d3r Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Playing with the Redbellies; Serrasalmus Eigenmanni named Jack - "the ripper". High5's, Louie, SurraGync and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4n Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 nice!! I use to have Red bellys also in my 55g planted tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadenlea Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 if you put your hand in would they eat you? Crazyfishlady 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHe Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Did you loss any finger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Youre lucly H4n! I have to go with fake plants because they tear up live ones. @jadenlea- no they wont eat me unless I try to grab them or chase them into a corner. However i have owned several more aggressive piranhas that you had to keep a close eye on when cleaning the tank or youd end up with missing bodyparts! Haha. @james- ive come close! Sometimes I hand feed the red bellies and theyll break the surface of the water and be within inches of my fingers! If they ever get me the tips of my fingers will be gone before I even know what happened! h4n and Louie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Annnnnnnnd that is why feeding tongs/chopsticks were invented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 But that takes the fun out of it! I normally just drop the food in and its gone seconds after it hits the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Have you tried feeding anything live? Like goldfish? Or rosy reds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Nice looking scape in your tank. They used to sell piranhas in SF when I was a kid. I wish I could still have them. Very cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 By SF do you mean south Florida or san Francisco? I have seen smaller species of piranhas in lfs in florida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Yes they do get the occasional "live treat" but its risky feeding live due to parasites and disease that can transfer. The Eigenmanni got his name because when I first got him he wouldn't accept anything but live.. I would feed him goldfish and he'd bite them head first and rip it off. Then eat the body...it was crazy. They're all on frozen foods and pellets now though. But yea..most southern states piranhas are illegal. The general rule of thumb is: if they were to be released in a lake or river would they be able to survive year round and cause havoc to the ecosystem then theyre illegal. for example. Release a red belly in a Michigan lake..its going to die in the fall/winter. But release a red belly in a Florida lake...it will not only survive. ..but thrive. nahhhhmean!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High5's Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 People don't belive me when I tell them lake Okeechobee has a red belly population. Also when I lived in Missouri it wasn't uncommon to hear that some one caught a black Piraha in some unlikely places at first you think o someone released them and realize it's still winter. aquariumlover10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 There are pacu in the Great Lakes now, I believe. We need to turn the hobby more to keeping dwarf shrimp that are not as likely to be dumped into local waters because owners are dumb and "didn't realize they got that big". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Yea Florida lakes are perfect for piranhas. and some species such as ternetzi have adapted to colder water so its POSSIBLE(but unlikely) for them to establish themselves in northern lakes aswell. ^ n right I seen people catching them on the news. My friend caught a Pacu in a georgia lake in his "gated community" haha I wonder wbat else is lurking in that thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted March 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 I know some of you wanted to see feeding. so heres me HAND FEEDING them some smelt. guy at 35seconds wasnt messin around haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 That's awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGardenofEder Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 I have a lake near my house that has some piranhas. aquariumlover10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Oh yea..I forgot to tell yall..I got bit LOL. I was placing algae tabs under the driftwood for the pleco and one of the smaller 7-8" ones swam up and chomped my thumb. Hurt real bad.. bled a lot..gonna leave a scar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 Lucky you still have your full thumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted April 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 I am very fortunate. luckily is was a "defensive bite" and not a "offensive bite" he just didn't want me in the tank that day and he let me know. piranhas have one of the most powerful bite forces pound for pound...and with teeth shaped similar to that of a shark..he could've done a lot more damage. the bite was REALLY deep but really clean aswell so it healed nicely without stitches. I have a slight groove in the pad of my thumb and some scarring now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 I hear ya. When I was breeding rats, I obtained a gambian pouched rat. They are as big as cats and can make good pets, but the one I got was psycho. So bad in fact, I had to put him in a hands off cage. One day shortly after, when moving his cage, he decided to do a Kujo on me and attack. This was not unsuspected since he had tried many times before to get me. However my middle finger was just on the outside and he bit through the holes in the cage wire and just about bit the top of my finger off. heh Luckily the wires stopped his mouth from closing entirely. Just cut the top of my finger in half instead. It happened so fast, and did some nerve damage so that it didn't hurt much, although I bled a lot. I had numbness while it healed for about a year, but now it's fine. BTW, I no longer have the gambian. It passed in it's sleep a couple years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted May 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 ^oh yea I googled the rat! its crazy! I was going to show my GF because she had 2 albino rats as pets for years..but I changed my mind because then she'd want to buy one hahah. New addition... baby Serrasalmus Rhombeus (Black Piranha) Peru Variant there was 2 but one ended up vanishing without a trace....honestly have no idea where it went. hes just in a bare divided 55gal growout tank right now.. but seeing as the other one disappeared Ima take the divider down and make it a more permanent home. theyre so fun at this size.. he comes right up so my finger and trys to nibble it.... once he puts a few more inches on best believe my finger will be no where near his mouth LOL Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted May 19, 2015 Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 More guts than I, my friend. I once had a friend who owned "hot" snakes. Venomous. Used to like the challenge keeping them. Luckily he had a couple vials of antivenom. After being bit once too often, he decided he didn't want to play with them anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted May 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 Noooo wayyyyy..I wont do venomous snakes.. a piranha escapes - it dies on the floor. a venomous snake escapes.. you live in fear and pray you wake up the next day haha. Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted May 20, 2015 Report Share Posted May 20, 2015 Agreed. I used to own dozens of non-ven snakes. I'd have the occasional escapes around the house as well. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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