Physical description: A tall, laterally compressed fish. It has large eyes and a slightly arched back. The base body color is dark gray to black with spots and marks in its midsection. The pectoral fins are small and black like the rest of the fins. Size/Length: Exceeds 28" (71 cm) Similar species: Silver-scaled Piranha ( Serrasalmus gibbus), Black-tailed Piranha ( S. striolatus ) S: bottom, middle Habitat: South America; throughout the Amazon River Basin, in rivers with heavy vegetation. Aquarium: 48" (122 cm) or 55-plus gallons (170+ l) is adequate for young fish, up to 6" (15 cm) in length. Fish exceeding 12" (30 cm) require a tank measuring at least 72" (183 cm) or exceeding 135 gallons (512 L). Fish larger than 20" (51 cm) are best kept in a 96" (244 cm) tank which has a volume exceeding 200 gallons (756 L). This fish requires a tank set-up much like that recommended for P. brachypomus. Water chemistry: pH 5-7.8 (6.8), 6-20 dH (10), 73-82°F (23-28°C) Social behavior: As for P. brachypomus. Suggested companions: See P. brachypomus. FOOD: An herbivore-plants; vegetables; lettuce, peas, spinach; fruits; oatmeal; pellets; chopped meat; live; fish, worms, crustaceans, aquatic insects. SEX: Dorsal fin has sharper extension in male. Breeding techniques: Not feasible in aquaria. Breeding potential: 10. Breeding has not been accomplished, most likely because of this fish's size. Remarks: Can be caught using citrus fruit as bait. Difficulty of care: 6. This hardy fish is difficult to care for because of the enormous size that it can reach. Recent articles about fish Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees (2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health. Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees (10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine. Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater (12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina. |
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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2009 The copy for fish.mongabay.com was written in 1994-1995. Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date. For this, I apologize. Feel free to send corrections to me. |
