Louie Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 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. Are you sure they aren't baby Pacu ? I have caught small Pacu there which as you know look like piranha . I think the state still allows sale of Pacu or did till recently . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 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. I read that Gambians make very good pets did you find that to be the case other than this one Gambian ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 Playing with the Redbellies; Serrasalmus Eigenmanni named Jack - "the ripper". 20141213_160944.jpg20141213_155814.jpg Very neat. Have you ever had them go after each other ? I ask because watching a documentary on tv they said that if one is ill or the school senses something wrong they will go after it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted December 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 ^ thanks. They do fin nip eachother occasionally but there is a hierarchy within the shoal and they all seem to know their place and stay in line. Ive been fortunate to not have lost any to cannibalism yet..especially since mine are much more aggro than your average redbellys. However i did lose my 13" pleco yesterday though. He had been in there for 3yrs with em but got too close to the dominant piranha lastnight and fatally paid for it. Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 ^ thanks. They do fin nip eachother occasionally but there is a hierarchy within the shoal and they all seem to know their place and stay in line. Ive been fortunate to not have lost any to cannibalism yet..especially since mine are much more aggro than your average redbellys. However i did lose my 13" pleco yesterday though. He had been in there for 3yrs with em but got too close to the dominant piranha lastnight and fatally paid for it. At one time they were popular here but the banned them years ago . In reality people were catching young pacu and the media went with the Piranha hysteria . Those who kept them didn't turn them in but you couldn't get any more . Well perhaps a few Piranhas were caught , lol . A friend had a red-eye Piranha by itself in a 125 gallon . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 ^Where is "here"? Both red bellies and pacu will cause havoc on an ecosystem they're not naturally found in so its cause for concern eitherway...people are just more afraid of physical damage to themselves from piranha. How big was your friends? I have a serrasalmus rhombeus aka black piranha aka red eye piranha in a 55gal growing out right now.. they take forrreeeeeeever to grow but if he gets big enough i may put him in a 120gal for life. Hes probably 3inches now..had him since he was the size of a dime haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 ^Where is "here"? Both red bellies and pacu will cause havoc on an ecosystem they're not naturally found in so its cause for concern eitherway...people are just more afraid of physical damage to themselves from piranha. How big was your friends? I have a serrasalmus rhombeus aka black piranha aka red eye piranha in a 55gal growing out right now.. they take forrreeeeeeever to grow but if he gets big enough i may put him in a 120gal for life. Hes probably 3inches now..had him since he was the size of a dime haha. Here is Miami . My friends seemed to be about 12 inches give or take . It was the only fish in his 125 gallon with driftwood . I'm going to go on a limb and say he had it for like 15 years . Not sure if I am adding a few years but I know he certainly had it more than 10 years . It passed away when old . I had no idea and imagine he doesn't either lol that red eye is the Black Piranha . He bought it in this state before the ban. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Yep Serrasalmus Rhombeus (Black piranha) Come in many variants depending on local/genes. You can catch one at one point, then go 10miles up river and catch another and they may look amazingly different. They generally all have the same shape but come in several sizes, colors and personality. 12" is decent size but they grow much larger than that..few people have 18"+ costing $1200+ Its a shame people cant be responsible and states have to ban them (i fully agree with the states decision) but they are fascinating fish. Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 Yep Serrasalmus Rhombeus (Black piranha) Come in many variants depending on local/genes. You can catch one at one point, then go 10miles up river and catch another and they may look amazingly different. They generally all have the same shape but come in several sizes, colors and personality. 12" is decent size but they grow much larger than that..few people have 18"+ costing $1200+ Its a shame people cant be responsible and states have to ban them (i fully agree with the states decision) but they are fascinating fish. ''few people have 18"+ costing $1200'' When they were sold here as far as I can remember they were only sold as babies . I would think an adult that size would be an older adult an not a fish with much time left . I remember that it killed a slightly bigger tiger fish when it was about 6 inches . It was than kept by itself in the bigger tank . Keep in mind there was no internet at the time and fish compatibility was word of mouth . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vpier Posted December 24, 2015 Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 Yep Serrasalmus Rhombeus (Black piranha) Come in many variants depending on local/genes. You can catch one at one point, then go 10miles up river and catch another and they may look amazingly different. They generally all have the same shape but come in several sizes, colors and personality. 12" is decent size but they grow much larger than that..few people have 18"+ costing $1200+ Its a shame people cant be responsible and states have to ban them (i fully agree with the states decision) but they are fascinating fish. I have caught black ones close to 5lbs fishing the amazon and had to smash its head in to get my needle nose pliers after it bit down on it trying to remove my lure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted December 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 Yea they grow really slow in captivity. The trick is to get a big one out of the river and have it imported. They live between 8-12yrs in aquariums so its a bit of roulette selling and buying a piranha that big because like you said- its taken many years to reach that size. In my opinion there is no fish more visually striking than a huuuge (18") black piranha. ^i always wanted to go on a fishing trip on the amazon...id want to take every catch home with me though! Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vpier Posted December 25, 2015 Report Share Posted December 25, 2015 Yea they grow really slow in captivity. The trick is to get a big one out of the river and have it imported. They live between 8-12yrs in aquariums so its a bit of roulette selling and buying a piranha that big because like you said- its taken many years to reach that size. In my opinion there is no fish more visually striking than a huuuge (18") black piranha. ^i always wanted to go on a fishing trip on the amazon...id want to take every catch home with me though! I was near the Peruvian/Colombian border and swam with them. Also did some diving in some back water lakes after the river levels dropped and saw discus and large schools of cardinal tetras... We also saw the pink dolphins and the locals are terrified of them, claim they steal the children. mayphly and Louie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted December 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2015 How much does a trip like that cost? (If you dont mind me asking) im really interested in making the trip one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vpier Posted December 25, 2015 Report Share Posted December 25, 2015 I did that 18 years ago the first time. Went to Iquitos Peru. The first company is out of business but the second one is still operating. https://www.facebook.com/amazonia.expeditions I really liked this place but wasnt really geared for fishing. They accommodated me when they found out I wanted to fish and dedicated a guide for me. Fishing was good and they tried really hard. This place is more of a eco-tour type place but the lodge is cool because its 30+ ft up in the trees. What I really liked was their knowledge of poison dart frogs and seeing them in the wild. This lodge is in the middle of nowhere amazon jungle. Its crazy jungle wild. If you google Amazonia Expeditions you will find the link. I tried posting website but doesnt work on shrimp spot. https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=amazonia+expeditions&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004 If you want to go hard core fishing it will easily cost you $3k+ per person for a week not including airfare to Manaus Brazil This outfit is good for fishing and great for collecting tropical fish at a very reasonable price. http://www.dawnontheamazon.com/tropicalfishcollecting.html Wygglz and Louie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie Posted December 25, 2015 Report Share Posted December 25, 2015 I was near the Peruvian/Colombian border and swam with them. Also did some diving in some back water lakes after the river levels dropped and saw discus and large schools schools of cardinal tetras... We also saw the pink dolphins and the locals are terrified of them, claim they steal the children. Oh that must have been fantastic . The pink dolphins must have been some sight . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie Posted December 25, 2015 Report Share Posted December 25, 2015 Hey Louie, would you do some more cool Piranha videos? Also, can you guys clarify whats up w/the black Piranhas? More specifically, do people still have them? Also, your saying it takes forever for them to grow? Finally, can folks in the US still get them in the US or are they banned here completely? I remember a way long time ago seeing theses as babies for sale & even then they were really aggressive.. The videos are from d3r . Those are his piranhas I was quoting him thus I can see how you would think they are my videos . I have never kept piranhas but I have a friend here in Miami who had a black piranha for years when they were legal . First he had it with a tiger fish in a 55 gallon when they were both small . The piranha killed the tiger fish and my friend put him in a 125 gallon by himself . I Know that they are legal in many states because a friends son in another state recently bought some online . http://www.aquascapeonline.com/prodlist.asp?idcategory=22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted December 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2015 Thanks a lot vpier... im going to look into those links. See if i can get myself over there asap! Hey shrimpworks, i have a pretty cool video of 100+ baby piranha in a feeding frenzy from when i used to breed them..ill post that in a sec. Piranha are legal in most of the northern states.. most of the southern states have them banned. Some states in between allow you to own them but you must apply for a permit. They take forever to grow in relation to the redbelly piranha...a redbelly will grow to 6"+ in 6momths. Where as ive had a baby black piranha for almost 9 months and its only 3"+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted December 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2015 Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vpier Posted December 26, 2015 Report Share Posted December 26, 2015 Oh that must have been fantastic . The pink dolphins must have been some sight . Been there a few times and yes its amazing. The pink dolphins are cool but the tribes that are farther away from real civilization are very superstitious and do not like the dolphins. They are considered somewhat evil but very respected... The thing that locals fear the most are the freshwater stingrays. They hurt and kill more people than anything else. The infection the barbs cause is deadly and hard to cure. You cant see the stingrays, people step on them all the time. They say its like getting shot and with a bullet on fire. Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie Posted December 26, 2015 Report Share Posted December 26, 2015 Been there a few times and yes its amazing. The pink dolphins are cool but the tribes that are farther away from real civilization are very superstitious and do not like the dolphins. They are considered somewhat evil but very respected... The thing that locals fear the most are the freshwater stingrays. They hurt and kill more people than anything else. The infection the barbs cause is deadly and hard to cure. You cant see the stingrays, people step on them all the time. They say its like getting shot and with a bullet on fire. I have never been there . I have only seen it on nature shows , esp River Monsters . I love the tea cup rays from there . I think the rays you are referring to are bigger ? ''are very superstitious'' Lol so is much of Miami . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie Posted December 26, 2015 Report Share Posted December 26, 2015 Did they spawn in the school or you separated the pair , do they guard the eggs ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vpier Posted December 26, 2015 Report Share Posted December 26, 2015 I have never been there . I have only seen it on nature shows , esp River Monsters . I love the tea cup rays from there . I think the rays you are referring to are bigger ? ''are very superstitious'' Lol so is much of Miami . The little ones are the dangerous ones. They range from small saucer to dinner plate size. They love shallow streams and you cant see them. The locals kill them. Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted December 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Louie- they spawned in the school...i have 2.5 pairs... I say the .5 because i have 2 that always do the spawning behavior but no eggs ever come of it..i often wonder if they're both male hahah. They do protect the eggs. One (usually the male) hovers over top and fans them and the other (usually the female) will patrol 1-2feet away stopping any other fish from coming near. Its kinda funny considering they eat their own babies when they hatch though xD so protective over the eggs but eat the fry. I haven't grown any babies out in a while but the last time they attacked my siphon n put a bunch of holes in it when i was sucking the eggs out hahah. Shrimpworks, ill try to get a video of my little black piranha eating and post it up soon. N yep piranha and car guy! I have a 1979 Camaro with a little rumpity-rump, a 1975 Nova with a lot of rumpity-rump and a 1957 chevy to cruise in haha. Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 Louie- they spawned in the school...i have 2.5 pairs... I say the .5 because i have 2 that always do the spawning behavior but no eggs ever come of it..i often wonder if they're both male hahah. They do protect the eggs. One (usually the male) hovers over top and fans them and the other (usually the female) will patrol 1-2feet away stopping any other fish from coming near. Its kinda funny considering they eat their own babies when they hatch though xD so protective over the eggs but eat the fry. I haven't grown any babies out in a while but the last time they attacked my siphon n put a bunch of holes in it when i was sucking the eggs out hahah. Shrimpworks, ill try to get a video of my little black piranha eating and post it up soon. N yep piranha and car guy! I have a 1979 Camaro with a little rumpity-rump, a 1975 Nova with a lot of rumpity-rump and a 1957 chevy to cruise in haha. That is interesting. For some reason I always thought two males in a tank would kill each other . I now see they don't . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Some fish will go after each other if there are only two in the tank, while greater numbers "distracts" them from doing so. Don't know if piranhas are the same way... Louie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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