id my p

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I am not good with piranha ID but it looks a lot like a S. sanchezi, if so that is cool, they only get about 4 1/2" long as adults so this is one of the very few Ps that can be kept in a 20g for life. I have not seen them advertised any where. Here are a couple pictures for comparison, the speckles fade as they become adults. They are from Peru. One site speaks of attempting to keep 10 in a 500 liter tank (about 135 gallons US), didn't work.

Serrasalmus-sanchezi.jpg

fwf%20piranhas%20serra%20sansh%20red_sm.jpg

100_0042.jpg
 
I agree with it being an S. Sanchezi but they get larger then 4 1/2 inches. More around 8-10 inches. There are several people on P-fury with fish 7"+. I had one that was over five inches. They are beautiful fish and should only be kept in a 20 gallon long not standard and only temporarily.
 
To bad about them getting bigger, the only places that listed their size were fishbase and places quoting fishbase. While normally reliable the are bound to get things wrong every once in a while. At 8-10" long you would definately want a tank bigger than a 20G.
 
the biggest i have ever heard about was 7" I would check in to this a little more before you let it effect your choice. and according to P-fury. it says MAX size (wild) is 6" so the 7" i heard could have been a "Fish tale". if 6" wild is truly the biggest 5" would be expected in a tank.
 
although i still wouldnt put a 5" fish in a 20. i mean buy the extra 10 gallons for 15 bucks. at least put the poor guy in a thirty.
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com