Pet Fish Care

Red-bellied piranha
pygocentrus nattereri

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Cost:
Before I tell you how much the Red-bellied piranha cost let me just lay down a few facts. The price will vary on these factors; specimen size, maturity and supplier. Now that you understand the variable the common price for the Red-bellied piranha is $7-15.

Short Bio:
The popular opinion about the Red-bellied piranha is the they are bloodthirsty beasts, well this is not the normal case. The Red-bellied piranha is actually a very timid fish when kept in small numbers in the home aquarium, with the younger specimens are actually spooked rather easily. The bloodthirsty beast side of the Red-bellied piranha is only applied to the large school found in the wild and that side is still greatly exaggerated. Even though I just tried to make you think twice about the ruthless nature that is so commonly associated with Red-bellied piranha think carefully before purchasing any.

Origin:
South Brazil, Amazon River Basin.

Sexual Distinctions:
The male Red-bellied piranha will be slightly more slender and while in breeding condition will darken greatly.

Tank conditions:
Your tank should measure at least 60 x 24 x 24 inches (150 x 60 x 60 cm).
The temperature should be between 72-82 degrees Fahrenheit (22-28 Celsius).
Red-bellied piranhas are able to thrive in many different types of water conditions, just avoid very hard and alkaline water. The tank should be decorated with hidings spot amongst large pieces of bogwood. If you have a desire to use plants in that tank be sure to use more robust species the Red-bellied piranha may eat more delicate species.

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The Red-bellied piranha should be housed in groups of at least four, try to keep an eye out for weaker ones in the group since you may need to remove the weaker one if fighting or bullying occur or it may end up as lunch.
The Red-bellied piranha prefers to occupy the middle of the tank and is best kept in a species tank.

Food:
There diet for the Red-bellied piranha should be split up into two parts.
First you have the frozen meaty foods, which includes but is not limited to, cockles, mussels, and fish. You can also feed the Red-bellied piranha larger live foods such as shrimp or fish, just make sure the live fish are not diseased.
The second part of the diet should consist of dried pellet foods. Almost all typed of dried food will work, the reason they need this type of food is that it contains many vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in their other foods.

Behavior:
Here’s the section that I’m sure many have been waiting for. The Red-bellied piranha is rather scatty when younger, and actually slow-moving and quite timid when mature. But none the less may still take bites out of tanks mates. With adequate feeding and hardy, larger sized tankmates the Red-bellied piranha can make a great addition to your home aquarium.

Breeding:
When breeding the Red-bellied piranha you will need a very large aquarium and the spawning will usually take place after a water change. The parents will protect their young.

Here is a video of two Red-bellied piranhas horsing around.

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