Common piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri). Aquarium piranha fish

The common piranha is a species of predatory ray-finned fish. It first became known about it in the middle of the 19th century. In nature, there are about 30 species of these fish, 4 of which can pose a potential threat to humans.

The length of an adult varies from 20 to 30 cm. However, cases have been recorded when according to description eyewitnesses piranha reached a length of 80 cm. It was the largest of its kind.

The color of females and males is different. In nature, male piranhas are blue-black or green in color, with a silvery tint. Females of this fish species have purple scales.

With age, the color becomes darker. Piranha fish differ in the specific structure of the jaw. Closed teeth resemble a closed zipper. This structure helps them successfully hunt fairly large prey.

Pictured is a piranha fish

To the most famous piranha species These include characin-like fish, black pacu (herbivorous fish), lunar and common metinnis, slender, dwarf, flag piranha, and red-finned miley.

Scientists classify piranhas and pacas as members of the “toothed salmon” family, which are distinguished by the presence of a serrated keel. Otherwise, especially in nutrition and jaw structure, they are very different.

Features and habitat of piranha

You can meet piranha in the waters of South America: in Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador. Amazon, Orinoco, Parana - the most popular river places, where does piranha live.

In the photo there is a piranha pacu fish

They love fresh warm water, rich in oxygen, calm currents and an abundance of vegetation. Sometimes they can be found in sea ​​water. During this period, females are not capable of spawning. Several species of fish can coexist in the same territory.

Character and lifestyle of piranha fish

About piranha fish There are many myths circulating. Piranha usually called killer fish and monsters due to their aggressiveness. The “quarrelsome” nature of fish can be seen by observing how they behave in a school.

It is not uncommon to see that they are missing a fin or have scars on their body. Piranhas can attack not only representatives of other species of the animal world, but also their “brothers”. There are even cases of cannibalism. Basically, piranhas choose rivers where a lot of fish swim, since food for them is the main thing in life.

Cases of “cannibalism” sometimes occur in a school of piranhas

Piranhas mostly swim in small groups of 25-30 individuals. Some flocks can reach about a thousand representatives of this species. Herd behavior is inherent in them not due to the desire to kill. On the contrary, it is defense mechanism, since in nature there are animals for which piranhas are food. For example, caimans, some species, .

The diet of piranhas is extremely varied. It includes:

• amphibians;
• invertebrates;
• plants;
• weak or sick individuals;
• large animals (buffalos).

Fish aggression increases due to the beginning of spawning. During the rainy season - end of January - best time for procreation. Before breeding begins, males make a hole at the bottom, blowing out silt. About a thousand eggs can be placed in such a “shelter”.

Males protect their offspring and provide them with oxygen thanks to intense movements. Sometimes, to preserve the offspring, the eggs are attached to the leaves or stems of algae. The larvae appear after 40 hours.

Until this time, they eat the reserves of the gall sac. As soon as the fry can get their own food, their parents stop caring for them. A piranha is considered sexually mature when it grows to 15-18 cm. Piranhas are gentle, caring parents. Older individuals behave quietly. They do not attack the prey, but prefer to sit out in the seaweed or behind a snag.

Despite the belief that piranhas are killer fish, it must be said that they can experience shock from fright. If frightened, it may “faint”: the individual’s scales turn pale, and the piranha sinks sideways to the bottom. But after she wakes up, the piranha will rush to defend itself.

Piranha fish are dangerous for a person. There have been no recorded cases of humans being eaten, but bites from these fish can cause serious harm. Piranha fish bite painful, the wounds take a long time to become inflamed and do not heal. Approximately 70 people a year are bitten by piranhas.

Piranha - predatory fish. The biggest danger is its jaws. Scientists conducted an experiment. Several dozen individuals were captured from the Amazon. Dynamometers were lowered one by one into the aquarium where they were located.

As a result, it turned out that the bite could reach three hundred and twenty newtons. It turned out that piranhas have the most powerful jaws of all existing fauna. Numerous photo of piranha fish demonstrate the degree of danger from meeting this predator.

Piranha food

1. The most important thing is to give food in doses. It may seem that the fish are hungry. Actually this is not true. Piranhas have a constant desire to eat.
2. The water in the aquarium must be clean, so you need to remove any leftover food after each feeding. Contamination can make your fish sick.
3. 2 minutes is the optimal time for individuals to eat.
4. In order for piranhas to be healthy and feel good, they need to diversify their diet as much as possible. It is useful to feed fish with shrimp, tadpoles, frozen fish fillets, and finely chopped beef.
5. There is a product that you should not give to your pets - freshwater fish. In general, you cannot feed piranhas with meat alone.
6. Young individuals can be fed with bloodworms, tubifex, worms, and then gradually transferred to an adult diet.

Reproduction and lifespan of piranha

During the breeding season, the female turns upside down. About 3000 eggs can be born at one time. The average size of one egg is one and a half millimeters.

If breeding occurs in an aquarium, you need to remember that in the first days after the birth of offspring, fish are very aggressive, so you should not put your hands into the aquarium or try to touch the fish. Parents need to be separated from their offspring. For this, it is better to use a net with a long handle. Their living conditions should be similar. If you want to breed piranhas at home, you should purchase a spawning tank.

One pair of growers requires about 200 liters of water. The water should be warm - 26-28 degrees. During this period, it is better to add soil instead of pebbles and remove all plants. On the eve of spawning, it is recommended to feed the fish intensively. Professional aquarists breed piranhas using special hormonal drugs. When kept at home, piranhas can live up to 10 years.

Many hobbyists want to decorate their aquarium with such exotic fish as piranhas. Piranhas (Serrasalminae) are predatory freshwater river fish from the order Cyprinidae that live in the Amazon River basin and freshwater bodies of South America. Only in the early 80s did they begin to appear in aquariums.

Most common aquarium species: common piranha (Rooseveltiella nattereri), red pacu (Colossoma bidens), lunar metynnis (Metynnis luna), common metynnis (Metynnis hypsauchen).

Distinctive Features

The body shape of all varieties of this fish is approximately the same: a high disc-shaped body, flattened on both sides, low-set eyes and an inflated forehead. The teeth are sharp, lamellar, triangular in shape, arranged in such an order that when compressed there is no gap left between the teeth. Adult fish can reach sizes of up to 30 cm. Aquarium piranhas live, depending on the species, from 4 to 15 years.

Behavior

This view aquarium fish differs in calmer behavior than in natural habitats, but do not forget that these are school predators. Therefore, it is advisable that a school of piranhas consisting of at least 8-10 individuals live in your aquarium. Lonely individuals feel uncomfortable, fearful, withdrawn and develop poorly. Aquarium piranhas also react to loud noises, new large objects in the aquarium, bright harsh light, sometimes these factors cause the fish to panic and even bite.

Keeping fish has its own subtleties and nuances. To make the fish comfortable, you should follow temperature regime. The temperature should be approximately 25 degrees, but temperature fluctuations within the range of 24.5 - 28.5 degrees are allowed. To maintain the temperature in the aquarium, there must be a water heater and a thermometer. Fish can tolerate short-term sharp drops in temperature in necessary cases, for example, during transportation. But keeping the fish in too cold or too cold conditions for a long time warm water This can lead to illness, decreased immunity, and nerve or heart damage.
Water for your pets must be clean and oxygenated - this is one of the most important conditions for keeping them. In order to filter water in an aquarium, you need to install a filter, maybe even several for better cleaning, and a compressor to saturate the water with oxygen. It is also necessary to periodically replace some of the water, preferably 1-2 times a week.
To create optimally comfortable conditions, fish need: 8 liters of water per 2.5 cm of the body of an adult fish. Therefore, the minimum volume of water in the aquarium should be 95-100 liters. Lack of space can affect the behavior of the fish, they can injure each other. The wounded pet should be moved to another container until all wounds are healed, because a weak fish will not be able to fend for itself when attacked by healthy individuals. Piranhas love to hide, so it is advisable that there is a lot of vegetation in the aquarium, perhaps artificial, driftwood, houses, caves or other shelters.

Feeding

Aquarium fish Piranhas are unpretentious in food. They eat all types of animal feed with great pleasure. The basic rule is not to overfeed and remove leftover food immediately in order to keep the water clean. It is advisable to feed piranhas once a day; some experts advise limiting feeding time to 2 minutes, this is enough. If feeding time is prolonged, the water quickly becomes contaminated and can lead to disease.
Proper nutrition strengthens the immune system and contributes to the life expectancy of your pets. The diet includes shrimp, tadpoles, frozen fish fillets, and beef cut into small pieces. It is not recommended to feed fish with meat alone, because the color of the fish will fade. It is also not recommended to feed your pets meat. freshwater fish, it can cause various diseases and parasites. Small piranhas eat bloodworms and tubifex worms well. Then meat and fish should be gradually introduced into the diet. After three months, the fish is transferred to an adult diet.
It is very difficult to get offspring at home. In order for fish to spawn, a very soft and acidic environment, similar to natural conditions, is needed. Piranha fry grow quite quickly and with proper nutrition by the end of the month they will reach 2-2.5 cm. In order to raise the offspring of one pair of fish, you need a spacious aquarium with a capacity of 3-4 thousand liters.

Piranhas are monsters from horror films and scary stories, small but bloodthirsty inhabitants of the waters of the Amazon and other rivers in South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina). What do we know about them? Probably nothing. After all, all knowledge is limited to just one species - the ordinary piranha, which has gained notoriety.

The Piranha family includes slightly more than 60 species of fish. And, oddly enough, most of them are herbivores; they practically do not eat animal food. The size of piranhas depends on the species, carnivores generally reach 30 cm, and their vegetarian relatives can gain significant weight and grow more than one meter in length. The color also depends on the species, but is mainly silver-gray, becoming darker with age. The body shape is diamond-shaped and tall, laterally compressed. The main food for predators is a variety of piranhas that can also feed on animals or even birds that they meet along the way. For herbivorous species, the Amazon and its tributaries abound in various vegetation; these fish do not disdain nuts and seeds that fall into the water.

Jaw structure

Piranhas are characterized by an amazing structure of the jaw apparatus, which perhaps has no analogues in nature. Everything is provided in it down to the finest detail. The teeth, triangular in shape and measuring 4-5 mm, are lamellar and sharp, like a razor blade, slightly curved inward. This allows them to easily cut through the flesh of the victim, tearing off pieces of meat. In addition, the upper and lower teeth fit perfectly into the sinuses when the jaw is closed, creating a strong pressure. This feature allows piranhas to bite through bones. When closed, the jaws close like a trap. According to the latest research by scientists, the bite force is 320 newtons and has no analogues in the animal world. When a piranha's jaws bite, it exerts about 30 times its weight in pressure.

Where do piranhas live?

These are inhabitants of freshwater bodies of water in South America. The Amazon basin contains a fifth of the entire fresh water, this river is full of a variety of fish. Piranhas live along the entire length of the river and are the subject of many legends and stories of local residents. occupies vast territories, most of which belongs to Brazil, but also to Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. Piranhas also feel great in other rivers; their habitat on the South American continent is very large.

IN lately This fish has become very popular in home keeping and breeding. A piranha in an aquarium will grow smaller than its natural size and will lose some of its aggressiveness. Surprisingly, with such a threatening appearance, they become timid in confined spaces and often hide in artificial shelters.

All piranha fish are combined into one family and are divided, according to zoological classification, into three subfamilies.

Myelin subfamily

Myelins are the largest group; it unites seven genera and 32 species. These are herbivores and absolutely harmless piranhas (photo). Fish eat plant foods. The color is quite varied, depending on the species. The body shape is characteristic, laterally compressed and tall. Juveniles are silver-steel in color, with to varying degrees spotting that darkens to a chocolate gray color as it grows. Sizes vary from 10 to 20 centimeters. Many representatives of this subfamily are bred in aquariums. They need a large volume of water and sufficient hiding space, as they are quite shy fish. Aquarium piranha from the myelin subfamily will thrive at a water temperature of 23-28 degrees, and the daily diet should include lettuce, cabbage, spinach, peas and other vegetables. Some species even feed on nuts in natural conditions, easily cracking the strong shell with their powerful jaws.

Black pacu is the brightest representative of myelin

The black pacu (or Amazon broadbodied) is the most famous member of the Myelina subfamily. In addition, it is also the largest: its dimensions range from 30 centimeters to one meter or more, although it is not a predator. The color of adult individuals is quite modest, brownish-brown, but the young ones have a silvery color with a large number spots all over the body and bright fins. Black pacu meat has good taste qualities and is used by local residents. These are commercial piranhas. Aquarium conditions They are also quite suitable, but the size of the fish will be slightly smaller than in nature, on average about 30 centimeters, life expectancy - within 10 years or a little more. Keeping this species requires a large aquarium (from 200 liters) and good care.

Subfamily Catoprionines

This fish, similar to the common piranha and being its closest relative, mainly has plant foods (60%) in its diet, and only 40% consists of small fish. But it still needs to be kept separately from other fish, otherwise very small ones will be eaten, and large ones risk being left with damaged fins and partially without scales. As animal food, you can use small shrimp or fish, earthworms, and plant food - spinach leaves, lettuce, nettles and other greens.

Subfamily Serrasalmina

These are the same ruthless predators; the subfamily is represented by only one genus and 25 species. They all eat animal food: fish, animals, birds. The size of piranhas of the Serrasalmina subfamily can reach up to 80 cm in size, reaching a weight of up to 1 kg. This is a real threat to animals (not to mention fish), which can be several times larger in size, but this does not stop the piranha. The small predators have a truly menacing appearance: they protrude significantly forward and are slightly curved upward, their eyes are bulging, and their body is characterized by a rounded, flat shape. In reservoirs they prefer to stay in schools, but when attacking a prey they act independently of each other, so it cannot be said that these are close-knit group fish. Piranhas react to movement in the water, this attracts their attention. When one of them finds a victim, the others immediately flock to the spot. Moreover, there is an opinion among zoologists that piranhas are capable of making sounds, thereby transmitting information to each other. A flock of piranhas can leave an animal with only bones in a few minutes.

The information that they are able to sense blood at a considerable distance from the victim is true. Piranha fish live in troubled waters Amazons, and it is natural that they had to adapt to conditions of poor visibility, as a result - a well-developed sense of smell. Piranhas are indeed attracted to blood, this is a signal that a prey has arrived.

In addition, they do not disdain carrion and even their sick or weakened brothers. Only a few species pose a real danger to animals and humans.

Common piranha

The most famous representative, around which conversations do not subside, is the Common Piranha. The length of individuals of this species can reach up to 30 centimeters, but they are generally the size of a human palm. Common piranhas (photo of the fish below) have a greenish-silver color with many dark spots throughout the body; the scales on the abdomen have a characteristic pinkish tint. They live in flocks of approximately one hundred individuals.

In recent years, ordinary piranhas have also been very popular in home keeping. Aquarium conditions help reduce aggressiveness. But you still need a separate aquarium.

Black piranha

This is another species from the Serrasalmina subfamily, very common in nature and popular in home breeding. Habitat - and Orinoco. The body shape is diamond-shaped, and the color is dark, black and silver. In young fish, the abdomen has a yellow tint. Black piranha - omnivorous predator, everything is suitable for the diet: fish, arthropods, birds or animals that accidentally fell into the water. Such indiscriminate eating led to their fairly high numbers in the waters of the Amazon. Although in terms of aggressiveness the species is inferior to the same ordinary piranha. An aquarium for such fish requires a large one, more than 300 liters. The difficulty of breeding lies in the aggressiveness of piranhas towards each other. Reproduction is possible if aquarium members of the family eat properly; if there is an abundance of animal food, they become obese, which can become a significant obstacle to the appearance of offspring. The photo shows a black piranha.

Myth one: piranhas attack humans

It is difficult to judge this clearly, since the data is very contradictory. Many scientists and zoologists who spent more than one year in the Amazon have never witnessed an attack; in addition, they themselves, exposing themselves to danger for the sake of experiment, swam in the muddy waters of the river, where a few minutes before they had caught piranhas, but there were no attacks followed.

For a long time, there was a story about a bus with local residents that drove into one of the tributaries of the Amazon, and all the passengers were literally eaten by piranhas. The story really took place in the 70s of the last century, 39 passengers died, but one managed to escape. According to eyewitnesses, the bodies of the victims were indeed badly damaged by piranhas. But it is not possible to judge whether this was an attack and whether it was the cause of death.

There are reliable sources of bites on the beaches of Argentina when the fish were the first to attack. But these were isolated cases. Zoologists explain this by the fact that piranhas, whose spawning just begins at the height of beach season, build nests in shallow water. Therefore, this behavior of fish is quite natural: they protected their offspring.

In addition, piranhas are most dangerous for humans and animals during drought periods, when the water level in rivers reaches its minimum, which affects their diet: there is less food. Local residents know about this and do not enter the river at this time. The safest season is the rainy season, when the rivers overflow.

Myth two: piranhas attack in packs

There are many stories about terrible attacks by an entire flock, all this is fueled by numerous feature films. In fact, large individuals do not prowl in search of prey in the river; they stand in one place, usually in shallow water. The fish waits for its prey, and as soon as this prey appears, the piranha heads to the right place. Attracted by the noise and smell of blood, others rush there. Piranhas gather in schools not to hunt prey, but to defend themselves from the enemy - this is what many scientists believe. It would seem, who could harm them? However, even such a predatory fish has enemies. Piranha, gathering in schools, defends itself from river dolphins that feed on them, and for people they are harmless and quite friendly. In addition, among natural enemies piranhas - arapaima and caimans. The first one is giant fish, which is considered practically a living fossil. Possessing amazing, super-strong scales, it represents real threat for piranha. Fish found alone instantly become victims of arapaima. Caimans are small representatives of the Crocodile order. Zoologists have noticed that as soon as the number of these caimans decreases, the number of piranhas in the river immediately increases.

Myth three: piranhas appear in Russian water bodies

Incidents did take place, but this was the result of either the behavior of careless aquarium fish lovers, or deliberate release into a reservoir. In any case, there is no need to worry. Although piranhas adapt perfectly to any conditions, the main factor for their successful existence remains the same - warm climate and water (within 24-27 degrees), which is impossible in our country.

Of course, these Piranhas are dangerous and very voracious, but still the stories about them are often overly embellished and far-fetched. Indigenous people South America has learned to coexist next to piranhas and even made them a commercial target. Nature has not created anything useless: if wolves are piranhas, then piranhas perform a similar function in water bodies.

Piranha is a dangerous exotic fish that can decorate any aquarium. At the same time, with its appearance it will delight and even a little awe your friends and guests. But before you start home aquarium this fish, you should carefully study its features.

Habitats in nature

Piranhas live in fresh water bodies of South America. Found in the Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo, Paraná and Uruguay. Known in almost all countries of the South American continent.

Did you know? If South American shepherds need to move their cattle across a river in which piranhas live, the only chance to do this is to give« tribute» . One cow is given to the owners of the rivers. While the predators tear apart the prey, the shepherds move the rest of the herd.

Description

The piranha family belongs to the ray-finned fish of the order Characinidae. Some species reach more than 1 m in length. Juveniles are silver in color, with black spots on the sides. The fins are red or yellow. Adult fish are colored silver-green with a reddish tint (maybe purple). The caudal fin is edged with black.

Thanks to special structure With its jaws, the fish can tear pieces of flesh from its prey. The triangular teeth reach 0.5 cm in length and are located in such a way that when the jaws are closed, the upper ones fall exactly into the grooves between the lower ones. The jaws are capable of working both in a vertical plane, cutting off pieces of meat, like a guillotine, and in a horizontal plane, tearing out denser and larger pieces of prey.

IN natural environment piranhas are a kind of orderlies. They eat the flesh of drowned or dead animals to the bone (after the Amazon spills, a huge amount of them remains). If it were not for river predators, this flesh would quickly rot when high temperature and air humidity, becoming a source of infections.

Species

The body is elongated, reaches 30 cm in length. Gray color with a silvery tint, the anal fin and tail feathers are edged black stripe, belly - red. Habitat: Amazon and its tributaries.

It does not exceed 15 cm in length. Such dimensions should not be misleading; this is a rather aggressive predatory fish. It has a silver color with black spots and a red anal fin. The tail is edged black, and there is a hump at the junction of the head and body.

Important! There are 4 species of true piranhas, that is, those that pose a danger to warm-blooded animals and humans: black piranha, common piranha, common pygocentrus, and Palometa piranha.

Red pacu (red-bellied)- an omnivorous fish native to Brazil. In the natural environment it can grow more than 85 cm in length, in an aquarium - a little more than 40 cm. The color is gray with a pewter tint, the abdomen and fins have a reddish tint. The fin on the back is elongated, the tail is bordered by a black stripe.

Body length is no more than 15 cm. Body color is gray-green with a red belly. There is a small red spot in the gill area. The dorsal and anal fins have elongated anterior rays. All fins, except the anal (which has a reddish tint) are gray.

On the territory former USSR appeared in 1970. It has a round body, flat on the sides. The color is silver with a tint, the same color of the eyes with a vertical black stripe. A high fin on the back and a crescent-shaped tail complete the picture. The back can have a color from green to blue, as well as the shade of the sides. All fins are elongated and may have black spots or stripes on the sides. The fins appear transparent, the abdomen is whitish.

It grows up to 25 cm in length. They have tall building body, red spot behind the gills. The anal fin is red in females and veiled in males. The fish has a silver color with a pewter tint. The sides are cast in the entire spectrum of the rainbow - from red-yellow to blue-green. The fish is predominantly herbivorous.

Large variety of piranha (25 cm in length). The color is silver, the back is high, the bright red anal fin stands out against the background of the body. The tail is veiled. In females, the anal fin is not as rich in color and is smaller in size. It feeds on both plant and animal foods.

Aquarium parameters and decorations

If you decide to have a home exotic predator, it is necessary to comply with some requirements for the arrangement of the aquarium. Piranhas in captivity love to be in niches and shelters, so you should take care of this when setting up an aquarium.

Did you know? The officially registered longest-liver among piranhas is the red pacu, which lived for 28 years.

The volume of the aquarium should be calculated according to this rule: per 3 cm of fish body length - 10 liters of water, but the aquarium must hold at least 150 liters. The fish is already rather large in size, but insufficient volume home negatively affects her character. A fish can live on its own, but feels better in the company of its own kind.

These predators are voracious, leaving behind large number waste products. Accordingly, you should take care of a good powerful filter; you can use several.

Vegetation

Although piranhas are predators, but they also happily eat various aquatic vegetation. So all your efforts to plant a habitat for fish can go towards satisfying its gastronomic needs. Although you shouldn’t leave the aquarium without greenery either. The best solution will abundantly fill the aquarium with artificial plants. Fish eat greens especially willingly during the spawning period.

Priming

Sometimes they prefer to keep piranhas in aquariums without soil, as it is more convenient to care for them. If you prefer traditional decor, ordinary sand or gravel will do just fine.

Water

The water in the aquarium must be well aerated and meet the following requirements:

• temperature - 24...26 °C;
• acidity - 6.0-7.0;
• hardness - 12-16 dH.

The water should be the cleanest, it is necessary to replace part of the water every week (sometimes twice a week), approximately 1/7 of the total volume.

Lighting

Lighting is not of fundamental importance, although there is an opinion that preference should be given to white light. The lighting rate is 0.5-0.7 W/l.

Feeding

IN wildlife Piranhas eat literally everything. Therefore, even in captivity, their diet is quite extensive. You can feed predators with other fish, shellfish, invertebrates, amphibians, worms and fruits. The most popular diet for aquarium species:

• fish;
• krill;
• cuttlefish;
• squid;
• worms;
• meat by-products;
• crawls;
• small rodents.

The predators are fed once a day, the procedure lasts up to 3 minutes. Leftover food must be removed.

Important!Mammalian meat, although acceptable, is not good food for piranha - fish do not digest it well, and this can lead to obesity.

Meat or fish (it is not recommended to give river water) cut finely or twist into minced meat. The minced meat is mixed with vegetables, and the predators are fed this puree. You should not use only beef for feeding, this can cause upset endocrine system(color fades).

You can feed the fish in this way: tie food (fish, meat) to a thread and lower it into the aquarium for 2.5-3 minutes, after the specified time, remove the thread and what is left on it.

Nutritional norm for a predator - approximate weight his body. From time to time it's worth arranging fast days to avoid obesity.

Compatibility with other inhabitants

Provided proper feeding and a sufficient aquarium volume, piranhas get along quite well with and.

Character and behavior

Even in a pack of brothers, there are often skirmishes and cases of cannibalism. By observing the flock, you can find a leader in it. He is often larger than other fish, eats first and shows with all his behavior that he is the leader.

Representatives of the same species get along best in groups of 8-10 individuals. For some external influences the fish may start to panic:

• a strong knock on the wall of the aquarium;
• a bright flash of light;
• strong splash of water;
• entry of a large foreign object into the water.

Did you know? Piranhas make similar sounds. If a fish is taken out of the water, it makes sounds similar to a dog barking; when the fish share food, their exclamations become like the beating of a drum. If one fish violates the personal space of another, the piranha begins to “croak.”

Reproduction and sexual differences

Piranhas become capable of reproduction at the age of 16-18 months. It is quite difficult to distinguish a male from a female. It is best to watch the fish - before spawning, the color of the males becomes brighter, and characteristic feature females have a rounded abdomen.

The next step is to choose a secluded, quiet place to create a spawning area. You need to keep together those fish that live nearby for a sufficient time and are well compatible. The spawning area should be spacious and have large volume, and the water is clean, with a hardness index of 6.0-7.5 and a temperature of 26...29 °C.

First, the pair will find a place to spawn. The fact that the place has been chosen will indicate aggressive behavior fish. This is their normal reaction - this is how predators show that the territory is occupied. Then you can see a darkening of the color, and the formation of a small depression at the bottom. After spawning and fertilization, the male will fiercely defend the fertilized eggs.

The eggs are usually bright orange and begin to hatch after 2 days. Then, after another 2 days, the fry appears; it must be carefully removed using a cage.

Important! Be careful - during the birth of offspring, the male can attack anything that moves.

The fry should be immediately kept under normal conditions for the species. From a very young age they have an excellent appetite. It is best to use brine shrimp, daphnia and bloodworms to feed the fry. The fry need to be fed twice a day. After 4 weeks they will reach approximately 1 cm in length. At two months of age, the fins of the fry acquire an orange tint.

In crowded conditions, the fry become aggressive. To exclude cases of cannibalism, sorting should be carried out every week. It is necessary to leave fry of approximately the same size, weeding out the smaller ones.

• up to 1 month - 300-500 pcs.;
• up to 2 months - 200 pcs.;
• up to 3 months - 100 pcs.

Health

Piranhas live in captivity for 10 years or more; they are unpretentious in keeping. An indicator of the health of predators is their appetite. If the fish do not fight for food, do not show playfulness and some anger when feeding, then something is wrong with the conditions of detention. Piranhas are quite sensitive to temperature, water acidity and oxygen saturation. If the inhabitants of the aquarium have a poor appetite, pay attention to these indicators.

Individual characteristics

It is worth noting that rumors about the bloodthirstiness of piranhas are greatly exaggerated. Almost half of the species are herbivores (about 40 out of 80), and only 4 species, the so-called “true piranhas,” pose a threat to mammals and humans in general.

Predators are distinguished by rapid tissue regeneration. Injured skin and fins quickly restore their functions. Cases have been recorded when a fish felt tolerably well after being left without an eye after a skirmish with a rival.

In captivity, piranhas are less aggressive than in the wild. Sometimes they are even shy, hide in cracks and holes and spend most of their time there. They are active only when feeding. In general, feeding deserves special attention.

If piranhas eat normally, they get along quite peacefully with representatives of other species, but if the food is poor, or there is not enough space in the aquarium, the fish can fight even with representatives of its own species. Moreover, the fights are brutal, predators often tear out pieces of each other’s flesh and inflict injuries.

Stress in fish can cause them to move to another aquarium; it happened that during this procedure, piranhas gnawed through the mesh of the net.

The smell of blood can make a predator go rabid. There have been recorded cases of piranhas going berserk when water was added to the aquarium in which the meat was washed.

Important! Piranhas eat their wounded, weak or sick brothers.

Precautions

You should not place the aquarium on a low surface, especially if you have small child or a pet. You should not work in the aquarium with your bare hand if it has the slightest wounds. In other cases, working with your bare hand (for example, removing leftover food) is quite acceptable, just try not to drive the fish into a corner.

Piranhas are bright and noticeable inhabitants of aquariums; it is difficult not to pay attention to them. But contrary to the reputation earned through Hollywood films, the life of fish in an aquarium depends primarily on humans. Try to remember that, despite all the aggressiveness and strength, this is, first of all, an aquarium fish that requires appropriate treatment.

Piranhas: The family of freshwater ray-finned fish belongs to the order Characinidae, and lives in various bodies of water in South America. These fish are characterized by powerful jaws and sharp teeth. Today, the piranha family includes 16 modern genera and 95 species. (Wikipedia)

We can safely say that piranha is one of the most... famous fish in the world! There are many legends and myths about piranhas, but not all horror stories correspond to reality. These fish can pose a real danger during the dry period, when water bodies dry out greatly and they begin to lack food. Piranhas first eat all the fish belonging to other species in this reservoir, then they begin hunting each other.

Moreover, they are quite shy and therefore gather in flocks to protect themselves from predators. And in nature they have enough enemies: this and freshwater dolphins, Amazonian otters, various representatives cat families caimans, herons, arapaima - ancient fish Very unusual shape.

Famous teeth piranhas, relative to the size of the body, are quite large, have a conical shape, when closed, the upper rows fit tightly into the spaces between the lower ones, so that there is no room for a gap, in addition, The jaw muscles of piranhas are very strong.

Piranhas in an aquarium

The most common guest species found in aquariums include:

Piranha pacu

Paku- these are piranhas, which, despite their menacing appearance and impressive jaw apparatus, are not at all so scary, because they vegetarian piranhas. Under this name, scientists unite several species of South American freshwater piranhas who prefer primarily plant foods in their menu.

They have unique teeth, slightly similar to human ones. Such teeth serve the paku for crushing nuts and seeds and eating other tough plant foods rich in fiber.

However, if you keep a pacu in the aquarium, you still need to be extremely careful so that the fish do not accidentally bite your hand when you, for example, clean the aquarium.

Mileus redfin or Mileus moon

Mileus- fairly large peace-loving fish, keeping in schools. Their distribution area is the Amazon Basin, various bodies of water in Guiana and Suriname. Under natural conditions, mileus can grow up to 35 cm, in artificial conditions - up to 15 cm. Life expectancy - up to 10 years. Mileus are considered to be unpretentious fish species, so they are perfect for beginners and inexperienced aquarists. In artificial conditions it grows up to 15 cm.

Mileus get along quite easily in an aquarium with other types of fish. Since plants constitute their natural diet, it is not recommended to use live vegetation when decorating. Much better fit inanimate objects, although some types of plants are suitable, for example, Thai fern or Java moss, since most herbivorous fish do not eat them. Despite my plant-based food preferences, mileus Still, a protein component in the diet is also necessary, so they should also be supplemented with live food, for example, bloodworms.

Red pacu

Red pacu Colossomabidens(bidentate). Habitat - South America, mainly in the Amazon and its tributaries, people use it as commercial fish(and who, in this case, eats whom?).

The red pacu is omnivorous.

Despite its striking similarity to piranha, red pacu is rarely included in its diet. meat food(maybe it affects small quantity teeth?). In nature, their main diet is a variety of freshwater plants. Young fish grow quite quickly: in the first year, a red pacu can natural conditions can reach 30 cm. The maximum length of adult individuals reaches 80 cm with a weight of 25 kg; it is extremely difficult to achieve such indicators in an aquarium. The maximum recorded lifespan in an aquarium is 28 years.

Red piranha

Red Piranha ( Rooseveltiellanattereri) has a red color in the abdominal area only in at a young age. In the natural environment it grows up to 30 cm (in an aquarium - no more than 20 cm with a weight of up to 1.5 kg) - enough big fish, olive-silver with a reddish or purple tint, bright highlights on the back, a dissected tail with a blue-green border, a belly with a pronounced orange tint (fry have noticeable black spots that disappear with age). The body is relatively high, laterally compressed, the head has a large jaw, “like a bulldog.” It has a large mouth with very sharp conical teeth, with jagged edges, the upper ones fit tightly into the gap with the lower ones. The chest, as well as the base of the pectoral and anal fins, are painted bright red, the sides with gilded dots. In general, the color of the red piranha is very attractive! The lifespan of red piranhas in an aquarium is from 6 to 15 years.

Piranhas They are schooling fish and require large, elongated aquariums for maintenance. So, for example, in an aquarium 500 liters. It is recommended to keep 7 fish. Piranhas love well-purified, aerated water.

Therefore, the filtration system must be selected taking into account the increased load on the biofilter; it is better to install an external filter with a double reserve of the volume indicated by the manufacturers. Water temperature 25 - 27°C, pH 5.8 - 7. Hardness: 2 - 12 dHG. Regular, at least once a week, water changes are required, at least 20%. Since piranhas are shy fish(who would have thought!), the aquarium should have enough natural shelters: stones, grottoes, tufts of vegetation.

You can feed piranhas with frozen, lean sea fish without bones, after defrosting it and draining the water, finely chopped shrimp, squid, beef heart and liver. Piranhas will happily chew on a mussel and eat it earthworm or maggot. It is when eating that their famous unbridled character manifests itself!