Which Piranha Would Be Good?

[crabbman]

hi

im thinking of keeping a species of piranha but im not shore which would be best.
im getting a 4foot tank soon for them.
i was thinking of a small piranha which could be mixed with other fish but if not its ok.
iv herd of the:
sanchezi piranha
compressus piranha
Catoprion mento wimple piranha

wil any of these be good to keep or any other species and any good advise???
any piranha experts out there help me please to make the right choise.
thanxs
rob

 

[backtotropical]

Personally, i'd get a 6ft tank and get a shoal of Red Bellies (Pygocentrus nattereri). King of the Piranhas!!

 

[Gatorbait]

The compressus and sanchezi would both be ok but they would have to be kept alone. Compressus are very rare and sometimes hard to get.

Be careful because most of the times a compressus is sold it's actually a S. altuvei. Which is another good fish but just letting you know.

The wimple piranha isn't actually a true piranha.

I love the sanchezi and think they are a great fish. A standard 4ft long tank is more than enough room for one.

It would help if you listed what you're looking for in a fish, if you plan on this tank being a permanent one or upgrading later, price you're willing to pay etc.

Red Bellies (Pygocentrus nattereri). King of the Piranhas!!

lol why do you say that?

 

[CFC]

I have a sanchezi and have found it to be very shy, it wont eat in front of me and will hide behind the plants when i enter the room. Personally if i had a 4 foot tank for one pirahna i'd go for an elongatus which are full of mean character.

 

[Gatorbait]

I have a sanchezi and have found it to be very shy, it wont eat in front of me and will hide behind the plants when i enter the room. Personally if i had a 4 foot tank for one pirahna i'd go for an elongatus which are full of mean character.

I've had the same with sanchezi. When I had them in a 29g tank they would sometimes tend to be shy more often than in a larger tank. You just never know what temperament you'll get with piranhas even in a given species. In general, Pygo's are more shy and Serra's more aggressive and outgoing but like you found out, it's not 100%.

I agree that elongatus are great fish, especially the black mask, but they are more swimming fish and get up 12" (with 9" normally the largest in home aquaria) and they need a lot of room to swim. 125g would be more of a minimum tank size, imo for an elongatus.