the sell or ownership of piranhas at all. Other states require that you obtain a permit to sell or own a piranha. Be sure to check to see if any local restrictions apply before purchasing your piranhas.

About The Author

Article by William Berg writer for Aquatic Community with more then 20 years of aquarium experience. Find more of Williams articles about Piranhas or an article about completely different pet like Dogs

Article may be reproduce as long as it is not edited and this resource box is included “as is with live links” on the bottom of the page.


Piranha fry from Keith a site reader, He will be writing an article on their breeding, for now he has sent me some photos.
Click Here to see more of Keiths' Piranha photos.

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From: Raj Date:10/23/2005 I have 3 large (8") piranhas. I keep them in a 49 gallon tank with an external filter with a capacity 1 and half times the size of the tank, this helps to keep toxic levels down. I have found a weekly water change of 20% keeps the nitrate levels at bay due to the fresh fish diet. The best light conditions is using high intensity lights with dark (black) gravel with a thin under bed layer of sand. Plants are best to be kept with their roots in peat as they seem to die before they can establish (probably as the piranhas nip them and cause the plant to loose nutrients). The best way to do a water change is to use a gravel siphon and then add the water using a powerful pump to pump the water in from a large bucket as this introduces it slowly, and makes it easy for me to get the right temp and for convenience. They are amazing creatures and I agree with people who say they have a bad reputation. I always feed them before I do anything in the tank, and this allows me to use my hands, they never go near them (unless they are fighting with each other and run into me). NEVER STARVE THEM, this just reduces their life span, I only ever starve them for 2days max, and that only after water changes to allow the filter to cope with the change. Feed on a daily basis, but with a good amount but not to over feed. I feed my 3 with 3 large prawns, one each. They eat every day and swim happily about all the time; when I put the food up to the tank the run into the glass in anticipation and excitement. I had 5 tetras in with them but the survival of the fittest meant that only one is left. I also had 6 albino tiger barbs that were all gone in 2 days, as well as 3 large silver sharks. I have one tetra leopard left from 5 which actually eats the end bits of the prawns right in front of the piranhas mouths, he has survived the longest out of the little fish, (I think it’s the diet of fresh fish which helped him). Best way to control PH is with peat, just put a load in the filter and it will reduce it, when it reduces it too much the water will go brownie, when it’s not working, the PH will rise of course. My 3 are near to 6 years old now, and they are strong as ever, even the one who has one eye, who funnily enough is the first in for feeding (when he sees it), but does hover leaning to the side with the eye. The one female is dominant and protects her food when she doesn’t eat it rarely. The men just seem to enjoy investigating every thing that passes the tank and enters the tank (except my hand thankfully) All in all, treat them with respect and they seem to do the same. Raj.. ****Edited by Badman**** From: George Sorrell Date:05/07/2005 Yes A red belly can be bred at home. It is not easy however, I believe it may be one of the hardest fish to breed. You need to have at least 5 or 6 of them, and when you see two of them sticking together all the time, and one seems to be getting darker and darker (female RB turn almost pure black when ready to spawn) move them to a separate tank, I recommend at least 150 gallon as there will be many many born, not all will survive sadly. Also, the three I currently keep I have had for 3 months, bought 2 weeks after birth, are already more than 6 inches long, if you want to grow bigger piranhas faster, turn the heat in aquarium to around 84 degrees, and feed them beef heart 2-3 times a day, and always keep live feeders in with them (yes it is messy but worth it in my opinion) I noticed a huge difference in growth rate using these methods than from my first few who sadly when I went on vacation were not entrusted to a very good person :( But if you do as I do, you will need to do more water changes than usual and change filter media more often. Any questions I will be happy to clarify anything From: Josh Diener Date:11/09/2003 I have 4 Cariba in a 33g tank. My piranha's are all different sizes, my biggest being 4 inches. And my smallest is 2 1/2 inches. They get along well. I sometimes sit in front of my tank watching them for hours. I find that if you get some floating plants your piranha's will like swimming around more because the plants dim the light and they probably feel safer too. Most piranha's like tree root ornaments and live plants that are dark and have long wide leaves. I clean the tank with the piranha's in it, and I rearrange my tank with my hands. I have never had any trouble. From: Bap Date:9/21/2003 I started w/ 8 RB's the size of a dime in a 75g tank. One of them vanished within a week. The 7 left remained there till they reached a size of about 2in. I keep a constant supply of guppies in there. I feed the guppies flakes and pellets, which the RB's took most of the (shrimp)pellets. These RB's stayed mostly out of sight among the thick plant cover, I provided. In the 75g for only 4 months, These 7 RB's were than moved to a 125g tank. This 125g was already stocked with various other fish. Guppies,Firemouths,Red Fin Sharks,Plecos and goldfish. Red Fin and Firemouths were bigger, all were gone in less than a month, They now get night crawlers, minnows, fogs, crickets and golds to eat. They will not take any dry food or people food (tried once)until they get 6 to 7 days hungary. I don't feed anything other than as close to their natural food as I can find. After three days without food these RB's really get mean to each other. Their fins get messed up. Forgot to mention, after moving into the 125g tank one more of them is not present for head count within two days. No trace of a body. They have been very hardy with all the scraps in the tank. If too long between water changes they start to look more dark (black) in color. Making a water change about every 10 days keeps their colors bright and their attitudes more playful (with their food) New water is added very slow or they start to breath very heavy. Temp. I keep at 79 to 80F. PH I keep between 6.5 and 7.5. (50/50 mix of well and tap water)The higher range occurring if too long without water change. They have never been sick. The only problem is if they get spooked by a loud noise or someone moving too fast, too close to the tank. They are less jumpy as they grow bigger. After 2.5 years they are now 6 to 7in. They have grown at about the same rate since they were tiny. So has their appetite. There doesn't seem to be a peeking order overall. Yet when feeding the bigger ones start the party. During the day (when tank lights are on) they are very playful with their food, taunting but not often eating. In the dark I almost have to sit on the tank to keep then from jumping out. I do keep big rocks on the tops. The smallest one is 5 to 6in. I can not say for sure but this may be the only female of the six. This one keeps a more gold color than the others and is growing at a slower rate, but is keeping up in size to the others. Never more than an inch or two smaller. The other 5 are close in size. They each seem to have a place in the tank. Without cover they don't stop chasing each other. (Nipping fins) I have thick cover but as they grow I have reduced it. 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank bottom is planted with plastic plants. (They torn up the real plants chasing food)They don't like to be watched. If I stay on the other side of the room (15ft. away) they do eat while I watch. They don't get too frenzied because they have a steady supply of food. The six school together before eating at night. During the day they don't school until one of them is fighting a catch. They are sneaky, grabbing food while I look away only to settle slowly back to their spots when I look back. Unlike a pro-ball player they don't like to show off the power they seem to know they have. Most entertaining, active and smart specimens I've keep. Good luck to all who enjoy such a hobby. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COMMENTS

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