why keep piranha?

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M

Murko

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 10, 2007
52
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Japan
I was just curious as to why you would want to keep them? I imagine it is expensive to be feed them, they probably dirty the tank quickly when ripping other lives apart. I have also come across several photos on the site and they aren't exactly great looking. Umbees, Doviis, Buttikoferi's and several other cichlid species look better and would own piranha's in a one on one situation hence why all the piranha videos on youtube show one fish getting slaughtered by a gang of piranha or show a much larger fish eating another.

This is not a flame. I am just wondering why you chose piranhas?
 
Variety is the spice of life. If everyone liked the same fish, there would only be one fish available for tanks. Just because Ps don't blow your hair back doesn't mean they don't interest and intrigue others. Choose the fish you like and don't worry about what others like.
 
I've got a wide range of fidh, catfish, cichlids, arowana, datnoids, lungfish. And a rhombeus piranha, his tank is easy to maintain. He's cheap to feed a packet of fresh mussels once a week for 85p and the other fish eat this too, and some frozon prawns, which costs £1 a bag which lasts for ages. My dad thinks hes boring i think he's amazing.
 
Alot of it is hype..(which is why you see "why is my p not agressive?" threads") People especially those less experianced in the hobby think oh it has teeth, and a bad stereotype.. they must be super aggressive.

Alot of kids now days are starting out with piranhas before they know anything about cichlids/other fish. I bet 50% of piranha owners or more are under 21 or 18. So for some it's a starter fish in the hobby and they buy them for the hype then some wind up like being in the fish hobby and move on to try new fish.

Not saying they're not nice fish but alot are bought by kids who just want to see what it can eat and think it's cool to have fish with teeth that eat other fish with such hype to their stereotype. You know something to tell your friends kind of thing.

There are responsible piranha keepers.. and then there are the immature who feed mice and other live food and see their fish as feeding entertainment rather than enjoyment in other aspects.
 
cichlaguapote;1145290; said:
Alot of it is hype..(which is why you see "why is my p not agressive?" threads") People especially those less experianced in the hobby think oh it has teeth, and a bad stereotype.. they must be super aggressive.

Alot of kids now days are starting out with piranhas before they know anything about cichlids/other fish. I bet 50% of piranha owners or more are under 21 or 18. So for some it's a starter fish in the hobby and they buy them for the hype then some wind up like being in the fish hobby and move on to try new fish.

Not saying they're not nice fish but alot are bought by kids who just want to see what it can eat and think it's cool to have fish with teeth that eat other fish with such hype to their stereotype. You know something to tell your friends kind of thing.

There are responsible piranha keepers.. and then there are the immature who feed mice and other live food and see their fish as feeding entertainment rather than enjoyment in other aspects.
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I'm 15 and i didn't buy my piranha for the 'Novelty'. I bought him as somthing different that i have never kept. If people have seen my rhoms setup they will say it is very safe and well thought out as i have a glass screen in front of it.
 
I agree with both oddball and CG. I think most pirahna are bought by kids (or immature adults) who want a fish that can rip another fish apart. This isen't true of all p owners though. Pirahnas are a unique group of fish and personally I would love to give them a try someday. They are however illegal in NY (thanks media hype) and so I won't be doing that unless something changes.
 
Im going with beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
as i dont keep my oscar for looks, thats for sure, but id never trade him for something else just bc it has more color, and when it comes down to it, i wouldnt have alot of my fish if i did.
I think its that piranhas demands a whole different kind of respect then "umbees, doviis" etc.. imo, as its impossible for me to look at those teeth and not admire it.
 
I started out with rbp's which I still have and enjoy and have recently added a rhom to my collection as well. I think they're fascinating fish, and whenever people come over they spend the most time looking at those two tanks. It's been very cheap to feed my rbp's they get mostly beef heart at 79 cents a pound and the 4 pound heart that I bought has lasted since july. the rhom get's bloodworms and blackworms, still very cheap. The red's aren't as aggressive as legend would suggest, but they're still a lot of fun to watch eat.
ps they never get live food
 
Bogwoodbruce;1145296; said:
I'm 15 and i didn't buy my piranha for the 'Novelty'. I bought him as somthing different that i have never kept. If people have seen my rhoms setup they will say it is very safe and well thought out as i have a glass screen in front of it.
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Rhoms tend to go into the hands of more experianced keepers as they have a higher price tag/usually harder to find. I wouldn't group you from what I've seen on this site as one of those immature people even if you kept a shoal of reds. And I didn't mean all underage p keepers are immature..

But visit a piranha themed forum once and you'll see what I mean about immaturity and these fish esp. easily obtainable red bellys being in younger immature/hands. And bought for the hype.
 
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