Baby Piranha Rescue? Bad Idea?

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

snowflake311

Fish nerd
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
4,074
Reaction score
8
Location
US
I know it is a bad Idea. But I found a baby 2" piranha at the pet store it came in with a shipment of Silver dollars. It's $8 because it is priced as a sliver dollar but clearly is not. I have a 100Gal Tank with four 7" Silver dollars, A 9" Uaru, 6" Delhezi, 6" Pictus cat, and 6" buffalo head. I have been wanting to change this tank around. I have had these fish for many years.
 
[SIZE=12.727272033691406px]A part of me whats to rescue this [/SIZE]piranha because someone is going to buy it thinking they have a silver dollar than it will grow up and then what? This is a small chain store. At least I know what I am getting.
 
So what to do? what to do? I have a feeling the best thing to do would be say no and move on. But this other part of me wants a piranha tank. It's only one they don't have others. I feel the fish is doomed if I don't get it.
 
I know these fish get big and I know they can eat and will kill any sick old fish in the tank. I know they are shy. I know they are messy and they school. I know they are scavengers or opportunistic feeders. I know a lot about them. 
 
I wanted to turn this 100gal into a Piranha tank and rehome all my other fish. I was playing with this idea for a few months. Then this baby shows up at the store. It gets me thinking again. 
 
On second thought I really like my silver dollars. So I think it would be best to forget about the baby Piranha. Unless someone thinks it could work. 
 
i have no idea.. but i think id be upset to realize i had a piranha LOL... we were actually joking about something similar recently... sad it really happens... 
maybe grab a small tank setup at walmart and have a pirhana? though they probably need a bit of space... thats alot of monies for a rescue.. lol. 
 
Please don't keep Piranhas on their own. Most of them are shoaling species so need to be in a group.
 
Do you know of any local fish display places that maybe able to take the piranhas? I am thinking along these lines simply because it could be very dangerous for an unsuspecting person to end up with what can be a very dangerous fish. Or worse a person could get them and once bored with them, end up dumping them in a local waterway.
I take it the shop is aware that they have some ring-in fish with their shipment? If not I would make them aware of it and they maybe able to sort out long term housing for the piranahs, rather than just selling them on to potentially uninformed buyers.
 
Can you just not tell the owner of the lfs he has a piranha and seel it as such.
 
Keeping it with you other fish will not end well
 
I have a few empty tanks. I have a 36 gal 10 gal and 20 gal. I could set it up as a temporary home. I could find him a home with the help of monster fish keepers.

I don't know why I feel the need to help this fish. I don't think we have a problem with some one letting him go it gets too cold here a piranha in Lake Tahoe . Don't think it would work out well but we do have goldfish in the Tahoe keys.

I am going to go and tell them what they have because it would not be cool to buy one and no know it.
 
Not sure I would say red belly . It is 2.5" has a red belly with a bit of black on the tail and some red around the gills.
 
Most Piranhas look like that at that size. You would probably need to put a picture on a good Piranha forum to get an accurate ID.
 
Well the fish was still there. The little fish came out when he saw me. SO I took him home. I set up a 10gal Temporary home for home. I had been playing this the idea of keeping Piranhas for a while now. I did lots of research before I got this guy. I figure he will grow out a bit in the 10gal. It will give me time to make arrangements for a more permeant home. 
 
The store had no idea what he was but they knew they sometimes get random fish in the orders. I told the girl I was pretty sure it is a baby piranha and she looked at it and said "No I think it is a cichlids for sure." I was thinking OMG these people know nothing. I told her no piranhas are related to Silver dollars and it is unheard of for them to come in with a shipment. 
 
SO anyways he is safe. From what I read these are illegal to keep in most states. I can have them in CA if I have a permit. I don't think I will be finding another one any time soon. 
 
Anyways he is very shy I made him a cave to hide in. 
 
What do you think he is maybe I am wrong maybe he is a silver dollar HAHA. 

 
 
i haven't had any silver dollars... but i see teeth.. LOL. 
 
maybe this kind? no idea what kind this is. maybe piraya or something
teeth2.jpg
 
I have silver dollars and the shape of his body is different from any silver dollar I have ever seen. That photo you found looks just like my little guy. But mine still has his baby spots that I love. 
 
He has adjusted to his new home very well. He comes out and looks around. He is not that afraid of me coming over to look at him. OH CRAP I have fallen in  love with this little monster baby. I am planing on rehoming the fish in my 100Gal so I can keep this piranha . 
 
You're gonna need a bigger boat. That's a baby Red Pacu.
You'll need a bigger boat very soon. Those beasts can grow an inch a week.




squidsagirl420 said:
i haven't had any silver dollars... but i see teeth.. LOL. 
 
maybe this kind? no idea what kind this is. maybe piraya or something
teeth2.jpg
That's a Red Hook, Myloplus rubripinnis, one of the dollars.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Back
Top