I admit that I am clueless when it comes to pirahna. This question may have been asked before. What is the biggest pirahna, and is the biggest one also the most dangerous? 
The Big One
- Thread starter elena
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contrary to popular belief, all piranha are pretty shy timid fish. they just have really powerful jaws and teeth. More often than not, they prefer to flee in the face of a physically-inferior aggressor, than deliver a debilitating bite.
that aside, I hear the biggest is between the S. manueli and P. piraya. I hear both can exceed 20".
that aside, I hear the biggest is between the S. manueli and P. piraya. I hear both can exceed 20".
No, a 10" fish does not have a gut capable of housing a 150 lb human, don't you think?
Perhaps 200 10" piranha could, though. And such a large animal would have to be pre-killed, otherwise the last thing on the piranhas' minds would be attacking it.
don't buy into the ludicrous hype surrounding the fish.
Perhaps 200 10" piranha could, though. And such a large animal would have to be pre-killed, otherwise the last thing on the piranhas' minds would be attacking it.
don't buy into the ludicrous hype surrounding the fish.
They have been known to eat living large animals such as capybara or javelina under rare circumstances. Many areas where they live have large seasonal fluctuations in water levels, as the dry season progresses the water level falls sometimes trapping large populations of piranha in small pools. After they have eaten all the other fish and weaker piranha they start to starve. At that time any disturbance of the water gets hit. I saw an old film, Multual of Omaha's Wild KIngdom" I think, that showed a capybara frightened into an oxbow like that and it was killed and eaten quickly. It was that kind of staged filming that helped lead to the inflated hype about them. The old scene of a young steer being eaten was from a film showing the old custom of butchering a cull steer down stream of a cattle drive crossing to draw off the piranha that in some areas have become pests by biting crossing cattle causing small wounds that attract screw flies and get infected. Fun to watch though, that same film clip shows up in at least a 1/2 dozen old movies.
The largest piranha are the P. Piraya or S. Manuelli both are capaple of reaching lengths of 24" in the wild. I would not suggest getting either one of these unless you are experienced and have a tank of at least 150 gallons. The Manuelli can only be housed alone while the Piraya can be housed with a shoal of its own kind any other Pygocentrus species, but with extreme caution because Piraya seem to go on random killing sprees. Serrasalmus Niger is a name no longer used. It is now Serrasalmus Rhombeus. Rhoms grow up to 20" but VERY slowly and their aggresion like all piranhas depend on the individual fish. For a first P you can not go wrong with a shoal of 3-5 P. Nattererri (red belly) or a single Serra species such as a Rhombeus Irritan or Spilo. A 75 gallon should be fine for any of these fish except for the Rhom who after many years will reguire a larger tank. And remember be patient with your Ps and they will eventually come out of their shell. Sorry for the long first post!
JD7.62 said:
i'm sorry but nigers are not rhoms.
nigers are the only ones that are entirely jet black.
rhoms are slate grey and have very obvious red eyes.