Everything you need to keep aquarium piranhas. Aquarium fish piranha
Common or red-bellied piranha(Pygocentrus nattereri) is a notorious inhabitant of the fresh waters of the South American continent and perhaps the most famous representative of the genus.
The species' distribution range includes reservoirs located between the Orinoco River basin, in Venezuela, in the north, and the Parana River, in Argentina, in the south.
Piranha- a tall, silvery fish with a greenish-blue back, brown-orange throat and belly, at first glance it seems quite harmless, if not for the large head with a powerful protruding jaw studded with razor-sharp, strong triangular teeth, revealing a formidable predator.
Razor-sharp triangular teeth reveal the piranha as a formidable predator
The teeth in the upper jaw are slightly smaller than those in the lower jaw. Moreover, in the normal state, the teeth are covered with massive lips so that only their very tips are visible. The special arrangement of the teeth and the movable lower jaw allow piranhas it's enough to tear oneself away from one's victim big pieces flesh.
Predatory lifestyle piranhas affected the size of the eyes and nostrils. U piranhas a very keen sense of smell, they are able to find potential prey even in complete darkness among dense vegetation.
Juveniles have black spots scattered across their silvery bodies. The gill covers, pectoral and anal fins, including the belly itself, are bright red. The tail is trimmed with a wide black edging.
With age, the black spots disappear, and the body takes on the color of old silver with fine golden sparkles of small scales. But the red tint on the belly and fins remains. The adipose fin is completely devoid of rays, while the dorsal fin contains from 14 to 18 branched rays.
Extending from the pelvic fins to the anal keel, it is covered with jagged saw-tooth scales; because of this feature, the piranha is called the sawfish in America.
Thanks to numerous myths telling about their bloodthirstiness, piranha They are quite rarely kept in amateur aquariums, although caring for these fish does not present any difficulties.
Adults piranha- quite large fish, even in an aquarium growing up to 20-25 cm.
In nature piranha They live in large schools, so it is better to immediately purchase at least 8-10 fish to keep in an aquarium.
For a group of ten piranhas about 4 cm in size, an aquarium with a volume of 100-150 liters will be enough for the first time, but it is better to immediately allocate them a more spacious tank, since for several adults piranhas an aquarium of 500 liters will not seem too spacious.
A flock of adult piranhas in an aquarium
For decorating an aquarium with piranhas You can use various decorative elements: stones, driftwood, live or artificial plants.
But the best solution is a reservoir densely planted with living plants. open areas for swimming, with dim lighting to suit the needs of the plants.
In such conditions, fish feel more confident and begin to move more actively, demonstrating natural behavior.
Adult piranha in an aquarium
Piranhas- predators, therefore they are not interested in aquatic vegetation as food.
Piranhas, however, like many other fish, cannibalism is characteristic, and it is characteristic not only of adult individuals, but also of slightly older fry. Therefore, it is better to purchase juveniles belonging to the same litter, thereby significantly reducing the risk of being eaten by one of them in the near future.
The cause of cannibalism usually lies in overcrowding or lack of food. When fry are densely packed, injuries in the form of bites are inevitable, while some of the injured fish die, while others survive due to their high immunity. Moreover, the wounds heal quite quickly; after several days, only small depressions at the bite sites remind of them.
Aggression is caused by incorrect, from the point of view of the pack, behavior of the prey. It could be a sick or injured fish, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a member of another species or one of the members of its own school.
Despite the reputation bloodthirsty predators, captive, piranha highly susceptible to stress and sometimes very timid. At the slightest danger, the entire flock quickly disappears into the thicket of plants.
The fry simply lie on their sides, pretending to be dead.
Therefore, you should not be afraid that one day you will be left without a finger when carrying out periodic work in the aquarium. Piranhas will always stay away from the same scraper or siphon.
But we shouldn’t forget about who we’re dealing with either; when driven into a corner, when caught, a large specimen is quite capable of causing injury. But since most aquarists catch fish with a net rather than with their hands, it is the nets that suffer from piranhas first.
If the fish are full, then the first reaction from an object dropped into the aquarium will be a rapid flight.
If piranhas do not feed for a month and they will not eat each other by the end of such an experiment, then any biological object caught in water may cause an attack.
Piranha diet
In nature piranha They mainly feed on fish, which they actively pursue or attack from ambush. In addition to fish, their diet includes insects, crustaceans, birds in the water, as well as mammals, reptiles and amphibians. In other words, prey piranhas Any living organism that has attracted the attention of a hungry pack of predators in one way or another and does not have time to leave the water in time can become. Individual flocks piranha, at certain times of the year, they concentrate under the trees on which birds nest. Patiently waiting for the moment the chick falls out of the nest.
Feeding piranhas in an aquarium does not cause any difficulties. Their daily diet can consist of fillets of almost any lean fish, pieces of squid, shrimp, beef heart, etc.). They will not refuse live aquarium fish either. Thanks to its wide throat and movable lower jaw, an adult piranha without special effort can swallow a ten-centimeter fish whole.
Juveniles are fed every day, adult fish - every other day or also daily, but to prevent obesity, they are given one or two fasting days in Week.
When giving large pieces of food, you should hang them on a wire. When such a piece is lowered into the aquarium, at the first moment the entire flock rushes into the scattered one. After some time, as a rule, the smallest individual decides to swim up to the food and bite off a small piece of it. After all the other members of the pack are convinced that nothing terrible has happened to their relative, they rush together to catch the prey and in a matter of seconds there is nothing left of it.
Often in publications mentioning piranhas, it is said about their ability to bite through almost steel wire. In fact, in the process of eating, piranha behave very carefully. Feeling any hard matter under your teeth, piranha tries to bite off a smaller piece; if this fails, she completely gives up trying to bite off anything.
At your victim's piranha With their razor-sharp teeth, they cut off all the soft parts, the skeleton, as a rule, remains intact. Although in the excitement, even a large fish thrown for food can easily be bitten in half.
Piranhas, like other predators, they eat quickly and sloppily, trying to fill their stomachs for future use as much as possible. Small pieces of food that fall to the bottom are usually ignored by them. Therefore, it is recommended to give fish food in pieces that they can swallow completely without tearing it.
To maintain the red color of piranhas, it is advisable that their diet include shrimp or pink salmon meat.
Piranhas - sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed: females are usually larger than males, but in order to judge this, the fish must be the same age and raised in the same conditions, which is unlikely in practice.
A more reliable sign is the keel of the abdomen; in the male, when viewed from the front, it has the shape of the letter V, and in females it has the shape of the letter U.
Breeding piranhas in an aquarium
Sexually mature piranha become reaching a size of about 15 cm, usually at the age of one and a half years.
Piranhas grown in an aquarium, for reproduction, it is not necessary to create any special conditions. The minimum that is needed for this is clean and warm water, sufficient volume, plus a varied diet.
Spawning does not depend on the time of year. After the first spawn, the next ones usually occur once or twice a month. Reproductive capacity piranhas lasts quite a long time.
The upcoming spawning can be judged by the changed color of the fish and some changes in the situation in the aquarium. During the spawning period piranha darken, acquiring an almost black color.
Spawning occurs in the open. First, the male builds a nest, which is a hole about 20 cm in diameter. All plants growing nearby are mercilessly chewed off to the very roots.
Spawning usually occurs in the early morning. The female lays about one and a half thousand bright orange eggs, having a diameter of about 2 mm. This is where her role ends. The male takes care of the rest of the eggs. He selflessly throws himself on the hand raised to the viewing glass. Any other objects that appear within the boundaries of the nest are also attacked.
The male covers the eggs with soil. Periodically he makes sudden circular movements around the nest and fans the clutch with its fins, creating the necessary flow of water. For normal hatching of larvae, it is recommended to use fairly coarse soil in the spawning area, since small soil quickly cakes, and the care of the male only aggravates this process. As a result, part of the eggs suffocate, and the hatched larvae simply do not have enough strength to get out.
The male's activity in caring for the nest decreases every day. And the floating larvae become completely left to their own devices.
Depending on the water temperature, the larvae appear on days 2-4, and begin to swim freely only after a week.
The starting food for them is Artemia nauplii, but after a few days the fry are able to eat chopped tubifex, and a week later they try to swallow the worms whole.
With plenty of feeding, the fry grow very quickly. Having reached the age of one month, the juveniles already look like small shiny coins with a dark spot at the base of the caudal fin.
After another month, black spots appear on the body. At the age of three months, the fry's lower jaw begins to protrude forward and the fins become colored. Now they are starting to look like adults piranhas.
Juvenile common piranha
At this age, fry can be fed scraped fish and meat, as well as chopped shrimp. When switching to this food, you should pay more attention to the quality of water in the nursery aquarium.
If spawning took place in a species aquarium, then the larvae and fry can be raised in it. Adults piranha, they do not pay any attention to the larvae.
The danger of being eaten begins when the fry reaches a size of 5-6 cm. In a separate nursery aquarium, similar problems can arise when the fish reach maturity.
Common piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) - estimated cost in Russia
| Size | Average price per piece |
| Up to 3 cm (S) | 257 rub. |
| Up to 6 cm (M) | 380 rub. |
| Up to 13 cm (L) | 715 rub. |
| Up to 16 cm (XL) | 1350 rub. |
Most widely represented Rooseveltiella nattereri (Kner, 1858), synonym of Serrasalmus nattered - the common piranha, or red-bellied piranha, which has a rather characteristic appearance - the body is laterally compressed, slightly elongated with a large head and a “bulldog” lower jaw, pushed forward in relation to the upper one, in nature it reaches 30 cm, and in under aquarium conditions, it rarely exceeds 20 cm. The body of the fish is painted silver; at the age of 7-8 months there are quite large black spots. The bases of the pectoral fins and chest are scarlet, and the anal fin is carmine. With age, the fish's body becomes lighter and its spots disappear.
The piranha is often called the “tooth fish” due to the structure and arrangement of the teeth on the jaws. Teeth triangular shape, with jagged, saw-like edges; the upper ones fit into the gap between the lower ones. The teeth are double-edged and slightly curved inward. Piranhas do not bite, but saw off a piece of meat. They, clinging to the victim, begin to quickly, quickly twitch from side to side. Thus sawing off a piece in less than a second.
They are so sharp that Indians used to use the fish's jaws as razors. Its teeth seem to be hidden behind its lip, and the piranha looks like a completely harmless fish until it grabs onto the victim. Therefore, fish must be handled very carefully. The aquarium should be located in such a place that children cannot reach it.
Features of piranha behavior.
Piranhas are predators that eat mainly sick or wounded animals, that is, they serve as a kind of underwater orderlies. They belong to the American characinids and are schooling fish that can attack large mammals, such as horses and bulls, as well as crocodiles.
It would seem how a crocodile with such rough skin could be afraid of a small fish
. It turns out he has some vulnerable spots where a piranha can grab onto. For example, the underside of the paws. Within a few minutes, a school of common piranha eats the animal, whose mass is about 50 kg. Fish can be dangerous to humans. The signal for an attack is the presence of blood in the water, the smell of which she can smell from several tens of meters away.
The aggressiveness of piranhas greatly depends on the time of year; they usually feed on small fish and carrion, and do not pay attention to people and animals. The exception is when a wounded animal enters the river. They flock in flocks to the smell of blood. There is no trace left of the wounded animal in a matter of minutes. Piranha forest orderly During a flood, they spread across the area and eat stuck and drowned animals. A kind of forest orderly. Floods are not uncommon in Brazil; water can rise up to 15 meters. Small trees end up in the water along with their crowns. Some herbivorous species of piranha feed on tree fruits, spreading seeds throughout the area. So piranha is
Where there was dry land yesterday, boats float and children swim, and completely freely. Tourists go all out water skiing. This is such an idyll. In addition, piranha is a local delicacy. Tourists catch piranhas with a fishing rod, and locals even catch them with a net. Moreover, without any special means of protection. I even saw a video on this topic on YouTube. A beached piranha bit a fisherman's finger. But he somehow deftly tore it off, covered his finger with a plaster, and continued to fish as if nothing had happened.
So, who else is eating who? The local Indians have a strange custom: they lower their dead into the river, after wrapping them in a large net. And then they take out the skeleton, decorate it with feathers and store it in the hut. This is the kind of symbiosis they feed each other.
How does a piranha behave during a drought?
Piranha behavior changes dramatically during drought. Streams remain from the rivers, and in places where there was a former flood there remain isolated lakes and even puddles in which fish splash, river dolphins, caimans and other living creatures. At first, piranhas eat all the living creatures in their pond, and then they can attack each other. During drought, piranha becomes very aggressive, and it becomes dangerous to approach a body of water. Piranha is very hungry and can even grab onto the face of an animal that decides to drink. Even the jaguar is afraid of these fish, but acts carefully and is very interesting. He approaches the pond and quietly hits the water with his paw, and when the water begins to boil with fish, he jumps a couple of meters to the side and calmly drinks the water. Such a cunning pussy.
Piranha's enemies
However, the piranha is not at all the queen of local reservoirs; it has many enemies; the same caimans and dolphins usually eat them with pleasure. And also large predatory fish, herons, and freshwater turtles matamata. However, you can’t just swallow it; this is not a fish that will be easily digested in the stomach. Therefore, predators try to bite it harder to finish it off before swallowing it.
There are known cases when piranhas became very excited when water in which raw meat was washed was added to an aquarium with a total volume of 220 liters. In this case, it is enough to add just a tablespoon of such water.
Piranha reacts to blood the same way other fish react to food. If you feed the fish all the time in one place, then they begin to gather near the feeder in a race when a person approaches. And they try to eat much more than they can. As a result, fish in the aquarium often suffer from obesity, especially barbs. However, piranhas are not that voracious. They are rather the exception.
One day, a British scientist conducted an interesting experiment by placing two piranhas in a school of goldfish. But to the scientist’s surprise, the bloody massacre did not occur. The piranhas did not destroy all the fish at once. Instead, they ate one fish between them each day. But they didn’t want to give up the feast either. They bit the fish's fins. As a result, the goldfish, devoid of mobility, hung with their heads down at the surface of the water. In this way, the predators created a living supply of food for themselves. But they killed only to eat, and as much as they needed. Instead of trying to eat enough for the month ahead, as many other aquarium fish do.
Aquarium piranhas are amazing creatures, shy and cautious. During transportation, catching, or during any sudden movement, these fish lie on their sides on the bottom and spend a lot of time in shelter. In connection with this behavioral feature, it is necessary that a significant part of the aquarium’s water space (up to 75%) be equipped with shelters and planted with aquarium plants. It must be remembered that an open area must be equipped for feeding. Piranhas use their terrible teeth only for self-defense. Young individuals are active and you can watch their movements for hours. Adult specimens stand motionless in one place most of the time or hide in shelters.
Piranhas are beautiful and quite unpretentious fish to keep. In an aquarium, they exhibit recurrent relationships, that is, individual individuals develop a certain part of the reservoir as their territory. However, in nature such relationships are not typical for most characins.
Piranhas are schooling fish to keep them in the aquarium you need to purchase at least five to ten individuals. These fish outside the school become depressed. Individual individuals do not have the opportunity to implement the mechanism of a school attack on the prey. The primitive psyche of a fish cannot adapt to the absence of other individuals of its species and does not find a way to apply the instincts that have been fixed over thousands of generations, characteristic of schooling fish. Therefore, if you keep only one piranha in an aquarium, it may not survive.
A flock of piranhas of five to eight individuals of the same size and age is kept in an aquarium with a volume of 170-200 liters. In the first year of fish life, the aquarium can be 100-120 liters. For adult fish, it is advisable to have a larger aquarium, 300-500 liters. Water with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction (pH = 5.5-7) should have a temperature of 24-26˚C, always be clean and sufficiently saturated with oxygen. Therefore, it is necessary to replace 10-15% of the water in the aquarium daily with fresh and settled water. Simultaneously with changing the water, you need to clean the soil with a siphon. Do not forget that fish do not tolerate sudden changes chemical composition and water temperature when changing it. Aeration (air blowing) and water filtration are also necessary.
Feeding piranhas.
It is recommended to feed the piranhas once a day for two minutes, and then remove the remaining food from the aquarium. With proper feeding, the fish behave tolerantly towards each other, while a hierarchy is necessarily observed within the school. Their behavior in a pack is interesting. In the formed flock there is matriarchy. If you throw pieces of meat or fish into an aquarium, the first one to swim up will be " main mom
", then females of a lower rank and only at the very end the males swim up. Then everything is repeated in the same sequence. It is interesting that the male, who is with the female before spawning, usually does not touch the food until the female has eaten.
Feeding piranhas does not cause any difficulties. Common foods include beef, preferably lean, beef heart and pink salmon meat. A convenient feeding option is to hang meat or fish in the aquarium on a string, since all uneaten remains must be removed from the aquarium so that the water does not begin to deteriorate. In the first two months of life, the fish are fed with daphnia, tubifex and bloodworms. After three months, it is advisable to switch to the diet of adult fish, which should include meat, but not more than 20%, which is associated with the danger of obesity of the gonads, this often leads to infertility of fish, as well as whole and cut fish. You can’t feed them, as you can introduce pathogens. It is better to feed piranhas with cheap aquarium fish, such as swordtails and guppies, which were rejected for their ugly appearance. For dead fish larger than 10 cm, the head and entrails must be removed and washed to remove fat.
For adult fish, it is advisable to have a fasting day once a week in order to avoid obesity of the insides. Fry, large sick and injured aquarium fish, frogs and tadpoles can form the basis of live food. Crustaceans and crustaceans should be added to the diet in small quantities. large insects, as well as food of plant origin.
It is not recommended to feed piranhas with large pieces, from which the fish should tear off a small part. This should not be done for the following reasons: a large amount of uneaten food remains, since piranhas do not pick up pieces of food that have fallen to the bottom or stuck in plants, and aggression between fish is higher during such feeding. At the time of feeding, the owner can find out the health status of the fish. If piranhas do not rush to feed or actively fight for food, it means that there are violations in the conditions of their keeping.
Piranha spawning in an aquarium.
The success of piranha breeding largely depends on the preparation of the producer, which needs to be fed with high-quality animal food - pieces of lean beef, beef heart, squid, sea fish. Before spawning, the male becomes very beautiful. His body darkens and golden sparkles stand out on it.
For piranha spawning, you need to prepare an aquarium, the volume of which is approximately 300 liters per pair of fish. The aquarium must be equipped with a filter pump that creates a current and purifies the water, since in nature piranhas spawn in running water. Approximately 5 cm thick soil is poured onto the bottom of the aquarium, in which the male will dig a hole for the eggs.
The temperature in the spawning tank should be about 28-30˚C, pH is 6-7. Every day, 25% of the water volume is replaced with fresh water with similar parameters. The spawning ground can also be without plants. This is due to the fact that the male simply “cuts” the plants to the very roots. Spawning can take place in the same aquarium where the fish are kept, but without neighbors. There are known cases of breeding piranhas in small vessels. At the same time, producers were given hormone injections.
Fish mature at the age of one and a half years. Pair spawning is observed. The male will protect the clutch, so it is better to remove other fish before spawning. The substrate for a nest with a diameter of 20 cm and a depth of 1-1.5 cm is the soil of the aquarium, in which the male makes a depression of the correct shape. Spawning can be stimulated by replacing a quarter of the water volume while simultaneously increasing the water temperature to 26-28˚C.
During spawning, piranhas stand vertically down or upside down over a dug hole. At one time, the female can spawn up to 3000 eggs with a diameter of 1.5 mm. The female is removed after spawning.
After spawning, within two weeks the spawners are ready to spawn again. This can happen up to five times. After which the spawning coloration disappears and the fish have a break in reproduction for two to three months.
Feeding the fry.
2-3 days after spawning, the eggs hatch into larvae. The required quantity is transferred using a glass tube with a diameter of 10-15 millimeters into an aquarium with clean water of the same composition as in the spawning tank. On the sixth day, the larvae turn into fry and begin to swim. In a month, the fry reach two centimeters and acquire a silver color with dark spots. At two months, the fins of the juveniles turn red and they become similar to adult piranhas, only small ones.
The percentage of larvae emerging is high and reaches 90-95, and week-old juveniles - 75-80 of the total number of larvae. Piranhas eat wounded and weakened individuals of their own species. In conditions of forced crowding, young fish begin to attack each other. To prevent cannibalism, starting from the age of three weeks, juveniles must be sorted weekly. For a 100-liter aquarium, the recommended stocking density is three to five hundred one-month-old fry, two hundred for two-month-olds, and no more than one hundred for three-month-olds.
The fry often attack each other, sometimes almost to the point of being completely eaten, leaving only their heads. Valid natural selection, aimed at the survival of more adapted individuals. It is known from experience that almost every day injured individuals appear in a large group of young animals.
During collisions, piranhas can seriously damage each other. At the same time, the bitten fish must be transplanted into another aquarium. After 10-14 days, complete restoration of the fins and tissues occurs. This phenomenon of such rapid wound healing has not yet been studied.
Precautions when keeping piranhas in an aquarium.
You can climb into an aquarium with well-fed piranhas with your hands and work. The main thing is that there are no wounds or hangnails on your hands.
Also, you should not drive fish into a very narrow place from which there is no way out. Do not forget that piranhas are most dangerous during spawning. Injuries suffered by aquarists almost always occur during transplantation of these fish. Therefore, it is better to use a special net made of soft wire or thick twine.
Attention: some types of piranhas can be herbivores, and quite peaceful, and will eat food of animal origin, with plant additives. When keeping such fish, however, be careful with newly acquired fish. Piranhas of different species are very similar to each other, especially young fish. The new fish may not be so peaceful and can easily chop off a finger while feeding.
When adding even one drop of blood to the water, or a spoonful of water in which the meat was washed, piranhas go into a complete frenzy and become dangerous to people.
Aquarists who use hormone injections to breed piranhas are at risk. A case is described in which a piranha left teeth marks on a scalpel used to hold its head. A fish only about 20 centimeters long is capable of snatching a piece of meat with a volume of up to two cubic centimeters from the hand of a careless person.
Shibanova Natalya Leonidovna
Mileus redfin or Mileus moon.Myleus rubripinnis luna Myleus rubripinnis luna is perhaps one of the most beautiful representatives of the “herbivorous piranhas”. Belong to Class
Bony fish(Osteichthyes), Subclass Ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) Otryau Characin-like (Characiformes) Family Characidae (Characidae) Subfamily Piranhae (Serrasalminae) Genus Myleus Myleus Species Myleus rubripinnis
Quite a large, peaceful and schooling fish. A herbivore, not a predatory fish, therefore it is not recommended to use live vegetation when arranging. It is better to use inanimate objects, as well as Thai fern or Java moss (most herbivorous fish do not eat them). Despite the fact that the fish eat plant food, they should also be fed with bloodworms.
It has a slightly elongated disc-shaped body. The eyes are quite large. Yellowish spots are beautifully scattered on the silver body. Sexual differences are expressed in the intensity of color: the female is slightly paler than the male; male - during spawning it becomes much brighter, his anal fin is notched. And also in males, the anal fin has a longer outer ray.
For comfortable keeping it is necessary to create certain conditions. The fish needs a large aquarium volume (from 200 liters). It is better to keep it with not very small, peaceful fish. It is desirable that there be 5 or more individuals in the group (fish that are too small can be eaten). The requirements for the aquarium are similar to the requirements for keeping Metinis. For soil, coarse sand or fine gravel is best. Fish are very demanding on the quality of food and water. For favorable development, powerful aeration and filtration are necessary. The water should be soft, peaty, and free of nitrogen compounds. Hardness is allowed up to 5°, pH 5.8-6.8. The most comfortable water temperature is 24-26 degrees C. Sexual maturity is usually reached at 2-3 years.
Food for fish.
Vegetable food (spinach, fruits, nettle leaves, lettuce, dandelion), as well as a variety of live and combined food, is suitable for this species. Breeder fish must be separated before spawning! Then place one or two pairs in the spawning tank. (it is desirable that it contains dark soil and a sufficient number of plants). The productivity of one female is up to 600 eggs! If everything went well, then after 5-6 days the larvae begin to swim on their own and feed on small food!
Redfin mile.
Myleus rubripinnisThe redfin mile (Myleus rubripinnis) is a beautiful aquarium fish, which belong to the Phylum: Chordata, Class: Ray-finned fish, Order: Characinidae, Family: Characinidae, Subfamily: Piranhaidae. Habitat: reservoirs of South America (basins of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers).
Description of fish:
Quite a large fish, in natural conditions it lives in schools. It belongs to a number of unpretentious fish, so it is well suited for beginner aquarists. Under natural conditions it grows up to 35 cm, in captivity it never reaches such dimensions, a maximum of 15 cm. It lives for about 10 years. The fish is very beautiful, it belongs to the so-called “herbivorous piranhas”. It is a peace-loving fish and gets along well with almost any neighbors. Leads a fairly active lifestyle, does not hide, and requires quite a lot of space for swimming. The only problem is that they nibble all the plants in the aquarium. To solve this, you need to fill the aquarium with cryptocoryna, Java moss or Thai fern. But in an aquarium with larger fish like stingrays, they are great at eating up excess food, performing the function of orderlies.
Appearance of the Redfin Miles.
The body of the red-finned mileus is disc-shaped. Paint color is silver-gray. Females are usually paler and larger than males. Males are brighter and look good against a background that contrasts with their color. Also in males, the anal fin is reddish in color with a notch and has a longer outer ray.
Since the fish leads an active lifestyle, it is best to choose an aquarium with a minimum capacity of 200 liters. (based on 30 liters of water per individual). It is preferable to use an aquarium from 100m in length. They are unpretentious to water quality. But for a comfortable stay you will need water with a temperature of 25-30 degrees C, pH around 5-7. They prefer water saturated with oxygen, so it is worth taking care of active aeration. It is advisable to place at least 5 individuals in one aquarium to form a flock.
Feeding the fish:
It is better to feed herbivorous fish with frozen or fresh herbs, such as spirullina, wolffia, lettuce, or specialized mixtures for herbivorous fish. But you shouldn’t forget to feed them with bloodworms.
Breeding Redfin Miles:
The breeding result of the Redfin Mileus depends on an abundant and varied diet during preparation for spawning.
For spawning grounds, aquariums with a capacity of at least 150 liters are used. The spawning area is filled with a substrate, for which willow roots, water hyacinth or a layer of soil in the form of small pebbles are best suited. From one to three pairs are placed in one aquarium, and there should be more males. The excited state of the fish is immediately noticeable to the naked eye - the fish acquires a blue-black color. The fertility of each individual is approximately 2000 eggs. It is necessary to strictly observe the temperature regime of the water. The water temperature should not be lower than 27 degrees C and pH 6.5. Active filtration is also simply necessary, since in natural conditions the Redfin Mile spawns in running water. After 2-3 days the larvae begin to show activity. After approximately 7-9 days, the larvae turn into fry, which can already swim and feed on their own. The fry are aggressive, so it is necessary to sort them by size frequently. The fry are fed rotifers or brine shrimp. Individuals reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years.
This type of fish is characterized by caring for its offspring; males are responsible for this. They dig a small hole, most often round. Also, after the female spawns, the males guard the “nest”. The females need to be removed after spawning.
Red pacu.Colossoma bidens Red Paku Colossoma bidens (grass-eating piranha) . The fish lives in South America , mainly in the Amazon and its tributaries, is used as a commercial fish. The two-toothed colossoma is omnivorous. Despite its family resemblance to the piranha, the red pacu rarely eats meat. In nature, the main diet consists of a variety of river grass and nuts. The fish grows quite quickly: in the first year it can natural conditions
can grow up to 30 cm. The maximum length of adult individuals is up to 88 m and weight 25 kg; in an aquarium, such indicators practically do not reach. The maximum recorded life expectancy is 28 years.
Appearance of the Red Paku.
For the well-being of the herbivorous piranha, a spacious species aquarium with a volume of at least 200 liters is required. With proper care it grows quite quickly. The water temperature should be 26-28 °C with good filtration and aeration. Water characteristics: dH=0-20, pH=6.0-7.0. Water changes should be carried out frequently, up to 25-30% per week of the total volume. Only plastic plants are used for decoration, since fish will eat any plants in the aquarium. Of the living plants, only Java moss, which is unpalatable to most fish, can survive. The red pacu needs ample space for swimming, as well as shelter in the form of stones or driftwood. Can be kept with medium or large fish of similar size.
Food for fish.
Food should be varied. Nutrition: 90% plant food (cabbage, lettuce, nettle, dandelion, oatmeal) and 10% live food (bloodworm or lean meat, beef liver). You can add dry food in small quantities.
Breeding Red Pacu.
Maturation occurs at the age of 2 - 3 years. In an aquarium, growth rarely reaches 50 cm. When breeding, only live food is required. During spawning, the red pacu can be aggressive. A large aquarium with a volume of at least 150-300 liters is used as a spawning ground, in which 3-6 pairs of piranhas are planted (more males are possible). When excited, fish change color to blue-black. Fertility up to 2000 eggs per pair. The water temperature is needed 27 degrees. The fry begin to swim and feed independently after about a week. The fry are aggressive, it is necessary to regularly sort them by size. They are usually fed brine shrimp and rotifers.
Metinnis vulgaris.
Metynnis hypsauchenMetinnis vulgaris (its other names are Metinnis Schreimüller or mirror fish) is aquarium view fish belonging to the Characidae family. The birthplace of Metinnis is the basin of the Amazon and Paranvaya rivers. Prefers places with dense thickets.
Appearance:
The body shape is flattened laterally, rounded. Steel-colored scales with a silver tint. This type of aquarium fish is characterized by silver eyes with a vertical black streak. The dorsal fin is high and straight, and the caudal fin is slightly curved. The adipose fin is quite long, but the anal fin has a long base. The fins are transparent. The color of the back can be blue-gray, brown or greenish. The color of the sides changes depending on the lighting and can be bluish, green or yellow. Also on the sides of the body there may be dark spots and thin black transverse stripes, the presence of which depends on the origin of a particular fish. The abdomen is white. In females, the edge of the anal fin is straight, the tip is elongated and reddish in color. The male differs from the female in its smaller size and the concave edge of the anal fin, and during the spawning period the entire body of the male becomes golden-red. In natural conditions, the mirror fish grows up to 15 cm, but in an aquarium its size will be smaller.
Conditions for keeping Metinnis vulgaris in the aquarium:
Metinnis vulgaris is a friendly and slightly shy fish. Due to the fact that it is gregarious, it is recommended to keep it in a separate aquarium of 7-9 individuals. You can place it in a general aquarium, but with fish of approximately the same size as it. For mirror fish, it is preferable to choose a closed aquarium with a volume of 200 liters (more is possible) and dark soil. It is better to fill the aquarium with hard-leaved plants, since soft-leaved fish eat them. Stones and driftwood that do not contain calcium and magnesium compounds are suitable for decoration. Lighting power from 0.5 to 0.7 W/l, water hardness up to 15°, temperature from 23 to 28°C, and pH 6.5-7.0. The fish's diet is about 80% plant food, for example: scalded spinach or lettuce leaves, dandelions, nettles or Brussels sprouts, and the remaining 20% can be reserved for live food.
Breeding Metinnis vulgaris:
Puberty occurs at about one year of age. As a rule, spawning ground is used for breeding fish (hardness up to 4°, pH 6.4-7.0, temperature 26-30°C). Young individuals are usually selected for breeding. After keeping a couple of fish separately for a couple of days, provide them with plenty of feeding. They are then placed in a 200 liter aquarium. with small-leaved plants planted in it. The female usually lays from 300 to 1000 non-stick transparent eggs with a slightly yellowish tint. After spawning, the fish are removed from the spawning tank. The incubation period lasts 4 days, and on days 4-7 the larvae begin to swim and feed. The very first food for them will be artemia nauplii, small plankton, artificial food or finely chopped lettuce leaves.
Lesina Oksana Aleksandrovna.
Red piranha.
Rooseveltiella nattereriThe red piranha (Rooseveltiella nattereri) is red, or rather red-bellied, only at a young age. In nature it reaches 30 cm (in an aquarium about 20 cm, weight up to 1.5 kg) - a large fish, olive-silver with a red or purple tint, blue-green highlights on the back, a dissected tail with a blue-green border, a belly with yellow-orange hue (fry have large black spots that disappear with age, and mature ones are almost black). The body is tall, laterally compressed and a large head with a “bulldog” jaw. The mouth is large, very sharp triangular teeth, with jagged edges, the upper ones extend into the gap between the lower ones. The chest and base of the pectoral and anal fins are colored red, the sides with brown gilded spots. The lifespan of red piranhas in an aquarium is 7-15 years.
Feeding the fish:
Piranha is a carnivorous fish that feeds on pieces of fresh fish fillet(you can’t feed river fish, you can introduce pathogens), raw lean beef, beef heart, you should add crustaceans and large insects, and plant foods. Do not overfeed, they may die (give adult fish a fasting day once a week). It is recommended to feed once a day for 2 minutes, and then remove the remains from the aquarium so that the water does not begin to deteriorate.
Breeding Red Piranhas:
Before spawning the male becomes very beautiful: darkens, golden sparkles stand out on it. To stimulate spawning, you need to replace 25% of the water volume daily and increase the temperature by a couple of degrees. The aquarium must have a filter pump that creates a current (in nature, running water is needed for spawning). The male makes a hole in the ground for the eggs, and the female stands vertically above the hole (she can spawn about 3,000 eggs); after spawning, she is deposited. Spawning can take place in a spawning tank or in the aquarium where the fish are kept, but the male vigilantly protects the clutch, therefore, in order to avoid bloody skirmishes, it is better to separate the neighbors. 2-3 days after spawning, the larvae will hatch, on the 6th day they will turn into fry and swim, and after another 4 days they will be able to eat cyclops crustaceans or brine shrimp larvae. In a month, the fry reach 2 centimeters and acquire a silver spotted color. At 2 months, the fins turn red and look like small adult piranhas. Starting from 3 weeks of age, it is necessary to sort the fry, as they are aggressive and cannibalism is highly developed (the large ones will eat the small ones), they can seriously bite each other (the bitten fish must be placed in another aquarium, after a couple of weeks the fins and tissues will be restored). As they mature, the juveniles are fed daphnia, tubifex and bloodworms, gradually introducing meat and fish into the diet. From 3 months they take adult food. Young red piranhas mature by one and a half years.
Dwarf piranha.
serrasalmus hollandiThe dwarf piranha (serrasalmus hollandi) belongs to the American characindas (genus Serrasalmus - active predators), is a schooling fish, grows to approximately 15 cm. It has an elongated body covered with small shiny scales, a narrow head with a hump in the back, and big mouth with protruding sharp teeth (they look like a triangle 4-5 mm high and are located so that the teeth of the upper jaw fit evenly into the grooves between the teeth of the lower jaw). The color of hollandi is silver, with dark dots on the body, the anal fin is a rich red color, and there is a black border at the ends of the caudal fin. Despite its small size, hollandi is dangerous; it is still a predator.
Serrasalmus hollandi are a widespread school aquarium fish(it is better to keep them around 10-12 adult fish, since without their relatives they become depressed) The aquarium is about 400 liters with enough space for swimming, large bushes, shelters from snags and stones. The water should be filtered, aerated, and 10-15% of the water should be replaced with fresh water daily. Prefers soft water, slightly acidic or neutral reaction, temperature - 24-26 ° C (changes in temperature and chemical composition of water are undesirable). They get along quite peacefully with other characion fish (neons and thorns), but you still shouldn’t keep piranhas hungry. Piranhas are shy fish, so the aquarium should be kept away from the source of noise (a click on the glass or a sudden movement near the aquarium is enough to make the piranhas faint).
Feeding:
The feeding process is interesting. Graceful and calm while swimming, sensing food, they immediately pounce on it. You can feed it with lean beef and heart, fish, earthworms, bloodworms, frogs and tadpoles, and plant foods. Fish behave tolerantly towards each other when fed correctly.
Breeding Dwarf Piranhas:
Reproductive success depends on high-quality nutrition before spawning(pieces of lean beef, hearts, squid, sea fish). In an excited state, fish acquire a bluish-black color. Spawning can be stimulated by increasing the water temperature to 28-30? C. For breeding, it is best to place a group of fish (more males) in a spawning tank (about 300 liters). Spawning can take place in the same aquarium where the fish are kept, but it is better to remove other fish before spawning. You need a powerful filter pump that purifies the water and creates a flow, and changes up to a quarter of the volume every day. Soil 5 cm thick is poured onto the bottom of the aquarium, in which the male will dig a hole for eggs (several thousand eggs). Starter food for fry: brine shrimp, later daphnia, tubifex and bloodworms. From 3 months you can switch to an adult diet. It is important to sort the juveniles by size frequently, otherwise the larger ones may eat the smaller ones.
Precautionary measures:
Care must be taken when maintaining a piranha aquarium, it is better not to go into the aquarium with bare hands again (your fingers may be mistaken for food), bites of small aquarium piranhas are similar to razor cuts. Piranhas are most dangerous during spawning.
Slender piranha.
Serrasalmus elongatusPiranha is a fish of the characin family, belongs to the freshwater subfamily and lives in the rivers of South America.
There are several types of piranhas in the world, differing in external characteristics, most of them are about 30 cm in length and have poorly distinguishable sexual characteristics. Although fishermen know cases when piranha reached 80 cm in length and about a kilogram in weight. And if earlier stories about these evil biting fish that live in the Amazon River basin scared children at night, now piranhas are aquarium fish.
In particular, you can breed a species such as the Slender Piranha. These fish are 25-30 cm in size, have an elongated silver-gray body with a wide black border at the base of the tail and small pockmarks along the entire length. In the animal world, unlike the human world, males are brighter in color than females. And Serrasalmus elongatus as a species is no exception here. Piranhas mature at three years of age. And with a meat diet, the belly quickly grows. Although you can feed them with worms and bloodworms, or the remains of dead fish. Here we need to dwell on the point that live fish Piranhas pay little attention unless they are starving.
Features of keeping Slender Piranhas in an aquarium:
However, by its nature this species remains predatory, which is why to maintain individuals of these fish it is necessary special conditions. Piranhas in the aquarium love large spaces, especially if there is more than one. For two Serrasalmus elongatus, an aquarium of at least 150 liters is already required, since in close quarters these fish can bite each other or show aggression towards other large fish. That is why it is better to keep any piranhas, including slender ones, in a spacious aquarium filled with plants and with good water filtration.
Sooner or later you will have to interact with your predatory fish directly. And this is where the advice of experienced specialists comes in handy. Since piranha is a large and quite aggressive fish, you need to catch it with a net with a metal mesh. Offhand, an adult, thanks to its developed jaw and razor-sharp teeth, can bite not only muscles and sinews, but even bones and sticks. So if you need to move the fish, you need to be careful.
Although experts say that piranhas lose their aggressiveness in an aquarium, and that in this case you can work with them with your bare hands. Aggressive in the natural environment, they become timid in the artificial one. Fish do not like external stimuli: shadows, noise. And even a light blow on the glass with your finger can cause the fish to faint or panic and rush around the aquarium.
Breeding Slender Piranhas in an aquarium:
If you are planning to start breeding predatory fish, then you need to remember a few important points. Spawning is better done in acidic and soft water; under such conditions, the yield of larvae increases significantly. And due to the fact that males, as a rule, have a high degree of fertilization, the main task for obtaining fry is the exact selection of the moment when the larva begins to feed. The main thing here is to provide it with a sufficient amount of food (for example, rotifers, and after time, Artemia nauplii). The growth rate of the fry is very high; usually, with a sufficient diet, by a month it reaches a length of 2-2.5 cm. And therefore they need large spaces. For example, to raise the offspring of one pair of piranhas, aquariums with an average capacity of 3500 liters are required. Other requirements are the same as for the entire species. The remarkable thing is that the number of aquarists involved in breeding piranhas is quite large. And this is despite the complexity of ensuring the reproduction process and conditions for the growth of offspring. In the old days, Russia achieved great success in the piranha export market. But now the vigorous activity of aquarists has subsided, and the country has lost its position in this field.
Karleev Sergey Andreevich.
Flag (or pennant) piranha.
Catoprion mento.Flag (or pennant) piranha Catoprion mento Latin synonym of Serrasalmus mento, Mylesinus macropterus. This is a freshwater fish, belongs to the class of ray-finned fish, order Characinidae, family Characinidae, subfamily Serrasalmidae, from the genus Catoprion. It so happens that this is the only representative of its kind. Slim beautiful body This piranha with grayish-silver scales is 10-15 cm long. The old age of the fish is usually limited to 10-12 years. Piranha lives in Colombia, Guiana, Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, in the Amazon, Rio Negra, Orinoco, and Eisequibo river basins.
Appearance of a flag piranha
A characteristic feature of the flag piranha is its solid lower jaw, like that of an English bulldog. Another decoration of this fish is the spectacular red spot on the gills. In general, this piranha can be safely called a yoke: a wide black stripe at the root of the tail, transparent fins of a very elegant shape, very elongated, with the transition to braids of the outer rays. Sex differences are not so noticeable, more often expressed by the shape of the abdomen. Maturation occurs at the age of 1.5-2 years.
Conditions and characteristics of fish in the aquarium.
The flag piranha looks very impressive in an aquarium. The conditions for keeping it are as follows: you need a spacious aquarium, temperature 23-28 degrees, water hardness up to 15°, acidity pH 5-7.2. Sensitive to fluctuations in the chemical composition of water. The recommended change of water is not very often, in small portions. The lighting is moderate, the soil is pebbles, sand, grass with a developed root system.
The character of the "beauty" is unpredictable. In an aquarium, a flag piranha will instantly show who is boss. Small inhabitants will be safely eaten for breakfast, and large ones will lose their fins, tail and part of their scales. The voracious flag piranha without any hesitation gnaws off the scales of even fish several times larger than it. Alas, this type of piranha is not suitable for group living. Fighting is possible both between females and males. Only young individuals can live in a community aquarium.
Feeding and breeding of Catoprion mento.
The fish is a carnivorous, meat-eater; the diet must contain protein. Loves delicacies: shrimp, mussels, dead worms, fresh veal. Proportional meat and plant food: 60% to 40%. Likes to swim quickly, among “obstacles” in the form of rhizomes and floating leaves. Due to its aggressiveness, it is more recommended for experienced aquarists. Breeding flag piranhas, as well as for the entire species.
Serrasalmus nattereri - Common piranha.
Description
These fish come from South America, where they are natural environment habitats are fresh water bodies. In the early 80s, more and more piranhas began to be placed in aquariums.
Piranhas grow up to 30 centimeters. Their coloring is not particularly remarkable; the entire range and palette fits into a short definition: from light gray to dark gray. However, it is worth noting that piranhas have glittering silver inclusions that are clearly visible.
Common piranhas are also distinguished by a dark back and a scarlet spot on the chest and pectoral fins. Juveniles have a black stripe bordering the tail. But as they grow, piranhas completely lighten, acquiring a silver color, and then they can become an undoubted decoration of your aquarium.
The body of piranhas is disc-shaped, laterally compressed and high. It should be noted that these fish gained worldwide fame thanks to their weapons, which are their razor-sharp teeth. For example, when the mouth of a piranha is closed, there is not a single gap left between the teeth, and biting a stick as thick as a human finger is not at all a problem for this “cute” fish.
At a young age, it is impossible to find visual sex differences. Everything becomes clear only after a while, namely when the female’s abdomen becomes fuller, collecting eggs.
Fish must be kept in a flock of the same age from 5 to 8 individuals of equal size. This condition is not at all a whim of the adviser, since in a school of piranhas the strongest survive, and the fate of young and weak representatives of this species is very short and sad. But if your pets are equal in strength and you, of course, are not going to starve them, then everything will be fine. The fish will be quite tolerant of each other, observing a hierarchy.
The behavior of the pack is quite unusual and definitely interesting, since it exhibits an exaggerated clear matriarchy. Throw a piece of meat into the aquarium, and you will see that the primacy to taste the delicacy will be unconditionally given to the “main mother”, the smaller females will take part in the meal next, and finally the males.
As a rule, piranhas are kept in species aquariums. Many lovers of these predatory fish notice that if you place too small fish next to the piranhas, the piranhas will not touch them, even if they are hungry. (Perhaps they are waiting for them to grow up).
However, guppies, neons, swordtails, minors, etc. can be added to piranhas. However, as for goldfish, piranhas quite like them, especially veiled forms. Piranhas begin hunting for these fish immediately and the outcome is always obvious to enviable accuracy.
Piranhas and people
Although there are many frightening films and stories about piranhas in the world, and they themselves have a menacing and ominous appearance, these fish, as a rule, are cowardly and are afraid of every rustle. For example, if you hit the aquarium, your toothy pets may quite naturally collectively faint (no joke).
They sink to the bottom and side. With such actions, the fish show how shocked they are, but they come to their senses very quickly. Some people can't wait to stick their finger in the aquarium. However, you can stick your hand in.
These American visitors will regularly use their sharp teeth solely for defense. For example, they will instantly tear your net, or if you carry out a hormonal injection carelessly, they will bite off a piece of your precious flesh.
As for most other manipulations in the aquarium, timid piranhas will obediently sit in their hiding places. And, nevertheless, it is not recommended to tempt these fish with bloody fingers.
Ideally, a couple of fish will require a volume of 150 liters of water. It is necessary to change the water weekly, once or twice, sometimes more, depending on the overcrowding of the aquarium. Don't forget - the smaller the space, the more aggressive the piranhas become.
Filtration is required, temperature between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius. Make a home with shelter for the fish. The regular diet of piranhas should include lean meat, frozen sea fish, bloodworms, beef heart, and shrimp.
Piranhas are difficult to tolerate oxygen starvation, so there should not be a lack of oxygen in the water; provide good aeration for your pets.
If you follow the above tips and take care of your fish in a timely manner, they will live from 10 to 12 years without causing you the slightest discomfort or hassle.
Breeding piranhas
Breeding these fish is not at all difficult. But there are some peculiarities. The female lays from one and a half to three thousand eggs at a time and, as a rule, 75-80 percent of the fry survive. To raise offspring from one pair of piranhas you will need an aquarium with a capacity of three to four thousand liters. This, in fact, is the main difficulty in breeding these toothy fish at home.
Piranhas become sexually mature at the age of one and a half years and spawn two to three times a year. When the male chooses a mate, he begins to dig a round hole in the ground, into which the female subsequently spawns.
Growth stimulants have long been widely known: changing water and increasing temperature. Based on their characteristics natural habitat, piranhas will like soft and sour water.
Young animals are usually fed cyclops, cut tubifex, bloodworms, and artemia nauplii. A little later, meat and fish are gradually introduced into the diet. After three weeks, the fry need to be sorted to avoid cannibalism. After three months, the fish should be completely transferred to an “adult” diet.
Squad, family: characins.
Comfortable water temperature: 24-26°C.
Ph: 6,0-7,0.
Aggressiveness: 100% aggressive.
Compatibility: It is advisable to keep it separately.
Helpful Tips: The fish is a legend, a terrifying fish that evokes instinctive fear in people. In natural conditions, piranha is indeed dangerous, but its aquarium relatives are adaptively calm and less aggressive. But for some reason people’s fear does not disappear because of this. Once I started a Piranha Paku - the excitement and furor among friends and guests was deafening!!! But no matter how much I convinced, no one dared to put their hand into the aquarium: winked:
Description:
They live in rivers and reservoirs of South America. Size 30 cm or more.
Piranha predators are literally armed to the teeth. The teeth are plate-like and razor-sharp. Piranhas have powerful jaws; an adult can bite through a wooden stick as thick as a human finger.
It is worth noting that aquarium piranhas lose their aggressiveness, but retain their formidable appearance. You can put your hand into an aquarium with piranhas without fear.
In an aquarium, piranhas can get along with other representatives of the characin family. Piranhas are a schooling aquarium fish, so it is best to keep them in a school of 5-8 fish of the same size and age.
The volume of the aquarium must be at least 150 liters.
Comfortable water parameters for keeping: hardness 12-16, pH 6-7, water temperature 24-26 °C. Aeration and filtration will be useful.
The aquarium is equipped with soil and shelters of driftwood, large grottoes and large bushes of plants.
In an aquarium, piranhas live quite a long time, about 10-12 years.
Piranhas are fed: meat, squid fillet or sea fish. I recommend feeding beef heart (not fatty, dietary, not expensive) - they eat it with a bang!!!
Particularly “cold-blooded owners” feed piranhas with inexpensive aquarium fish: guppies, swordtails, goldfish, etc.
Bright coloring
The body of critters is very strong, compressed from the sides. They are distinguished by a powerful tail and massive lower jaw.
In nature they grow to 30-40 cm or more in length. Some grow up to 80 cm. In captivity they reach a maximum of 15-20 cm, less often 30.
The color of the scales is rich and catchy. The body is steel and gray in color, with a silver or golden tint. There are bluish or purple. They look very beautiful and impressive.
Difficult character
It is still not recommended for beginners to have cougars. In a number of situations (for example, when transferred), it can injure its owners. If there is a need to transport it, you need to use a special net made of soft wire or thick twine.
When the fish is well-fed, you can go into its habitat. But only if there are no unhealed cuts or at least a drop of blood on them. Otherwise, the beauty will show that it’s not for nothing that many are afraid of her.
Therefore, letting small children and curious cats get close is also dangerous.
In general, their disposition is contradictory - both aggressive (although not in the same way as in their native element) and timid. From loud sounds and sudden movements, the piranha even briefly loses consciousness.
Piranha house
In captivity, it sits out in corners and caves, among algae, pebbles and shells. Therefore, they arrange many shelters for her so that she feels comfortable.
You need roomy housing, with a volume of about 100 liters, because the less space, the angrier those who inhabit it.
We must not forget about lighting. It is worth providing your pets with more light (preferably white).
Living water
The owner must monitor the condition and quality of the liquid in which the pet swims. It should not be cold or even warm for a long time. Ideally 26 degrees Celsius with a hardness of 6.5.
To maintain this mode, install a water heater and a thermometer. You also cannot do without a large filter that operates around the clock.
To saturate the aquarium with oxygen you will need aerators. The water is renewed weekly by 10-15%. Depending on the contamination, the procedure is carried out 2 times in 7 days.
Since the toothfish does not pick up leftover food, they are removed to keep it clean. All of these factors are important for maintaining a pet's immune system.
Compatibility
Hobbyists purchase not one, but several piranhas at once. The flock is selected to be approximately the same age and size. You can also add some other waterfowl to overseas guests.
They get along well with neons, minors, guppies and swordtails. But, for example, a goldfish will become not a neighbor, but prey.
If Amazon guests are kept with other species, the aquarium should be as large as possible.
Distinctive features
Piranha fish belong to the Characionidae family, from the order Carp-toothed. The natural habitat is freshwater bodies of water on the South American continent, but the most common place is the famous Amazon River. IN natural nature There are a huge number of varieties of piranhas, but only a small subspecies is best kept at home. The most common are: red-bellied aquarium piranha, moon piranha, dwarf and slender piranha or red pacu.
These predatory individuals have a dense body, compressed on the sides with a length of 5 to 15 cm. but in natural conditions these fish reach 30cm. A characteristic feature unique to this type of fish is a massive lower jaw with sharp teeth, which can easily cause serious injuries and eat your prey in a matter of seconds.
The color of the young individual is light silver, and the entire body is covered with black spots. But over time, the color of the scales changes and more closely resembles antique silver, ranging from dark gray to shiny. However, with proper maintenance and constant balanced nutrition, the color acquires a beautiful, rich color. Some varieties may have a golden tint on the sides and dark stripes at the tip of the tail.
Basic care requirements
Aquarium piranhas are schooling fish, which is why it is better to keep them in schools, about 10 individuals, but if volumes allow, more can be done. In the case when they cannot create their own flock, they become timid, and as a result they develop poorly and their life span is significantly reduced. Adults can live quietly alone, and at the same time feel quite confident. In addition, even alone they can easily attack not only others large fish living in an aquarium, but also individuals of their own species.
In an aquarium, the water must always be clean, which is why filtration and aeration are the most important requirements for keeping this type of fish. A weekly water change of approximately 10-15% is also an important condition for the good development of fish. Also in the aquarium it is necessary to install optimal temperature, approximately 26.5° C. If the water in the aquarium is constantly cold or, on the contrary, warm, this can cause a weakening of the fish’s immunity and the occurrence of diseases.
Particular attention should also be paid to decorating the space in which these individuals live. Because fish feel comfortable and confident in aquariums with dense vegetation. That is why more than 50% of the water space should be equipped with special shelters in the form of caves, houses, snags and planted with artificial plants. Of course, natural greens will not interfere with piranhas, but they will quickly deal with such a delicacy, because this species eats everything that can be eaten.
Price issue
You can buy one piranha, on average, for a thousand rubles. And some cost twice as much. They are sold both by breeders and by owners for whom they are not suitable for some reason. Corresponding offers are posted on the Internet.
Since it is impossible to deliver such cargo by mail, you should look for advertisements in your city or nearby settlements.
More piranhas
Aquarists are interested not only in keeping, but also in breeding predators. For this process to be successful, they are given high-quality food with the maximum amount of animal feed.
To prepare for spawning, the pair is placed in a separate 300-liter container. For greater comfort, future parents will need a cleaning filter pump. It gives a flow effect, and reproduction occurs as if in a natural environment.
Soil approximately 5 cm thick is poured onto the bottom. In it, the male will dig a hole where the female will begin to spawn.
The water temperature should be plus 28-30 degrees. About a quarter of the total volume is changed daily.
REPRODUCTION
First of all, the aquarium should be in a quiet place where no one will disturb the fish. Further, the fish must be compatible (a long-established school, with a developed hierarchy). For successful spawning, you need very clean water - a minimum of ammonia and nitrates, pH 6.5-7.5, temperature 28 C, and a large aquarium in which the couple can allocate their own territory.
A pair ready for spawning chooses a spawning site, which it aggressively guards. The piranhas' coloration darkens and they begin to build a nest on the bottom, uprooting plants and moving rocks. Here the female will mark the eggs, which the male will quickly fertilize. After spawning, the male will guard the eggs and attack anyone who approaches it.
The eggs are orange in color and will hatch in 2-3 days. The larva will feed from the yolk sac for another couple of days, after which it will swim. From this moment the fry is placed in a nursery aquarium. Be careful, the male can even attack an object while protecting the fry.
Already as a fry, piranhas are very greedy for food. You need to feed them with Artemia naupilia for the first days, and then add flakes, bloodworms, daphnia, etc. The fry should be fed frequently, two to three times a day. The juveniles grow very quickly, reaching a centimeter within a month.
Caring for the fry
After the birth of their offspring, adult fish are removed so that they do not eat their own babies. The fry are fed nauplii and daphnia, gradually adding tubifex and bloodworms.
3 weeks after the babies appear, they are sorted. This way, the stronger ones will not start eating the weaker ones.
After 3-4 months they are transferred to standard food.
The owners unanimously say that piranhas are amazing and interesting. You can watch them hide and hunt for hours. The guest from the Amazon ceases to be a curiosity and becomes familiar. One of the main advantages of its maintenance is its unpretentiousness and ease of care.
HABITAT IN NATURE
The common predatory piranha or Natterer's piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri formerly, Serrasalmus nattereri and Rooseveltiella nattereri) was first described in 1858 by Kner. There is a huge amount of controversy over the scientific name of piranha, and it is possible that it will still change, but in this moment We settled on P. nattereri.
Piranha is found throughout South America: Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay. Lives in the Amazon, Orinoco, Parana and countless other small rivers.
Lives in rivers, tributaries, small rivulets. Also in large lakes, ponds, flooded forests and plains. They hunt in packs of 20 to 30 individuals. They feed on everything they can eat: fish, snails, plants, invertebrates, amphibians.
GENDER DIFFERENCES
It is extremely difficult to distinguish females from males in piranhas. Visually, this can only be done through long-term observations of behavior, especially before spawning. At this time, males are painted in the brightest colors, and the female’s abdomen becomes rounder from the eggs.
The piranha fish is an amazing creature, given the role of an unceremonious predator, eating living flesh in a matter of minutes. There are many different videos where these fish gnaw the carcasses of animals, leaving only skeletons of them. Such a sight is fascinating, and makes many people think about purchasing a specific breed for decorative keeping in aquariums.
Despite their eccentric temperament, aquarium piranhas require special attention and care. An important condition good maintenance is proper feeding, thanks to which the fish of the characin family can feel comfortable and stay in shape. If you miss some of the features of keeping these animals, the pets may begin to refuse food and die. In this article we will look at what food piranhas prefer and what to feed them.
Eating in a natural environment
Piranha fish are predators, but their lifestyle is somewhat different from that shown in the movies. These are timid and even shy exotic animals that have a very varied diet. More precisely, they are in wildlife They feed on everything - these can be mollusks, small fish, invertebrates, plants and even seeds floating on the surface of the water.
Piranhas are dangerous only when they gather in large schools, forming schools of more than 100 individuals. In such situations, you can expect a flock to attack even a large animal, for example, a heron or a capybara. However, attacks on living amphibians or marine life are very rare for piranhas. They are more likely to be scavengers in the aquatic world than hunters.
They show aggression in the event of prolonged drought and severe hunger, provided that the flock is large enough. They form flocks not to search for prey, but, on the contrary, to protect their family from predators. Piranhas are dangerous only for insects and sick, exhausted animals that cannot fully resist. Most often for aquarium keeping choose certain types:
- red natterera or common piranha (pygocentrus rooseveltiella nattereri);
- serrasalmus elongatus;
- flag piranha;
- red river pacu or Amazon broadtail (colossoma brachypomum or bidens);
- dwarf piranhas (serrasalmus hollandi).
Feeding a piranha living in an aquarium
The aquarium fish piranha is not fussy about food; it happily eats almost everything that gets into its aquarium. Dry food is not used for predatory individuals; they prefer live food. For piranhas, food is not just food - it is a victim, for this reason you should not check what happens if you dip your finger into the aquarium. There are a sufficient number of situations where the owners of these predators suffered during unsuccessful feeding.
There are several rules regarding feeding fish:
they should not be overfed, as this can lead to obesity and discoloration of pets;
It is not allowed to underfeed the fish - because of this, a flock may attack one of its members;
The water in the aquarium must be constantly cleaned and filtered, since these inhabitants eat very carelessly, tear up food, leaving a lot of dirt. If after feeding the remaining food is not removed in time, it begins to rot, poisoning the water. In this regard, experts recommend limiting meal time to two minutes. After feeding, the remaining food must be removed from the aquarium.
There is some debate about how often such pets should be treated. Some say that one feeding per day is enough, while others argue that for predators to feel good, they need to be given food once every two days. According to the recommendations of ichthyologists, piranhas should not be left hungry; they should be fed every day, putting food in the aquarium for a few minutes. Every week it is necessary to spend a fasting day, when they should not eat anything, but only swim, getting rid of excess fat.
Food must be varied and properly served so that the inhabitants of the aquarium do not have health problems. The diet should include the following products:
shrimps;
frozen fish fillets (pink salmon, gobies, cod);
tadpoles;
finely chopped beef tenderloin.
Dry food is not interesting for predators, so it is often ignored. You should not offer only meat, as this can lead to a significant change in their color. Individuals that eat only flesh have dull colored scales. You should not often treat aquarium inhabitants with non-waterfowl food (poultry, pork, rabbit), it is very difficult for the digestive system to process.
Besides predatory species, there are also their herbivorous “analogues”, which are popularly called dollar fish. In this case, the question of what to feed a piranha that does not eat meat requires separate consideration. The diet of vegetarian piranhas may include dry food for large fish with a high content of vegetable protein. These inhabitants of aquariums are not particularly picky eaters and do well with lettuce leaves, oatmeal, dried dandelions and nettles. However, the best food option is dry food for aquarium herbivorous fish, which can be bought at almost every pet store.
Reasons for refusing food
There are many conditions under which piranha fish will not eat food. This is most often a consequence of violation of the conditions of keeping this breed, or diseases of waterfowl pets. Let's look at the most common reasons for refusing food:
too few fish in the aquarium. Piranhas are animals that live in schools where a clear chain of command is observed. There is one in the pack main fish(female), which establishes the feeding order of the “subordinates” in the school. If the school is not formed (at least 5 fish), then the pets may refuse food, which leads to the death of all inhabitants of the aquarium;
small volume of water. For a minimum flock you will need an aquarium with a volume of at least 350 liters; if you fill the container less, the animals can destroy each other;
poor sanitary conditions of the aquarium. These are very “dirty” fish that tear their prey, causing pieces of flesh to scatter throughout the water tank, it becomes clogged and covered with a greasy film. If the water is not changed in time, the remaining food will begin to rot and will poison the environment. In this case, the inhabitants become lethargic, refuse food and change color;
inappropriate food. If fish are fed only meat, this leads to obesity and the development of intestinal diseases in them.
