(mind the crappy pic quality, I didn't want to stress him out with bright flash setups and tank glass cleaning while he was brand new in the tank)
Well guys, though I don't think there are many other piranha lovers on the board, I am the proud owner of a new Serrasalmus Rhombeus, or "black diamond piranha" as one of it's common names. To be perfectly honest, I was not looking for another fish but was touring the lfs with a friend of mine, who is not into fish keeping. While I own a Green Terror and several other cichlids and a betta aside from my piranhas, I've always had a softspot for the sheer power and beauty of design that is the piranha's form. Are they as pretty as my Green Terror will someday be? No. But to look at them for me, is to see a fish that is every inch purpose built for it's biological niche.
Anyhow, we're in the piranha section and I'm explaining to him about this fish and that fish, and while we're admiring a tank of red bellies I look one tank over. "Oh neat, these guys are pretty cool" I say to my friend upon seeing the rhom and I point my finger at the tank and look over at my friend for his attention. *thunk*. I look back and the little guy in the tank, upon seeing my finger so close to the glass had slammed full force into it trying to get at me. This is VERY uncommon for a piranha in an lfs, and not as common as you would think in piranha keeping in general to see a fish so aggressive. I decided to try it out, moving my finger along the front of the tank. The whole time the fish followed my finger, snapping left and right and opening and closing it's jaws trying to bite me. "Oh ****" I think to myself, and I've never seen anything even close to it before. My friend puts his finger up and it's the same response. This fish was a one in a thousand find in terms of personality, so I actually take a chance to look at it. Despite being only 5 inches big at maximum, it has already developed the blood red eyes rhoms are trademark for, something that usually doesn't happen until 7+ inches (and conversely that means a few years of age) and his scales were absolutely shimmering. On the spot I decided I would buy this fish, it's one day later and he's at home, happily swimming around in my 20 gallon while I secure a bigger tank for him. I can't tell you guys how excited i am to have a fish with this much personality, my green terror is a blast to watch, and I don't own fish solely to have "vicious killers" or anything, but this guy is absolutely out of this world.
I just had to share, I'm bursting with joy over here
