Aquarium piranhas: types and content

When choosing a new pet for your aquarium, you don't have to buy boring familiar fish. You can choose something more original or dangerous. Piranhas have become quite popular due to the various myths floating around them. Many consider them to be bloodthirsty predators, but this is not entirely correct judgment. Among the piranhas there are those who eat only algae. This is what aquarium owners usually buy.

In their natural environment, such fish grow up to 35 centimeters. Piranhas live in large bodies of water, for example, in rivers, lakes, or in the flooded forests of the Amazon. Locals call them "devil fish" because of the cruel nature of such creatures. If there are a lot of piranhas, and they hunt in a group, then they can tear their prey to pieces in a matter of minutes. However, this only happens if they sense danger, there is a huge feeling of hunger, or they fall into a trap. In some countries, for example, in Israel, there is a ban on the trade or catch of this type of fish.

Aquarium piranhas do not grow more than 25 centimeters in length. In artificially created conditions, they can live up to 15 years, and in some cases they can exist a little longer. Although piranhas are too hostile towards other fish, they are also fearful. They hide in the most secret places, and only smelling the smell of food nearby, they will rush to it with lightning speed. Approximately 60% of piranhas eat only plant foods. As for their appearance, piranhas are quite large in size. Their body is slightly flattened at the sides.

The jaw is slightly arched and the teeth are huge and sharp.The tail of the piranhas is quite powerful, the color is predominantly gray-silver, and the belly is cast in red.

Aquarium piranhas are quite aggressive in nature, so they often fight. However, despite this, their wounds heal very quickly, and not even a trace remains in their place. They are very dangerous for their neighbors, in addition, if the owner gags a little while feeding, then the fish may even bite. But if they are kept in small groups of 3-4 individuals, then piranhas will be shy. When a school consists of more than 10 fish, they feel more confident.

Today there are about 100 species of piranha, among which the most popular are brown or black pacu.

Such a piranha can grow on average up to 65 centimeters and weigh up to 40 kilograms. Its body is gray or brown in color, it is slightly flattened on the sides, and the eyes of the fish are huge. The teeth are a bit like human teeth. The piranha simply bites through its victim. Fat makes up 10% of the piranha's total body weight. In the aquarium, they are most often kept singly or in pairs. By nature, brown piranhas are considered herbivores, therefore prefer to feed on plankton or insects.

Piranhas of this species are herbivores. In an aquarium, they can grow up to 55-60 centimeters. By its nature, it is a rather peaceful fish, which allows it to be kept with other creatures, even smaller in size. There are several other names for this piranha, for example, red-bellied or red-breasted pacu. Its body is colored silver, and the lower abdomen, as well as the fins, have a red tint. There is a dark stripe along the very edge of the tail.

Red piranhas are omnivores however, nuts are the main part of their diet. The volume of water in the aquarium should be at least 200 liters. Such fish live up to 25 years.

By their nature, these piranhas are predators. Therefore, it is best to keep them in a separate aquarium. After all, they will simply eat smaller fish, and in large ones they can gnaw both fins and all scales.

Their body length in an aquarium can reach 14 centimeters, in shape it is flattened on both sides. The back is green, and the wings on the gills have a red spot, and they also have a forked tail.

Piranhas got this name because of their long physique. Their size reaches 35 centimeters. Their color is silver, there is a black border on the tail, and the sides are red. The piranha is aggressive in nature. When the fry grow up to two centimeters, they begin to fight with each other, and the wounds can be large. It is best to keep them separate.

These piranhas got their name in honor of a scientist from Austria. Their physique resembles a disc in shape and can grow up to 30 centimeters in length. The color of the piranha is bright blue, and the fins and chest are red. The tail is almost black, with a blue stripe that runs vertically.

When a young piranha turns 7-8 months old, her color changes - she acquires a silvery-gray color. The sides turn pink, and there are small golden sparkles along them. Males are slightly smaller than females.

All representatives of this species have a large physique and can grow up to 23 centimeters. Ripening occurs after 18 months. The body is silvery. And the fins on the gills are reddish. These piranhas feed on vegetation. They eat cabbage or salad with great pleasure.

The appearance of such piranhas is attractive. By themselves, they are small, up to 10 centimeters in length. The body of these piranhas is flattened with a gray-silver tint, the tail is painted in pink-red. There are small dots on the sides.Such fish feed mainly on plant foods. Can live up to 12 years.

Piranhas of this species are peaceful and medium in size. They grow up to 14 centimeters. Their second name, which is also popular, is mirror fish. Their physique is round and slightly flattened. Their color is silvery-gray, with a green overflow.

You can keep these fish in special species containers. Predatory piranhas can coexist with large catfish. A tiny fish will simply become prey for them. But those who feed on vegetation can be kept with marine creatures similar in size to them, for example, it can be shark barbs.

Keeping such marine life in an aquarium will require not only a lot of food, but also a large container, special equipment and proper care. For home keeping, one piranha needs an aquarium with a volume of at least 125 liters. If this is a group that consists of 3-4 individuals, then the capacity must be at least 500 liters. Keeping a large flock of piranhas will require an aquarium of several thousand liters.

Besides, you need to monitor the water that is poured into the container. The temperature in it must be at least +21 degrees Celsius. And you also need to monitor cleanliness. Once a week, you need to change half of the water, or at least 10 percent.

There is a lot of vegetation in their natural habitat. Accordingly, some greenery can also be placed in the aquarium at home. It can be fern, moss, and other plants. From snags or stones, you can make shelters for them, where they will hide with great pleasure. However, you should not get carried away much, as there should be a place for swimming.

At the very bottom, you can put coarse sand or crushed gravel. You will definitely need to install filters, as well as a compressor that will saturate the water with oxygen. You can maintain the desired temperature in the aquarium with a heater, and in the summer with ice.

The lighting in the tank should be moderate, besides, it should be suitable not only for piranhas, but also for the plants that are in the aquarium. Direct sunlight should not hit the walls of the container. It is best to place it 2 meters from the window.

Feeding piranhas is a responsible task. It is worth giving them food once a day. And the portion should be such that the fish eat it in just a few minutes. So they will definitely not overeat, and the water will remain clean, without food debris. The feed should not be too chopped up, otherwise they will simply ignore it.

Piranhas can eat a variety of foods. So, predators need to be given small fish, shrimp or squid, frogs or mice, as well as offal. In addition, you need to make sure that they are not hungry, otherwise they will simply begin to eat each other. However, once a week, you can do them a fasting day.

For those fish who feed only on vegetation, the following foods can be added to the diet:

• fresh zucchini or pumpkin;
• lettuce leaves;
• fresh young nettles;
• green cucumbers;
• celery or spinach;
• various plants for the aquarium.

It takes a lot of effort to breed such little monsters at home. First of all, for fish during spawning, the volume of the aquarium should be at least 250 liters. In addition, during this period, it is especially important to ensure that the water is always clean. The feed should be high in protein.

Piranhas do not reach puberty until they are 18 months old.... However, determining their gender will be difficult. They look after the fry quite well.They select in advance a suitable place for laying caviar, and then jealously guard it. At one time, the female can throw up to 1500 eggs. Incubation can last from two days to two weeks. During this period, the male can injure the female, which means that she must be deposited for a while in a separate container.

Small piranhas don't grow the same way, so you need to sort them by size so they don't hurt each other. To begin with, you can feed the fry with special feed and only a little later transfer them to regular feed.

You can also keep piranhas at home, but this will require familiarization with some rules for caring for them. Otherwise, they will simply die.

For information on how to properly maintain aquarium piranhas, see the next video.