Piranha's And Mollie's Interesting Article.
- Thread starter piranha_tim
- Start date
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n00o3al50oI hate to be argumentative, but have you actually seen with your own eyes (not by word of mouth) a P. nattereri that is 15" or more in home aquaria? I haven't. Here is a quote from fishbase: "Max. size: 33.3 cm SL". Since it is SL, we can tack another couple inches onto that, bringing the TL to around 38 cm or about 15". This is maximum recorded size in the wild, not captivity. And you can't expect all fish to reach that size either (genetics, disease, and food supply all come into play). As with many larger predatory fish, red bellies seldom reach their maximum size in the wild in captivity. Red bellys over 12" are pretty rare. I have yet to see one hit 15". Theoretically, yes, you MAY get a 15" red belly in a very large tank if you take very good care of it (pristine water quality, abundant food, little stress). But practically speaking, it probably won't happen.
Ive seen these fish with my own eyes yes, granted I didnt have a ruler and sedated specimen to hand so i cant guarante the size, if it makes you happy ill say a size 12"+ 
Biiig fish, as the video shows, very dosile, completly ignoring all the dither fish.
Biiig fish, as the video shows, very dosile, completly ignoring all the dither fish.Haha, unfortunatly fish growing to there full potential almost never happens in private aquaria As anyone can tell who's been to large public aquariums and seen the true size of the "small" fish they keep (in my case, monster lemon tetra).
As anyone can tell who's been to large public aquariums and seen the true size of the "small" fish they keep (in my case, monster lemon tetra).
juanveldez
helping big fish eat little fish everyday
when I kept RBP I had a shoal of black skirt tetras in there as well and the P's left them alone, of course that also goes back to the well fed theory.
I believe it could happen for a while if the rbp's are large and well fed.
The 2 main reasons rbp's kill are for food and territory. A fish that is too small for them isn't worth the effort to chase very long if they are well fed and the mollies will learn where the territories of the piranha are or be eaten so the ones that learn fast can stay alive for quite a long time.
Although piranhas are extremely territorial, much moreso thatn any cichlids I've ever kept, rbp's aren't the bloodthirsty killers that most would like you to believe. Most Pygo species aren't in fact. RBP's are actually skittish and afraid of their own shadow. Serra's on the other hand are a different story. They'll kill just because they can and hate everything.
It's rare in home aquaria for a piranha to get larger than 10-12" it's certainly possible in large enough aquaria. Piranhas never stop growing throughout their lives and can live for 30 years so it's definitely possible.
The 2 main reasons rbp's kill are for food and territory. A fish that is too small for them isn't worth the effort to chase very long if they are well fed and the mollies will learn where the territories of the piranha are or be eaten so the ones that learn fast can stay alive for quite a long time.
Although piranhas are extremely territorial, much moreso thatn any cichlids I've ever kept, rbp's aren't the bloodthirsty killers that most would like you to believe. Most Pygo species aren't in fact. RBP's are actually skittish and afraid of their own shadow. Serra's on the other hand are a different story. They'll kill just because they can and hate everything.
It's rare in home aquaria for a piranha to get larger than 10-12" it's certainly possible in large enough aquaria. Piranhas never stop growing throughout their lives and can live for 30 years so it's definitely possible.
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