Ahh!!! The Store Sold Me A Pirana!!!

jonthefishkid · Post by **jonthefishkid** » 06 Dec 2003, 16:21

i went to walmart today and bought some catfishes and what was labeled as a red bellied pacu, but it seems that it is a red belly pirana, what should i do i dont know if it is illegal to keep piranas in maryland??

jonthefishkid · Post by **jonthefishkid** » 06 Dec 2003, 16:51

advice would be nice everyone

flyinmike · Post by **flyinmike** » 06 Dec 2003, 17:17

The first thing you should do is figure out for sure what you've got. Pacus and piranha are very closely related and can look quite similar (especially the red-bellies). Pacus even have teeth though not as large or as greatly numbered.

Post by **Coryman** » 06 Dec 2003, 17:43

Firstly what size is the fish, both species look very similsr when small (2 - 2 /12") but unless you have a very large tank the Pacu, if it is one needs a lot of room to be able to reach its full potential. These fish eventually turn black and become very large may reach two feet or more. in nature they feed on mainly fruit and nuts that fall into the water. on this subject Michael Goulding's book 'The Fishes & the Forest' makes very interesting reading. If your fish turna out to be a paranha I would take it back and replaceit with something a little more tank mate freindly.

Ian

Post by **Barbie** » 06 Dec 2003, 18:04

This is yet another reason why its a VERY good idea to do your own research before you go to the fish store. Just think of it as a min car dealership. You would never trust the car dealer to know exactly what you need. You should also inform yourself BEFORE you go fish shopping. Not after. If you aren't sure if a fish can fit into your tank scheme, go find out before you buy it!

Barbie

jonthefishkid · Post by **jonthefishkid** » 06 Dec 2003, 20:10

i found out it was a pirana the hard wayi tried to put the plastic plants back in the tank and chomp chomp,ouch!

flyinmike · Post by **flyinmike** » 07 Dec 2003, 03:39

How big is this fish? The reason I ask is because pacus bite hard too and if it was a piranha with very much size it would be more like "chomp,chomp,OH MY GOD!!!"

jonthefishkid · Post by **jonthefishkid** » 07 Dec 2003, 18:42

it turned my crystal clear tank into a red one

Post by **Barbie** » 07 Dec 2003, 20:02

The fact that it bit you is absolutely no reason to assume you were sold a piranha. Pacu get HUGE, so either way, you lose. There are numerous sources of information out there that you can use to educate yourself BEFORE you buy the wrong fish. This would be a great lesson in why you should use them, no?

Barbie

coelacanth · Post by **coelacanth** » 07 Dec 2003, 20:35

jonthefishkid wrote:i went to walmart today and bought some catfishes and what was labeled as a red bellied pacu, but it seems that it is a red belly pirana, what should i do i dont know if it is illegal to keep piranas in maryland??

Why would you want either?
Single Red-Bellied Piranha are nervous, prone to injuring themselves against aquarium decor and generally very unhappy, as this is a shoaling species by nature.
Pacu will outgrow the home aquarium with all but the most dedicated of aquarists. They can easily reach 30 inches, and at this length require several hundred gallons as a minimum.

Ahh!!! The Store Sold Me A Pirana!!!

Ahh!!! The Store Sold Me A Pirana!!!

Re: Ahh!!! The Store Sold Me A Pirana!!!