Pet Fish Care

Red-bellied piranha
pygocentrus nattereri

For more information on Characins click here.

Cost:
Before I tell you how much the Red-bellied piranha cost let me just lay down a few facts. The price will vary on these factors; specimen size, maturity and supplier. Now that you understand the variable the common price for the Red-bellied piranha is $7-15.

Short Bio:
The popular opinion about the Red-bellied piranha is the they are bloodthirsty beasts, well this is not the normal case. The Red-bellied piranha is actually a very timid fish when kept in small numbers in the home aquarium, with the younger specimens are actually spooked rather easily. The bloodthirsty beast side of the Red-bellied piranha is only applied to the large school found in the wild and that side is still greatly exaggerated. Even though I just tried to make you think twice about the ruthless nature that is so commonly associated with Red-bellied piranha think carefully before purchasing any.

Origin:
South Brazil, Amazon River Basin.

Sexual Distinctions:
The male Red-bellied piranha will be slightly more slender and while in breeding condition will darken greatly.

Tank conditions:
Your tank should measure at least 60 x 24 x 24 inches (150 x 60 x 60 cm).
The temperature should be between 72-82 degrees Fahrenheit (22-28 Celsius).
Red-bellied piranhas are able to thrive in many different types of water conditions, just avoid very hard and alkaline water. The tank should be decorated with hidings spot amongst large pieces of bogwood. If you have a desire to use plants in that tank be sure to use more robust species the Red-bellied piranha may eat more delicate species.

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The Red-bellied piranha should be housed in groups of at least four, try to keep an eye out for weaker ones in the group since you may need to remove the weaker one if fighting or bullying occur or it may end up as lunch.
The Red-bellied piranha prefers to occupy the middle of the tank and is best kept in a species tank.

Food:
There diet for the Red-bellied piranha should be split up into two parts.
First you have the frozen meaty foods, which includes but is not limited to, cockles, mussels, and fish. You can also feed the Red-bellied piranha larger live foods such as shrimp or fish, just make sure the live fish are not diseased.
The second part of the diet should consist of dried pellet foods. Almost all typed of dried food will work, the reason they need this type of food is that it contains many vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in their other foods.

Behavior:
Here’s the section that I’m sure many have been waiting for. The Red-bellied piranha is rather scatty when younger, and actually slow-moving and quite timid when mature. But none the less may still take bites out of tanks mates. With adequate feeding and hardy, larger sized tankmates the Red-bellied piranha can make a great addition to your home aquarium.

Breeding:
When breeding the Red-bellied piranha you will need a very large aquarium and the spawning will usually take place after a water change. The parents will protect their young.

Here is a video of two Red-bellied piranhas horsing around.

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Silver Dollar
mytnnis argenteus

For more information on Characins click here.

Cost:
The price I am going to tell you is for younger Silver Dollars, the price for more mature/larger specimens varies considerably. So with you understanding that the younger one are cheaper then you should be able to find young Silver Dollars for sale for about $4-7.

Short Bio:
The Silver Dollar is closely related to the Piranha but unlike its cousin is almost entirely a vegetarian. When young the Silver Dollar is quite timid so make sure the tank is place in an area where the outside world activities will not spook the young Silver Dollar. The roundness shape of the Silver Dollar give the it a strong presence in the fish tank. The Silver Dollar is a great addition to any tank that has other large, peaceful fish. The Silver Dollar can also be tankmates with some larger species of cichlids.

Origin:
South America in rivers where vegetation is found both above and below the water.

Sexual Distinctions:
To sex the Silver Dollar look at the anal fins. The male Silver Dollar will have a slightly larger, more colorful anal fin then the female.

Tank Conditions:
The minimum tank size dimensions for housing the Silver Dollar are as follows:
48 x 18 x 18 inches (120 x 45 x 45 cm).
The temperature should be in the range of 75-82 degrees Fahrenheit (24-28 Celsius). The Silver Dollar will adapt well to most water conditions.

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In the wild though the Silver Dollar is found in water that is acidic to neutral. There are no special needs that the Silver Dollar has as far as decorations in the tank goes, but it does like to have a few large hiding places under some rocks or bogwood. Like its cousin the Silver Dollar should be kept in groups of at least four or more. The Silver Dollar tends to occupy the middle and lower parts of the tank.

Food:
In the wild it feeds almost solely on vegetation and seeds, which its diet should reflect in the aquarium as well. Feed the Silver Dollars pellet foods, and for younger/smaller Silver Dollars who can not fit pellets into its mouth feed herbivorous flakes, algae wafers, lettuce, cucumber, and plant matter. Even though I named these foods off for smaller Silver Dollars you should feed all of this the the adults as well.

Behavior:
The Silver Dollar is very peaceful and active, but will eat almost all plant aquarium plants.

Breeding:
The Silver Dollar will breed in the aquarium but it needs a vary large aquarium and will also need soft water. When the male Silver Dollar is in spawning condition his colors will intensify greatly and various patterns will appear.

Here is a video of a school of Silver Dollars. There is one fish that isn’t a Silver Dollar that is focused on at one point and it’s the Tin Foil Barb. The Tin Foil Barb appears at 22 seconds, it also has much larger scales.

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