New red bellied piranhas(Pygocentrus nattereri)
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Other fish is what they eat. Start with small feeder guppies and work up to goldfish as they grow. They will grow fast. Expect them to be 4 inches in about six months. Don't be surprised when they eat each other as they grow. You will eventually wind up with only one. He can then be a nice specimen fish by himself. I have had piranhas twice. Both times I started with three and wound up with one. The first one to go will be gone completely. You will look all over thinking he jumped out. Nope. He's supper for the others. Next, as they grow, you will find a severed head. Their head is really bony and tough. They can't chew them. Piranhas are like monsters. Pretty monsters but monsters nonetheless. Good luck.
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That's a myth
. Goldfish really are not very nutritious.
This advice is from Seriously Fish and should answer your question.
Pygocentrus spp. are not exclusive carnivores and are more accurately described as opportunistic generalists.
The natural diet consists of live fishes plus aquatic invertebrates, insects, nuts, seeds, and fruits. Each jaw contains a single row of sharp, pointed, triangular teeth, which are used like blades to puncture, tear, chop, and crush.
They sometimes attack sick or dying fishes, scavenge carcasses, or bite chunks from the fins of larger species, but assaults on live animals entering the water are very rare and mostly relate to accidental biting or cases in which numbers of fish have become trapped in small pools during dry periods.
In the aquarium juveniles can be offered chironomid larvae (bloodworm), small earthworms, chopped prawn, and suchlike, while adults will accept strips of fish flesh, whole prawns, mussels, live river shrimp, larger earthworms, etc.
This species should not be fed mammalian or avian meat since some of the lipids contained in these cannot be properly metabolised by the fish and may cause excess fat deposits and even organ degeneration. Similarly, there is no benefit in the use of ‘feeder’ fish such as livebearers or small goldfish, which carry with them the risk of parasite or disease introduction and tend not have a high nutritional value unless properly conditioned beforehand.
Byron is right. But, for the average hobbyist in the real world of general fish keeping they won't get fed these things. Piranhas are kept as a novelty because of their reputation. Feeding them the diet Byron described would take a very devoted person who really wanted to do the right thing and who realizes it's a long haul situation. I am not saying that you are uncaring about your fish. I certainly hope you are devoted to them. This hobby needs serious and devoted people to further it. Once again, good luck with your monsters.
I was at a local pet shop where they had a open tank of Piranhas (no warning either) - seemed very friendly to me and my fingers when one of the employees said "GET BACK" why they have an open tank when children come into that store - I don't know. You can pay to have them fed feeder fish. One couple with their 3 boys did just that. The oldest boy said "cool look at the heads floating", the middle child said nothing and tried not to look, and the 4 yr old was shouting "hide baby hide" when it got eaten - he burst into tears.
I watched for less than 30 seconds and thought I'd be ill.
This is fine for a personal strange collection but these have no business being for sale at a pet store - especially in an open tank. The violence I saw was just disgusting - I realize this is the way of the world but I (and the 4yr old) wanted nothing to do with watching it! I'm all for feeding them everything other than other fish if possible. I know, I'm a wimp.
I watched for less than 30 seconds and thought I'd be ill.
This is fine for a personal strange collection but these have no business being for sale at a pet store - especially in an open tank. The violence I saw was just disgusting - I realize this is the way of the world but I (and the 4yr old) wanted nothing to do with watching it! I'm all for feeding them everything other than other fish if possible. I know, I'm a wimp.
You're not a wimp Jan. I don't see any point feeding live food to fish or other animals just to watch something get torn apart. Goldfish and guppies don't naturally occur in the same rivers as piranha and goldfish have no chance due to their body shape.
Feeding live fish like goldfish and livebearers is simply going to put the piranhas at risk of catching something, and it's pretty unpleasant for the fish getting eaten alive.
You can buy frozen prawn and fish from bait shops (fishing stores) or supermarkets, and use these for the fish. Marine based fish foods are much better for the piranha and the bait is already dead so you aren't deliberately causing them pain (someone else did that before). You will still get to see the bait torn apart, but the fish will get a better diet from things like blue sardine, white bait, prawn/ shrimp and squid/ octopus. And there will be virtually no risk of diseases getting introduced into the tank.
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On a side note, how big is the tank (length x width x height), and has the filter cycled (developed the beneficial bacteria needed to keep ammonia and nitrite levels at 0)?
Meat based foods produce huge amounts of ammonia and this can kill the fish if the filter is not established. If the filter is not established, you should monitor the water quality and do a big 75-80% water change any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0, or a nitrate reading above 20ppm.
Feeding live fish like goldfish and livebearers is simply going to put the piranhas at risk of catching something, and it's pretty unpleasant for the fish getting eaten alive.
You can buy frozen prawn and fish from bait shops (fishing stores) or supermarkets, and use these for the fish. Marine based fish foods are much better for the piranha and the bait is already dead so you aren't deliberately causing them pain (someone else did that before). You will still get to see the bait torn apart, but the fish will get a better diet from things like blue sardine, white bait, prawn/ shrimp and squid/ octopus. And there will be virtually no risk of diseases getting introduced into the tank.
-------------------------
On a side note, how big is the tank (length x width x height), and has the filter cycled (developed the beneficial bacteria needed to keep ammonia and nitrite levels at 0)?
Meat based foods produce huge amounts of ammonia and this can kill the fish if the filter is not established. If the filter is not established, you should monitor the water quality and do a big 75-80% water change any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0, or a nitrate reading above 20ppm.
This is all really good advice. When I bought these beautiful creatures, My only reason for buying them was simply their beauty, my husband on the other hand is looking forward to watching them rip the meat apart live or dead, as far as feeder fish go, I've done a lot of research and they seem to be more of a liability, and I've never been a risk taker. I made sure they have proper housing (75 gallon for now), and filtration (two canisters and one HOB for good measure lol)..i check on ph and ammonia levels often,and have added some live plants, I am currently feeding them a combo of flakes, blood worms, and little bits of salmon, they are still pretty small and haven't really warmed up to meat just yet, little bits here and there.
Typical man stuff, am I right?
And I would think they would be more willing to go after the bloodworms, instead of the flakes.
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