Australia - Piranhas

[Lewii]

hey hey everyone.

Im new to this forum and yea...hi all

Hope this is the right place to post this aswell.

Well ive had a few fish in past times, such as tiger oscars and stuff which were really cool fish

I live in australia and ive noticed alot of people are buying piranhas these days and keeping them at home just like any other normal fish, was wondering if anyone had any info and could help me out?

1 - are they illegal? in australia~
2 - if not...where could i buy them?
3 - are they hard 2 look after?

Thanks.

 

[alex_wright06]

[/quote]
well i had pranha 4 abt 18 months 4 my first fish actualy and i can tell u that they arnt illeagle an that most reputable pet shops do infact sell them its just a case of looking lol
unfortunatly though mine got a diesease from the feeder fish that i used to feed them and so they all soon died sad!

 

[Lewii]

ahh

That sucks

ya well im down in melbourne and im having trouble in finding them =//

Ive looked a few places and cant rly find anything online so yea:s im kinda stuck.

 

[Lynda B]

Depending on where you live, yes, they may be illegal. Please be sure to check before you purchase.

 

[Lewii]

Well im down in Australia lol so ive rly got no idea since ive never bought them before either.

 

[rabbut]

hey hey everyone.

Im new to this forum and yea...hi all

Hope this is the right place to post this aswell.

Well ive had a few fish in past times, such as tiger oscars and stuff which were really cool fish

I live in australia and ive noticed alot of people are buying piranhas these days and keeping them at home just like any other normal fish, was wondering if anyone had any info and could help me out?

1 - are they illegal? in australia~
2 - if not...where could i buy them?
3 - are they hard 2 look after?

Thanks.

Hi
They should be easy enough to look after if you read up on them before purchase. They get big, and need a spacious tank (4x2x2 for juiviniles 6x2x2 for adults minimum), and are very messy eaters. Good filtration is a must for these guys, a canister turning over the tank 7-15 times an hour is the kind of flow rate and capacity filtration you need for these. They eat meaty food, so frozen muscle would be a good choise. They need a large-ish (group 6+, the more the better), to feel secure. Small groups of prianas will often refuse to eat due to stress. They need to be species only, for obvious reasons, and are quite rewarding to keep. Their social structures are facinating to wach, with a very clear high-raky even in groups of 20+. Not sure as to their legality, due to your location. Best bet is to find a reputable retailer and ask. They will order the specialy if you ask, and they are legal. Remember to fishless cycle their tank, as you will be doing unbelivable amounts of waterchanges and putting them through un-dew stress, with a fish-in cycle. They are mostly wild-caught, so they probibly will not tolerate nitrite or ammonia at any leavles, or high leavles of nitrate, so keep a strict eye on water stats + keep a good maintanance shedual.
HTH
rabbut

 

[Lewii]

Thanks alot people, much appreshaited

If anyone has any other imformation on this subject, it would also be much appreshaited.

 

[merry78]

hiya, i worked for a while at an lfs in Queensland, and we had lots of people asking for piranhas (don't see the attraction personally), and as far as i know, piranhas are illegal in all states in Oz, the closest relative that is legal are silver dollars (which are herbivores).
If you are after the whole predator thing you might have to stick with oscars.
HTH.

 

[fishlette]

hiya, i worked for a while at an lfs in Queensland, and we had lots of people asking for piranhas (don't see the attraction personally), and as far as i know, piranhas are illegal in all states in Oz, the closest relative that is legal are silver dollars (which are herbivores).
If you are after the whole predator thing you might have to stick with oscars.
HTH.

i own a lfs in brisbane and on enquiring through my wholesaler once, i was told that they were illegal in queensland but i didnt ask about other states. try asking the DPI maybe. i think thats the one. something like that anyways. they should be able to point you in the right direction. i would imagine thought that they would be illegal everywhere...imagine what would happen if a few of those got loose in the yarra!! no more native fish left

 

[backtotropical]

i would imagine thought that they would be illegal everywhere...

They are not illegal in the UK. I have kept red-bellied piranha. they are very rewarding fish to keep, especially at feeding time. Just watch your fingers LOL.