Where can you buy pirhannas?

[iluvtruenos]

Seriously though, I want a pirhanna. I have a 25 gallon tank, but I don't know how to maintain it since my Russian tortoise is living in it right now (Will be moved out, or the pirhannas will get a new tank, we'll see.) but I could move him out.

Also, how do you feed it? Just drop live mice in the water?

 

[tfinch2]

25 gallon might be a little small for a piranha

 

[astrosfan90]

Originally posted by: tfinch2
25 gallon might be a little small for a piranha

Nah. I raised a piranha in a 25 gallon. Just get em when they're little. You might have to upgrade at some point, but they don't get too huge if you don't let em.

And if you feed them mice, be prepared for a very very very messy tank. Goldfish work just fine. Probably cheaper too.

Honestly, I'd recommend just getting one piranha. They're actually pretty fish, but putting multiples in one tank means they'll fight and tear each other up, leading to the potential for infection, injury, death, etc. One is easier to care for (and cheaper to feed).

You should be able to find them just about anywhere, they're not all that hard to come by. Petsmart is where I got mine when I had one a while back, IIRC.

Btw, the other advantage of goldfish is that you can drop em in whenever, and the piranha will dine on it's own leisure. I used to feed mine 5 or so a week, just drop em all in at once. It'd eat 1-2 right away, and the others would swim around oblivious for a few days as they were picked off one by one when he got hungry.

 

[teddyv]

Get a 55-gallon and use the 25-gallon for all the feeder goldfish. They grow to about 5" in a 55-gallon tank.

 

[Wag]

Evil Genius "R" Us?

 

[teddyv]

They're actually pretty fish, but putting multiples in one tank means they'll fight and tear each other up, leading to the potential for infection, injury, death, etc.

We had 6 of them in a 55-gallon tank for a few years and they never fought once. Unlike the Cichlids they replaced that ate everything in the tank and then turned on each other.

 

[blazerazor]

They are illegal in alot of states.

 

[iluvtruenos]

I'm in Illinois, are they illegal here? Where would I find that data?

Also, why can't I drop in a mouse?

And since it eats meat, how does it defecate?

 

[Ime]

Originally posted by: iluvtruenos
I'm in Illinois, are they illegal here? Where would I find that data?

Also, why can't I drop in a mouse?

And since it eats meat, how does it defecate?

Don't you know anything? You don't feed them mice, you feed them gerbils!

 

[Syrch]

just buy a little fish bowl and a baby one. When its time for feeding stick your finger in there and say "feed me semore"

 

[gsellis]

Pirahna are kind of boring. I know Beldt's Aquarium in St. Louis used to carry them, but that was 23 years ago and may be too far. And you can call the Fish and Game department in Illinois to the definitive answer.

If you want a fish that will eat other fish, get an Oscar. Far more personality and is a 'smart' fish. They can be even taught how to feed out of your hand. One of the more bizarre stories I heard, that I never would try, was a guy who put feeder fish in an aquarium next to his oscar's. The oscar would jump out of his tank into other, chow out, and jump back. One of ours would spit gravel at the glass to get your attention when it was hungry.

 

[sharkeeper]

Get a Jack Dempsey or Oscar. Much more entertaining.


EDIT: I'd say Red Tail Catfish but unless you want to build a tank the size of your bedroom to accomodate it when it grows BIG, no. They are fun to raise as babies in a 10, train to eat right out of your hand but quickly outgrow a 55, 125, 220, etc.


Cheers!

 

[teddyv]

We also had oscars, pretty amazing fish. One night I came in to find one had jumped out of the tank and was all dried out and stuck to the carpet. I unstuck him and as he looked like he might still be alive stuck him back in the tank - sucker lived for like 3 more years.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

I had a pirahna for 10 years. He was a pretty cool fish. He lived in a 25 gallon tank and ate mostly goldfish. When he died I took him to the taxidermist. (He was about 8" long)


He's been hanging on my wall for about 15 years now.

 

[Steve]

My friend here in Chicago had (maybe still has?) a pirahna, and I'm pretty sure he got it legit.

 

[jtvang125]

They are way over hyped by the media. They are not as agressive as everyone thinks they are. They are also quite boring as they don't swim around much either. Some of my friends have Flowerhorns and Arowanas and they are some pretty agressive fishes.

But the coolest thing I've seen is my friend's 20 inches or so largemouth bass he keeps in a wading pool. He'll throw in bullfrogs about the size of your fist and that thing will just come right up and take the whole thing. Talk about some top water action. You can still see the frog legs sticking out of its mouth for a day or two.