Pygocentrus nattereri – Red Piranha
Origin
The red variety of Pygocentrus nattereri is by far the most common and easily available species of piranha. It is a strong fish, admittedly nervous and shy in character, but the ideal “entry-level” piranha. Ironically, the Red Piranha is one of three piranha species considered potentially dangerous, and if one hears the name “piranha,” this is the fish that immediately comes to mind. is very widespread in rivers and streams in central and southern South America east of the Andes Mountains and north of the Rio Parana/Paraguay in Argentina and Paraguay. In addition, this species is found in coastal rivers in eastern Brazil and has been stocked in artificial ponds in northeastern Brazil for the benefit of the local food supply and the international aquarium fish trade. The yellow (Ternetzi) variety is found further south, in the cooler waters of the Rio Parana and Rio Paraguay.
Pygocentrus nattereri – Red Piranha
Pygocentrus nattereri has a wide range of appearances, patterns and colors, depending on where it was found in the wild (geographic varieties). Some specimens have blood red bellies and mandibles (so-called “Super Redbellies”), others more orange or even yellow (the “Ternetzi variety”). These differences are caused by differences in habitat (camouflage), water chemistry, diet, presence or absence of strong currents, and other factors.
The color of the belly rises up to about halfway down the lateral line: above it, the body is darker in color: silver-colored, steel gray, bluish, black, sometimes even with a greenish or purplish glow. As the fish ages, the flanks become covered with small silver scales, which have a beautiful iridescent effect under the right light.
The pectoral, ventral and anal fins are usually roughly the same color as the belly (usually slightly darker), while the other fins are translucent gray or black. The caudal fin has a bright vertical band through the middle, and is large and powerful, allowing the Red Piranha to cover short distances very quickly.
The profile of the head is convex, with a particularly powerful and muscular lower jaw set with razor-sharp triangular teeth. The upper jaw contains similar teeth, but smaller in size: when the fish closes its mouth, teeth of upper and lower jaws fit together exactly, like a bear trap, so to speak. The teeth grow to a size of a few millimeters at most, and are replaced one row at a time: piranhas keep changing teeth throughout practically their entire lives. Only particularly old specimens may be permanently missing teeth.
In most cases, the eyes are red in color (from about 8-10 inches: younger specimens have silver eyes). However, there are also some geographical variants with silver eyes. A dark band runs diagonally through the eye for camouflage. The nostrils are clearly visible, and equipped with a small skin flap that conducts water currents into the nose: piranhas have a particularly well-developed sense of smell, and can detect blood in the water from a great distance.
Young Red Piranha are silvery in color, covered with black dots, and the head has a more concave profile. When they reach a length of about 5-8 centimeters, the characteristic red coloration of belly and fins slowly appears. When they are a few more centimeters larger, the tops of the flanks slowly begin to darken. After 16-20 months, piranhas are mature and sexually mature, looking as described above.
As piranhas age, the initially bright coloration becomes increasingly faded, with wild-caught specimens generally being brighter in color and retaining their colors longer than their bred relatives. But eventually Red Piranha become almost black on the flanks, with only pale discoloration remaining. Less colorful, but certainly no less impressive!
Maximum size: Although this species can reach 40 centimeters in length it rarely gets larger than 25 – 30 centimeters in captivity.
Different/unique appearances:
- Bright eyes
- Clear black spot on shoulders
The Aquarium
Red piranhas are notorious for their nervous and even skittish nature (in stark contrast to their highly exaggerated reputation): as long as the fish are not accustomed to human presence in general, and their “master” in particular, they tend to shoot through the tank in panic at the slightest hint of danger in search of a hiding place. Since a piranha in panic has little regard for its surroundings, it is not advisable to use decorative items with sharp edges, as this can lead to injuries, which in turn can attract the attention of hungry conspecifics or lead to secondary infections. Round pieces of driftwood, pebbles and many plants, on the other hand, are excellent for decorating a piranha aquarium, and their presence will have a calming effect on the fish.
A powerful filter system is an absolute requirement, as these predatory fish produce large amounts of waste products and are rather careless eaters. A filter with a capacity of at least 1.5x the aquarium is highly recommended.
A flow pump can be placed to add some extra movement to the water, but keep in mind that these animals do not naturally live in fast-flowing water.
Diet
Captive bred Red Piranhas are extremely easy when it comes to feeding: practically any food, prepared as well as live, is accepted without problems. Think of items such as fish (fillets, frozen and live), crustaceans and crustaceans (shrimp, krill, crab and lobster, mussels), insects (earthworms, mealworms, flies) and for the “lovers” of horror in the aquarium even small mammals (mice, rats, hamsters – definitely not recommended because of the risk of injury, the introduction of germs and the mess you are left with – hair in the filters!).
In addition, beef, pork, poultry or organ meats (beef heart) can be fed on a small scale, i.e. no more often than once a month as a treat: make sure it is 100% fat-free and free of herbs, spices and other unnatural additives, as piranhas have difficulty digesting these substances (due to the inherently higher fat content, these items should therefore be fed very sparingly!).
In addition to this meaty diet, prepared food items such as dry food with animal and/or vegetable components (pellets, tablets, flakes), freeze-dried and frozen food (mosquito larvae, blood worms) and in some cases even vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts can also be used.
Whatever one chooses as the main diet, it is important to offer as varied a diet as possible. An excellent way to set up a nutritious and varied diet is to make your own feed cubes: make a coarse mixture of the ingredients you want to use and any vitamin preparations/nutritional supplements, mix it with gelatin, and pour the mixture into an ice cube mold. Then freeze this.
Red piranhas, like the other Pygocentrus piranhas, capture their prey by active hunting: piranhas attack schools of fish in groups, taking bites out of anything they can get their teeth into. Injured prey animals are then hunted down and devoured by the group. This chasing can take quite some time, as although piranhas are quite fast swimming fish, they can only maintain high speeds for a short time.
Solitary fish rely more on the ambush technique: from a hiding place, they pounce on unsuspecting prey fish, in most cases running off with a mouth full of scales and fins rather than killing the fish.
Character
Pygocentrus nattereri is by far the most common and easily available species of piranha. It is a strong fish, admittedly nervous and shy in character, but the ideal “entry-level” piranha. Ironically, the Red Piranha is one of three piranha species considered potentially dangerous, and if one hears the name “piranha,” this is the fish that immediately comes to mind.
Breeding
The Red Piranha is regularly bred in captivity. Click here for a very comprehensive breeding report.
Piranha’s houden voor beginners
Speciaal voor degenen die willen beginnen met Piranha’s hebben we het artikel Piranha’s houden voor beginners. Lees dit zeker door voordat je overweegt om deze fraaie dieren aan te schaffen!
Video
Author
Aldert
Copyright images
J. de Lange
