LA
Serrasalmus rhombeus start out silver for nearly a year. He's a
"black piranha."
Piranhas Bite. Regardless
of species, piranhas bite. If
an oscar bites you, you still have your
skin. If a piranha bites you,
he keeps your skin. Piranhas will
also bite (and kill) each other. If
you do not keep them fed, they will often devour their tank mates.
And we hear reports that the fiercest biter of them all is the
dreaded “black piranha.” Of course, we hear a lot.
See Red-Breasted
Piranha
also. Similar info applies.
Piranhas = Tetras. Tetras
(or Characins) have teeth and an adipose fin – the fatty fin between
their dorsal fin and their tail -- some piranhas kept in crowded tanks
lack that apparently tasty adipose fin. (Check
out your neon tetras.) Piranhas
are just big tetras that like to snack on fish.
If you forget to feed them, they snack on each other.
If you can’t afford to feed them cichlids, they also love
goldfishes and krill.
Des Moines Law. Several
years ago our Des Moines City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting the
possession of piranhas in Des Moines. You cannot possess them within the city limits.
What’s the penalty? The
Des Moines
animal control officer (or the cops) comes to your house and confiscates
your piranhas. No fine.
No time. Just
confiscation. Since few people
can differentiate between young piranhas and young silver dollars, we hear
few reports of such confiscations – none lately ... except ... They got us
one November. We pointed out the exact wording in the ordinance to
no avail. “Get rid of them within 24 hours or you get a ticket and
can explain it to the judge.” So, we no longer sell pirañas,
amigos.
U.S.
Piranhas.
Most of the piranhas you see today are spawned in the U.S.
This means you will see
mostly red-breasted piranhas for sale.
Other species come into our area very seldom.
Others are imports.
LA
Black piranhas come in from the wild. We've never seen babies.
Black or White Piranha? Serrasalmus
rhombeus, when young, should be called “white piranhas.”
Their silver bodies sport juvenile spots and black trim on their
fins. However, as they mature,
their bodies darken in color and deepen.
They become black piranhas.
LA
These two-inchers are the smallest ones we've seen (12.18.04).
What about the Niger? Still, there’s
another species of black piranha called Serrasalmus
niger. “Niger” means black.
We used to see S. nigers on occasion, not anymore.
Goldfish Warning. Give
your feeder goldfish a good “look over” before feeding them to your
piranha. Most feeders are kept
under very crowded conditions. The
average feeder tank stresses goldfishes and encourages diseases. We
recommend isolating your feeders in a separate tank from your piranha
until feeding time.
LA
Not a real threat at two inches but handle yours carefully.
LA
2-inch "white" piranha, Serrasalmus rhombeus, May 3, 2012.
Last
Words. Piranhas quickly grow
to eight inches. They live
over 15 years and exceed a foot in length.
They will bite if pestered. They will also bite when not
pestered -- not a fish to keep in a home with children. LA.
© 1998,
© 2003,
© 2004,
©
2012
LA Productions
3600
Sixth Avenue
Corner
of Sixth & Euclid Avenues
Des
Moines, IA 50313
515
283-0300
Home
Fish
Other
Stuff
