baby black

[jp80911]

well said Tango

 

[phishy jack]

Be prepared to have a skittish fish for quite some time...A year maybe even two.
Its a huge plus that he is at least accepting the foods your offering. Its going to take time but he will learn that you are not going to eat him, and will be more willing to take that food with you there.
These fish a reputation and its for so many people a very bad let down when they actually purchase one....especially when they're small. A VERY large amount of times they're given up on, and thats too bad. They shouldn't have been purchased for the reason of being a "killer" fish in the first place (not saying thats what you did at all).
Most of the time they don't live up to that "reputation" until they reach considerable sizes and they are very slow growers.

i knew that piranahs dont live up to their reps and that they were skittish, but i didnt no they were skittish to the point of not eatin in front of me!!! anyways i bought the little guy b/c:

1. its a black piranha, black body with red eyes, who wouldnt love that?
2. it has visible teeth and looks so mean

 

[jp80911]

as long as you like it, that's all it matters. in time it'll come out of its shell, just matter of time.

 

[phishy jack]

how long can i starve him, given hes only 1- 1.5". i want to get him on pellets. is it really difficult to get blacks on pellets? or would an all freeze dried shrimp diet be fine?

 

[Tango374]

For a fish that small, I wouldn't recommend going more then a few weeks without food.
Sometimes getting piranha to accept pellots can be a real challenge but it has been done many times.
I don't recommend feeding a diet of one item no matter what it is. Particularly a diet composed solely of shrimp is not a good idea.
Get a fillet of tilapia at the grocery store, cut it up into bite sized cubes. One fillet will last quite a while and will be cheap. Get a little tupperware container and throw them in there. I like to make rows and layer them with plasitc wrap just for the ease of getting individual pieces out. Throw it in the freezer and thaw pieces with warm water.
That along with the shrimp, but I'd suggest going the frozen route with that too, will be a good start.
I find that one trick is to get them eating a well varied diet for the best growth and color. Tilapia, Silversides, Krill, prawns, catfish, squid....I've even fed venison on many occasions.
Serra's can quickly become finicky eaters so it can be a headache.