Piranhas in the Home Aquarium
Keeping Piranhas as Pets Requires Planning and Commitment
Oct 10, 2009
They can skeletonize a cow in less than a minute. One drop of blood will send them into a feeding frenzy, causing a swimmer's flesh to disappear before their eyes. The piranha is one mean, blood-thirsty, aquatic terror. Or, at least, that is the common perception.
Anyone who's seen a piranha feed first hand knows that they are voracious eaters, but the stories of them being blood-crazed maniacs from the Amazon are exaggerated. Some people, on occasion, are bitten by piranhas, but the details of actual deaths caused by piranhas are sketchy. Nevertheless, just as with sharks, the reputation of the piranha has caused people to seek them out as pets. Keeping piranha in the home aquarium requires some planning beforehand, and more commitment than other aquarium fish.
General Information
The most common type of piranha available for sale is the Red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri). This fish from the Amazon basin and surrounding waters is characterized by the reddish coloring of its underside. It can grow up to 33 cm, but rarely gets larger than 15-20 cm in captivity.
The other type of piranha commonly offered for sale is the black piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus). This piranha is identified by its black spots and diamond-like shape. It grows to a similar size as the Red-bellied piranha. The Black piranha has a reputation for being an even more voracious feeder than the Red-bellied piranha, as is evident by its more pronounced jaw.
Piranhas are from the same family as tetras, but as their razor sharp teeth suggest, they are completely carnivorous. They have mean reputations, but piranhas are actually quite shy and skittish.
Housing
Since piranhas are from the same family as tetras, they are schooling fish. This means that they should be kept in groups of at least 3 (5 or more is better). As they grow to a significant size, an aquarium of 50 gallons or more is necessary to keep piranhas.
Piranhas like water temperatures of 23-27 C. The heater should have a protective housing, as piranhas, being as skittish as they are, often crash into everything in the tank. The water should be well filtered with a fair amount of current, as this is what piranhas are used to in nature.
Feeding
Piranhas need live sources of food, such as feeder goldfish. There are two ways to feed live foods. One is to offer them a constant supply of live fish. This method causes them to become lazy, and as they are shy, may not eat in front of their owner.
Since most aquarists buy piranhas to observe their eating habits, gorge feeding is better. Gorge feeding is when the fish is fed as much as it can eat in 10-15 minutes, a couple times a week. This is a more natural way of feeding, and provides the owner with a spectacular show.
Make sure the goldfish are from a reputable dealer and are well-fed, as carnivores get their vegetable matter from devouring other animals whole. You are what you eat, and sick, malnourished goldfish could cause health problems in piranhas. Any leftovers should be removed from the tank immediately, as they can severely degrade water quality.
Raw meat should not be fed. Though the piranha may eat raw meat, raw meats will foul the water, causing either hours of maintenance, or a tank full of dead piranhas.
Many areas have banned the sale of piranhas due to people releasing them into the wild. Aquarium fish should never be released into local water systems. If you do not think you can provide a piranha with the care it needs, do not purchase one in the first place.
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