Piranha is a fish with razor-sharp teeth. Piranha fish: description and photo Piranha where does it live on which mainland

Piranhas are dangerous and very voracious fish. Their existence is fanned by a lot of all sorts of frightening myths and legends, they even act as heroes of horror films. It is believed that even crocodiles bypass these bloodthirsty monsters. Piranha belongs to the genus Characinidae.

This is rather strange, since “peaceful” tetras, neons, minors also belong to it. They are similar to our cyprinids. However, piranhas have more than 50 species and most of them are not at all aggressive and feed on algae. The size of the fish depends on their diet. So, herbivores grow up to a meter in length and weigh decently, carnivores usually do not exceed 30 cm.

They live in fresh waters South America, as a rule, this is the mouth of such rivers as the Amazon, Orinoco, La Plata. Can be seen in other bodies of water near Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia. Small colonies can be observed in the territory Mexico, USA, Europe.

Young fish are very aggressive, they go in search of prey in flocks. Adult individuals prefer loneliness, hunt while standing at their “post”, waiting for a gaping fish. The rest of the time they hide in a shelter.

Piranhas have the nickname "submarine wolves" because it is river orderlies. Both camps are beneficial - herbivores clean the rivers of excess vegetation, trees that have fallen into the reservoir, carnivores clean up all the carrion. Where there are piranhas, the water does not contain pollution and decomposition.

Appearance of the fish

The body of a piranha is flat, rounded, laterally compressed. The dorsal and anal fins are elongated, the tail is wide, eyes are bulging and large. Coloring depends on what species it belongs to, as well as on nutrition. Olive-gray-green and dark blue colors predominate more often in the upper part, light piranha on the side with silver-gray tint.

The lower fins and abdomen are mostly reddish. The tip of the tail is edged with a black line. Young growth from adult fish can be distinguished by dark spots on the sides which disappear over time.

Home hallmark are her jaws. They are not found in nature anywhere else.

1. The length of triangular teeth reaches 5 mm. They are lamellar, slightly bent inward, incredibly sharp. Therefore, they easily cope with the victim, tearing it apart or cutting off pieces of flesh from it. In the teeth, even small sticks and bones.
2. The jaw is unique. When it is compressed, the upper and lower teeth go into the sinuses, creating a lot of pressure. Its action can be compared to a trap.
3. The grip strength is measured at 320 newtons, which has no analogues in the animal kingdom. The pressure created by the closed jaws exceeds its weight by 30 times.
4. An adult can easily deprive a person of a finger. Local residents living near piranha ponds have adapted to use their jaws with teeth like scissors, and they shave their teeth.

Now you have an idea what the appearance of a piranha is. This fish breeds by laying eggs. This period lasts from March to August. For spawning, the female lays thousands of eggs, then they are guarded by the male.

Features of piranhas

This fish, in addition to the amazing structure of the jaws, also differs ability to make sounds. For example, once on land, she barks like a dog, during lunch she can demonstrate “playing the drum”, in order to scare away her own, she uses “croaking”, and approaching another individual, the fish croaks.

Scientists have found that she gets all the variety of sounds thanks to the swim bladder, which she contracts with muscles. The sound produced depends on the speed of their compression.

At the piranha excellent hearing and sense of smell. The victim, being at a distance of more than 6 km, will no longer be saved, since she was smelled by a drop of blood.

Piranha Enemies

This small fish is not able to scare either individuals exceeding its size, nor big predators who, however, themselves became their victims. But these fish still have enemies:

In the waters of European countries and Russia, piranhas are increasingly common. This is not a joke of nature, but the fault of inexperienced aquarists who, having failed to cope with the care of the fish, decide to release it into the wild.

Europeans and Russians have nothing to fear, because fish does not live in cold waters when winter comes, they will all die. The temperature comfortable for their stay is the range from 24 to 27 degrees.

Piranha is a fish that can easily adapt to new living conditions. In the aquarium, she feels great, which is why many try to breed her. At the same time, do not forget about taste preferences, since the fish are predatory.

She needs properly feed, the diet is dominated by small fish, such as sprat, capelin. Don't forget about safety.

Is this predatory fish edible?

This fish is very voracious. There are many stories that characterize this feature. For example, there is a case with a pig that fell into the water, when the pack gnawed it to the bone in a matter of minutes. Often the victims themselves are the fishermen who want to feast on piranhas.

They get caught because edible fish meat, resembles a perch. They are often used fried. Fishing takes place with a bait, but the fisherman must be very careful, because the fish can snip off his finger.

So, we can conclude that piranha is necessary for a favorable ecological state nature is an animal whose extermination lead to imbalance when there is a great chance of outbreaks of epidemics and the occurrence of infections in water bodies.

Andrey Shalygin: About the fact that in Russia in many reservoirs piranhas have been in charge for a long time and with might and main, we have already written since 2008 on other portals and discussing climate problems. different kind scientists have been trying to convince us for years that these are all fish thrown out of aquariums by negligent owners (yeah, in hundreds of reservoirs throughout Russia, the villagers throw the thousandth piranha into local reservoirs). Then the fashion went to assure the population that these are herbivorous piranhas and they do not eat people.

Then jellyfish were already discovered in the Moscow River, not to mention that the rotan goby became the dominant species for the Moscow region. - and this process is typical for the whole planet. And the stupid nature supervision is trying to tell us tales about aquarium fish kah still.

In the spring of this year in Voronezh, underwater hunters shot piranhas, which successfully overwintered and actively fed in the melt waters.

Piranhas have been spotted in the Moscow region for more than a year. About whether they will survive in the Volga or not - conversations have been going on since 2011. Survived. And people are being attacked. Where did the villagers all over Russia find so many aquarium fish to release them all over Russia?

In general, for me personally, the "aquarium version" is already simply equal to the official's self-recognition of his lifelong idiocy. Just imagine - for five years to sit and not see messages from the localities on the Internet (I'm not talking about the complete worthlessness of monitoring local services) with photos and videos, and tell that in the Russian outback, villagers splash piranhas from aquariums into hundreds of reservoirs - can only just a complete cretin.

The Research Institute of Fisheries, where the caught piranhas were handed over for examination, reported that:

In heat-loving piranhas spawning will not occur until the water warms up to 24-28 degrees above zero. At the same time, Deputy Director for scientific work FSUE "Azov Research Institute of Fisheries" Sergey Dudkin admitted: "As far as I know, in our rivers and reservoirs, there is enough good forage base, a lot of fry, a lot of small fish, weedy fish, that is, piranha food items. So she finds opportunities for growth there. There is only one surprise: in winter when low temperatures, this tropical fish can still survive"

A deep laceration on his leg ended fishing for a local resident, during which a piranha grabbed his leg, tearing off a piece of meat.

Grigory Kurilkin has been fishing in these areas all his life. And that time he went to his usual place on the Solyony pit. As soon as the fisherman went knee-deep into the water and threw a fishing rod, he immediately felt an inexplicable sharp pain in the foot area.

I looked down and saw a spreading blood trail in the water and a large black fin, - says Grigory. - Since the flashed fish was unknown to me, I suggested that it could not be a fish, but a rat.

After the injury, the man immediately got ashore to examine the wounded leg.

The wound turned out to be very deep, almost to the bone, it bled profusely, says Gregory. - I decided to catch the offender at all costs and threw short nets at the place where she attacked me.

A couple of days later, the fisherman nevertheless caught an exotic guest and immediately turned to the leading ichthyologists of the Don region for help.

This is really a predatory fish of the piranha family, - comments the leading zoologist Rostov region Victor Minoransky. - This fish is already old, its age is clearly more than five years old: blackened scales, worn teeth and the size that the piranha has reached testify to this. Most likely, she got into the reservoir from the aquarium of an unscrupulous local resident.

***

PIRANHA(piranha) - a family of fish of the cyprinoid order. The body is laterally compressed, high, up to 60 cm long. Powerful jaws bear sharp, wedge-shaped teeth. St. 50 species, in fresh waters Yuzh. America. Mostly flocking predators, attacking fish and other animals, dangerous to humans (a flock of common piranhas can destroy a large animal in a few minutes).

piranhas- small, on average up to 30 cm in length, fish inhabit the rivers of South America. Young piranhas are silver-blue in color, with dark speckles, but darken with age and acquire a black mourning color. Despite their small stature, piranhas are one of the most voracious fish. The razor-sharp teeth of a piranha, when it closes its jaws, adjoin each other like a folded lock of fingers. With his teeth, he can easily bite a stick or a finger.

Shepherds driving herds across rivers where piranhas are found have to give one of the animals. And while the predators are cracking down on the victim, away from this place, the entire herd is safely transported to the other side. Wild animals proved to be no less intelligent than humans. To drink water or cross a river where piranhas are found, they begin to attract the attention of predators with the noise or splash of water. And when the flock of piranhas rush to the noise, the animals along the shore move to safe place, there quickly drink or cross the river.

The quarrelsome nature of piranhas makes them often quarrel and attack each other. But some amateur aquarists, in spite of everything, run the risk of keeping these fish at home.

Piranhas attack everything. creature within their reach: big fish living in the river domestic and wild animals, human. Alligator - and he is trying to get out of their way.

Piranhas - caring parents and drive everyone away from their dwelling.

Piranhas in the waters of Russia in 2011

Piranhas appeared in the Bashkir Lake
A fisherman caught a carnivorous piranha in a river in the Urals
Giant piranha caught near Rostov
The piranha was caught in the Salt Lake. Bashkiria
AT Chelyabinsk region piranhas appeared
Piranha caught on the hook of a South Ural fisherman
Piranha caught in the Azov reservoir
A huge piranha was caught in the Volga
Piranhas appeared in the Matyr reservoir (Lipetsk)

Piranha distribution regions in order of piranha discovery dates in 2011.

1. Bashkiria
2. Ural
3. Rostov
4. Chelyabinsk
5. Southern Ural
6. Azov
7. Volga
8. Lipetsk

Two years ago, the message about piranhas in the Rostov region sounded like this (News)

Not far from Rostov-on-Don, a piranha was caught in one of the lakes. This predatory fish, which lives in the rivers of South America, was most likely released from a home aquarium.

Stanislav did not let his trophy into his ear, but carefully keeps it in the refrigerator. Neighbors from all over come to see the catch. What is surprising is not the length of the fish - 46 centimeters, and not the weight - 2 kilograms 700 grams, but its grin and the shape of the body. After collecting the opinions of local experts in aquarists, authors of articles on the Internet, the public decided: the angler caught a real piranha.

The toothy fish grabbed the lure. Pike, crucian carp, and perch are found in Lake Solenoe, not far from Rostov. Stanislav Chekunov often fishes there with his sons, but, as he himself admits, that day it was scary to take the prey off the hook. "For her weight, she did not behave aggressively, because the same pike in this weight is pulled out for 10-15 minutes, no less. I spent three or four minutes on her. She behaved aggressively at the last meter before the water's edge," recalls amateur angler.

It happened that piranhas appeared in reservoirs where they should not have been - in the lower reaches of the Volga, in the Ob, even in the Thames. Most likely, the Amazonian predator was released into the lake from a home aquarium, and this, according to locals, real bullying. After all, Salt Lake is one of the favorite vacation spots of the townspeople.

The heat is slowly approaching Rostov, and very soon there will be many vacationers on local beaches. It is believed that the water in the Salt Lake is clearer and cleaner than in the Don. Signs "Danger, piranhas" or "No swimming" have not yet been placed there.

It is not yet known how many piranhas are in the lake and whether the fish had time to give birth. In the Research Institute of Fisheries, where Stanislav took his copy for examination, they reassured: heat-loving guests will not spawn until the water warms up to 24-28 degrees above zero. At the same time, Sergei Dudkin, deputy director for research at the FSUE Azov Research Institute of Fisheries, admitted: “As far as I know, there is a fairly good food base in Lake Solenoe, a lot of fry, a lot of small fish, weed fish, that is, piranha food items. Therefore, it finds opportunities for growth there. The only surprise is that in winter, when temperatures are low, this tropical fish can still survive."

Scientists suggest that Stanislav caught a predatory fish - diamond-shaped piranha. Fans of recreation on the Salt Lake still hope that we are talking about herbivorous piranha, but just in case, they acquire pools. Well, the lucky fisherman himself, in memory of amazing event plans to make a stuffed animal out of the trophy.

Five years ago (feel how much time it takes for incompetent slow-witted officials to still not lift their ass from a chair) it all sounded like in a gramophone record - but will aquarium fish overwinter

For many years, scientists throughout Russia have recorded the appearance of piranhas in Russian water bodies. In places, fishermen have not been afraid of new settlers for a long time, even catching them in quantities sufficient for consumption. A few years ago, scientists first thought that this was the result of someone's carelessness, sinning against the new Russians, who, as unnecessary, released fish from personal aquariums into the water area. But such cases began to appear more and more often everywhere, so there is no smell of history with the aquarium. Some began to talk about biological aggression, but some scientists concluded that aliens, no matter where they come from, simply will not survive in our conditions. And yet they not only survive, but it seems that their numbers are increasing everywhere. Statements were even made that, they say, these specific species are not at all dangerous to humans and have become vegetarians in our conditions. Be that as it may, there are piranhas in Russia, and there are many of them. Here is another example.

in the Belovskoye reservoir Kemerovo region- one of the popular holiday destinations in the region - fishermen caught two large piranhas. Scientists of the Faculty of Biology of Kemerovo State University intend to organize an expedition to study data on the habitation of fish in this reservoir. Piranhas will be caught with a net. This was announced on Monday by the Deputy Governor for natural resources and ecology Vladimir Kovalev.

He clarified that "scientists have not yet seen piranhas in the Belovo Sea, they learned about the capture of two such fish from local fishermen." Note that this species of fish lives in fresh waters of South America. It has powerful jaws and sharp teeth. Predatory representatives of these fish are distinguished by the fact that in huge flocks attack prey and eat it, tearing pieces of meat from the body of the victim. Thus, piranhas are able to clean a large animal to the skeleton in one minute.

The deputy governor specified that scientists learned about piranhas from a fisherman who sent several photographs of two fish to the university, claiming that he had caught them with friends in the Belovskoye Sea. At first, the scientists decided that these photos were an April Fool's joke, but still, they decided to meet with the fisherman.

He confirmed that the photographs were real, and also said that he had caught fish in warm water near the state district power station. In addition, the fisherman said that he had already cooked and eaten with his comrades two piranhas caught weighing two and four kilograms, respectively. Their meat turned out to be edible, but there were too many bones in it.

According to RIA Novosti, biologists have come to the conclusion that the fish could have survived in the Belovskoe Sea after they were released by aquarists. Theoretically, in warm waters State district power station, whose temperature in winter is plus 20 degrees, piranhas could survive even Siberian frosts. The scientists also came to the conclusion that the specimens of fish presented in the photographs belong to herbivorous piranha species that are not dangerous to humans. Piranhas could eat algae and crustaceans.

An unusual catch caught in the net to a Samara fisherman.
Olga PRIKHODKO ("KP" - Samara). — 22.08.2009
“Among the pikes and breams, I saw a strange fish,” Vladimir Safronov, a fisherman of the Volzhskoye collective farm, told KP. - Obviously not local, purple, with iridescent scales and large teeth. The partner gasped: “Yes, it’s a piranha!” I looked it up and it looks like it.

The fisherman put on a glove on his hand and put his finger to the mouth of the fish. She immediately nibbled him, biting through the glove!

Toothy prey nipped the catcher's finger.

The monster was delivered to Samara scientists. Experts have established that this is a red pack - a fish that belongs to the family South American piranhas. However, among them there are predators and harmless herbivores. So - the red pack is harmless to people. These fish feed on plankton, worms, insect larvae and plants. The only mystery is: how could a heat-loving southerner get into the Volga?

Most likely, - says ichthyologist Margarita Krivolapova, - the fish got into our river thanks to one of the aquarists. Apparently, at the beginning of summer she was released, hot days warmed the water to her usual temperature, so she survived. But it will die in the winter. Volga water is too cold for her.

And yesterday, local fishermen caught two more such fish. Either the collector released a whole flock from the aquarium, or the red pack liked it so much in the Volga water that they mutated and bred. The fishermen ate one "American". They say it's delicious. The second fish weighing eight hundred grams was sent for research.

Considering the weight of the fish, it is impossible to grow like this over the summer, the fishermen said. - If on next year the Amazons will fall into our nets, which means that the fish have taken root with us.

Piranha is a dangerous exotic fish that can decorate any aquarium. At the same time, with her appearance, she will delight and even a little awe of your friends and guests. But before getting into home aquarium this fish, you should carefully study its features.

habitats in nature

Piranhas live in the fresh waters of South America. It is found in the Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo, Parana and Uruguay basins. Known in almost all countries of the South American continent.

Did you know? If South American shepherds need to move their cattle across a river full of piranhas, the only chance to do it is to give« tribute» . One cow is given to the owners of the rivers. While the predators are tearing apart the prey, the shepherds are moving the rest of the herd.

Description

The piranha family belongs to the ray-finned fish of the order of characins. Some species reach more than 1 m in length. Juveniles are silver in color with black spots on the sides. Fins - red or yellow. Adult fish are painted in silver-green with a reddish tint (maybe purple) tones. The caudal fin is edged with black.

Thanks to special structure the jaws of the fish can tear pieces of flesh from its prey. Triangular teeth reach 0.5 cm in length and are located in such a way that with closed jaws, the upper ones fall exactly into the grooves between the lower ones. The jaws are capable of working both in the vertical plane, cutting off pieces of meat like a guillotine, and in the horizontal plane, pulling out denser and larger pieces of prey.

AT natural environment piranhas are a kind of orderlies. They eat the flesh of drowned or dead animals to the bone (after the Amazon floods, a huge number of them remain). If not for river predators, this flesh would quickly rot when high temperature and air humidity, becoming a source of infections.

Kinds

The body is elongated, reaches 30 cm in length. gray color with a silver sheen, the anal fin and tail are fringed black stripe, belly - red tint. Area - Amazon and its tributaries.

It does not exceed 15 cm in length. Such dimensions should not be misleading, this is a rather aggressive predatory fish. It has a silver color with black spots and a red anal fin. The tail is edged with black, there is a hump at the junction of the head and body.

Important! There are 4 types of true piranhas, that is, those that pose a danger to warm-blooded animals and humans: black piranha, common piranha, common pygocentrus, Palometa piranha.

Red pacu (red-bellied)- omnivorous fish native to Brazil. In the natural environment, it can grow more than 85 cm in length, in an aquarium - a little more than 40 cm. The color is gray with a tint sheen, the abdomen and fins have a reddish tint. The fin on the back is elongated, the tail is bordered by a black stripe.

Body length no more than 15 cm. Body color - gray-green with a red belly. There is a small red spot near the gills. The dorsal and anal fins have elongated anterior rays. All fins, except for the anal (it has a reddish tint) are gray.

In the territory former USSR appeared in 1970. It has a rounded body, flat on the sides. The color is silvery with a sheen, the same color of the eyes with a vertical black stripe. A high dorsal fin and crescent-shaped tail complete the picture. The back can have a color from green to blue, as well as the shade of the sides. All fins are elongated, there may be black spots or stripes on the sides. The fins appear transparent, the abdomen is whitish.

It grows up to 25 cm in length. They have a high body structure, a red spot behind the gills. The anal fin is red in females and veiled in males. The fish has a silvery color with a tint tint. The sides are cast with the whole spectrum of the rainbow - from red-yellow to blue-green. The fish is predominantly herbivorous.

A large variety of piranha (25 cm in length). The color is silvery, the back is high, the bright red anal fin stands out against the background of the body. The tail is veiled. In females, the anal fin is not rich color and smaller. It feeds on both plant and animal food.

Aquarium parameters and decorations

If you decide to have an exotic predator at home, you must comply with some requirements for arranging an aquarium. Piranhas in captivity love to be in niches and shelters, when equipping an aquarium, you should take care of this.

Did you know? The officially registered long-liver among piranhas is the red pacu, who lived for 28 years.

The volume of the aquarium should be calculated according to the following rule: for 3 cm of fish body length - 10 liters of water, but the aquarium must hold at least 150 liters. The fish is already rather big in size, and the insufficient volume of the dwelling negatively affects its character. A fish can live on its own, but feels better in the company of its own kind.

These predators are voracious, leaving behind a large number of life products. Accordingly, you should take care of a good powerful filter, you can use several.

Vegetation

Piranhas, although they are predators, but they also eat various aquatic vegetation with pleasure. So all your efforts in greening the habitat for fish can go to satisfying its gastronomic needs. Although it is also not worth leaving an aquarium without greenery. The best solution is to fill the aquarium abundantly artificial plants. Especially willingly, the fish eats greens during the spawning period.

Priming

Sometimes they prefer to keep piranhas in aquariums without soil, so it is more convenient to care for them. If you prefer traditional decor, the most ordinary sand or gravel is fine.

Water

The water in the aquarium must be well aerated and meet the following requirements:

• temperature - 24...26 °C;
• acidity - 6.0-7.0;
• hardness - 12-16 dH.

The water should be the cleanest, it is necessary to replace part of the water every week (sometimes twice a week), approximately 1/7 of the total volume.

Lighting

Lighting is not of fundamental importance, although it is believed that preference should be given white light. Lighting norm - 0.5-0.7 W / l.

Feeding

AT wild nature Piranhas eat literally everything. Therefore, in captivity, their diet is quite extensive. You can feed predators with other fish, molluscs, invertebrates, amphibians, worms and fruits. The most popular diet for aquarium species:

• fish;
• krill;
• cuttlefish;
• squid;
• worms;
• meat by-products;
• creeps;
• small rodents.

The predators are fed once a day, the duration of the procedure is up to 3 minutes. Leftover food must be removed.

Important!Mammalian meat, although acceptable, is not good food for piranhas - fish do not digest it well, and this can lead to obesity.

Meat or fish (river giving is not recommended) cut finely or twisted into minced meat. Minced meat is mixed with vegetables, and predators are fed with this puree. You can not use only beef for feeding, this can cause an endocrine system disorder (color fades).

You can feed the fish in this way: tie food (fish, meat) to the thread, and lower it into the aquarium for 2.5-3 minutes, after the specified time, remove the thread and what is left on it.

The nutritional norm for a predator is the approximate weight of its body. From time to time it is worth arranging fasting days, in order to avoid obesity.

Compatibility with other inhabitants

Under the condition of full feeding and a sufficient volume of the aquarium, piranhas get along quite normally with and.

Character and behavior

Even in a pack of brethren, skirmishes and cases of cannibalism are quite common. Watching the flock, you can find a leader in it. Often he is larger than other fish, he eats first and shows with all his behavior that he is the leader.

Representatives of the same species get along best in groups of 8-10 individuals. With some external influences, the fish may begin to panic:

• a strong knock on the wall of the aquarium;
• bright flash of light;
• strong splash of water;
• the ingress of a large foreign object into the water.

Did you know? Piranhas make similar sounds. When the fish is taken out of the water, it makes sounds similar to the barking of a dog; when the fish share food, their exclamations become like the beat of a drum. If one fish violates the personal space of another, the piranha begins to "croak".

Reproduction and sex differences

Piranhas become capable of breeding at the age of 16-18 months. It is quite difficult to distinguish a male from a female. It is best to watch the fish - before spawning, the color of males becomes brighter, and feature females - rounded abdomen.

The next step is to choose a secluded quiet place to create a spawning ground. You need to keep together those fish that have lived nearby for a sufficient time and are well compatible. The spawning ground should be spacious, have a large volume, and the water should be clean, with a hardness index of 6.0-7.5 and a temperature of 26 ... 29 ° C.

First, the pair will find a place to spawn. The fact that the place has been chosen will be evidenced by aggressive behavior fish. This is their normal reaction - in this way predators show that the territory is occupied. Then you can see a darkening of the color, and the formation of a small depression at the bottom. After spawning and fertilization, the male will fiercely defend the fertilized eggs.

Caviar is usually bright orange, after 2 days it begins to hatch. Then, after another 2 days, a fry appears, it must be carefully removed with the help of a cage.

Important! Be careful - during the birth of offspring, the male can attack everything that moves.

Fry should be immediately kept in the usual conditions for this species. They have an excellent appetite from a very young age. It is best to use brine shrimp, daphnia and bloodworms to feed the fry. The fry need to be fed twice a day. After 4 weeks, they will reach about 1 cm in length. At the age of two months, the fins of the fry acquire an orange tint.

In conditions of crowding, fry become aggressive. To exclude cases of cannibalism, triage should be carried out every week. It is necessary to leave fry approximately the same in size, sifting out smaller ones.

• up to 1 month - 300-500 pieces;
• up to 2 months - 200 pieces;
• up to 3 months - 100 pcs.

Health

Piranhas live in captivity for 10 years or more, they are unpretentious in keeping. An indicator of the health of predators is their appetite. If the fish do not fight for food, do not show playfulness and some anger when feeding, then something is wrong with the conditions of detention. Piranhas are quite sensitive to temperature, water acidity and oxygen saturation. If the inhabitants of the aquarium have a poor appetite, pay attention to these indicators.

Individual characteristics

It is worth noting that rumors about the bloodthirstiness of piranhas are greatly exaggerated. Almost half of the species are herbivores (about 40 out of 80), and only 4 species, the so-called "true piranhas", pose a threat to mammals and humans in general.

Predators are characterized by rapid tissue regeneration. Injured skin and fins quickly restore their functions. There were cases when the fish felt tolerably, left without an eye after a skirmish with an opponent.

In captivity, piranhas are less aggressive than in the wild. Sometimes they are even shy, clogged in cracks, holes and most spend time there. Activity is shown only when feeding. In general, feeding deserves special attention.

If piranhas eat normally, they get along quite peacefully with representatives of other species, but if the food is poor, or there is not enough space in the aquarium, the fish can even fight with representatives of their own species. Moreover, the fights are fierce, predators often tear out pieces of flesh from each other and inflict injuries.

Stress in fish can cause moving to another aquarium, it happened that during this procedure piranhas gnawed through the mesh of the net.

The smell of blood can cause rabies in a predator. Cases have been recorded when piranhas went berserk when water was added to the aquarium, in which they washed meat.

Important! Piranhas eat their wounded, weak or sick counterparts.

Precautionary measures

Do not place the aquarium on a low surface, especially if you have Small child or a pet. Do not work in an aquarium bare hand if it has the slightest wound. In other cases, working with your bare hand (for example, removing leftover food) is quite acceptable, just try not to drive the fish into a corner.

Piranhas are bright and conspicuous inhabitants of aquariums, it is hard not to pay attention to them. But contrary to the reputation earned thanks to Hollywood films, the life of fish in an aquarium depends, first of all, on a person. Try to remember that, despite all the aggressiveness and strength, it is, first of all, aquarium fish, requiring an appropriate relationship.

Common piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) is a predatory ray-finned fish well known to most aquarists, belonging to a fairly large family of piranhas (Serrasalmidae). Aggressive exotic fish can be kept at home, but for successful rearing, you need to consider biological features piranhas, as well as to provide her with the most comfortable conditions of stay.

Description and characteristics

Those who are engaged in aquarium fish farming, common piranha better known as red-bellied, red or Natterer piranha. The very first predatory exotics appeared among domestic amateur aquarists more than fifty years ago, and were brought to the territory of our country in the last century from the natural reservoirs of the Amazon and Orinoco.

The average length of the fish, as a rule, varies between 10-20 cm, but larger individuals are also found.. All varieties differ in color, which in most cases is olive green or black with blue. The ventral part and sides are most often dark or silvery-gray in color.

A characteristic species feature of piranha is a large mouth and protruding, flat, wedge-shaped teeth with a sharp apical part, which allows the predator to dig even into the very hard skin of its prey. On both jaws, the teeth have exactly the same structure, but the upper row is smaller, and under conditions closed mouth located in the spaces between the lower teeth. The jaws function under the influence of powerful muscular muscles. Distinctive feature the lower jaw is its shift forward and a fairly pronounced bend of the teeth back.

Natural distribution area

Piranha - schooling fish. AT natural conditions this exotic predator gathers in very large flocks that inhabit natural reservoirs located on the territory of the South American continent. natural environment habitats - Amazon, Paraguay, Parana and Essequibo, but the largest populations are noted in countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Paraguay, Brazil and in Central Argentina.

River predatory fish prefer to hunt for prey in shallow or muddy water, therefore it is somewhat less common in the sea, where this predatory exotic is deprived of the opportunity to spawn. The spawning period in the natural habitat falls on May - August. Gluttony makes piranha settle in reservoirs that abound in fish.

It is interesting! Piranha is a kind of river orderly, therefore, as a rule, only weakened or very sick aquatic inhabitants become its prey.

Features of captivity

Home breeding of piranha is extremely rarely accompanied by difficulties.. In addition to the common piranha, domestic aquarists are quite actively bred:

• piranha slender;
• dwarf piranha;
• flag piranha;
• metinnis ordinary and lunar;
• red or red-bellied pacu;
• sweeter red-finned.

Aquarium piranhas are amazing, very shy and cautious creatures, so with sudden movements in the process of transportation or catching, the fish quickly falls to the bottom. Exotic Predator regenerates quite actively, and the skin and damaged fins are able to recover well.

Important! A flock populated in an aquarium should consist of fish of the same age and size. It is recommended to populate one species in one aquarium, which will prevent conflicts and stress.

Neighbors for predatory fish must be selected correctly, giving preference to neons, minors, and swordtails, as well as armored catfish.

Arrangement of an aquarium

One flock of piranhas, consisting of five to eight fish, should be kept in an aquarium, the volume of which can vary between 170-200 liters. Young individuals can be settled in a smaller aquarium, and for adults, on the contrary, an aquarium with a water volume of 300-500 liters is desirable. When decorating, various design elements can be used, including stones of different sizes, natural driftwood, as well as living vegetation or artificial plants.

To fill the aquarium, water that has a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. The optimum pH should be 5.5-7. Comfortable temperature regime can vary between 24-26˚С. Well-oxygenated water must be kept in constant cleanliness, for which a tenth of the liquid of the total volume of the aquarium is replaced daily. It is necessary to provide high-quality aeration and water filtration.

Behavioral features suggest the use of shelters and aquarium plants in the arrangement of a significant part of the aquarium space, the total number of which should be about two-thirds of the total volume.

It is interesting! Teeth are used by aquarium piranhas, as a rule, for the purpose of self-defense, therefore, aquatic vegetation is rarely damaged by them.

Piranha diet

In natural, natural reservoirs, the diet of piranha is very diverse, and in addition to other fish, a predatory exotic is able to feed on mollusks, various invertebrates, some amphibians, as well as fruits and seeds floating on the surface.

When kept in home aquariums, it is recommended to provide good nutrition, using for this purpose small fish, shrimp, squid meat, as well as earthworms. Among other things, be sure to supplement the diet with chopped raw potatoes and zucchini, chopped white cabbage, chopped lettuce and spinach. A small open area is specially allocated for daily feeding.

To prevent the risk of obesity and disorders digestive system, you can not feed piranhas with crushed mammalian meat. Such food, when incompletely eaten, quickly rots in aquarium water, and provokes harmful environmental pollution for fish. Good result and saving time gives the use of specially designed dry food with a balanced composition, enriched with all the necessary vitamin and mineral complexes.

Feeding rules

Important! Feeding aquarium piranha is carried out once a day.

The process takes a couple of minutes, after which the remaining food must be removed from the water. Through proper feeding it is possible to correct the tolerant attitude of individuals towards each other, as a result of which a strict hierarchy is built inside the pack in the form of matriarchy. , which makes it easy to remove all the remains of food not eaten by fish and helps to reduce the risk of water pollution. Fish food that has fallen to the bottom is not eaten, so it quickly becomes a source of reproduction of pathogenic microflora.

For the first couple of months of life, daphnia, tubifex and bloodworms are used as food. Starting from three months, you can transfer fish to an adult diet, including meat. It is important to remember that a significant amount of meat in the diet increases the risk of infertility, so the volume of such protein foods should not exceed a quarter of the total diet. Adult fish are recommended to arrange a kind of fasting day four times a month, which reduces the likelihood of obesity of internal organs.

Important! Feeding pieces should not be large. In this case, it is possible to reduce feed losses.

The process of nutrition is a kind of indicator of the health of piranha. If aquarium predators do not rush to food, then it can be assumed that the conditions of detention are not correct enough.

Reproduction at home

The volume of which for a pair of fish should be approximately 300 liters of water. Reproduction stimulation can be achieved by raising the temperature to 28 ° C, with a daily replacement of 25% of the water volume, increased nutrition and active aeration. A layer of small pebbles should be covered at the bottom of the spawning ground. The standard thickness of such a layer should not be less than 50 mm.

When creating the most favorable, comfortable conditions, the female piranha lays about 2-3 thousand eggs, placing them in a nest previously dug by the male. The male piranha also takes care of the offspring that has appeared. Larvae from caviar appear after a couple of days, and already on the sixth day they are reincarnated into fry, for feeding which it is desirable to use cyclops, brine shrimp and chopped tubule.

Precautionary measures

In aquariums with well and properly fed domestic piranhas, work can be done by hand, but it is very important that there are no wounds or bleeding lesions on the skin.

In the process of ongoing activities, it is absolutely impossible to drive a flock of piranhas into a corner or too narrow a place, since such a situation often provokes aggression in fish. The most dangerous piranhas become during the spawning period, so work in an aquarium or spawning must be done with extreme caution, using special soft wire nets.

When choosing a variety, it is necessary to take into account some specific features, as well as the ability to provide high-quality care to the aquatic exotic. Mileus redfin or Mileus-moon is one of the most beautiful representatives from the category "herbivorous piranhas". This species is unpretentious in care and growing conditions, so it is great for inexperienced aquarists.

The fast-growing red pacu can also do well on plant foods, but this piranha needs only live food to spawn. The view is not very suitable for those who are just starting to master the aquarium breeding of fish. The most friendly and slightly shy aquarium piranha is considered to be Metinnis ordinary or mirror fish.

Which quite easily endure some errors in care, and in conditions of proper maintenance almost never show aggression. If you have a lot of experience, you can consider the acquisition of a slender piranha.

When buying an exotic, you need to pay attention to the conditions of detention at the point of sale. The fish must be in clean water, in compliance with the feeding regime, therefore it is recommended to purchase live goods only by self-delivery. It is most often not possible to correctly assess the health of a pet upon delivery by a courier.

Important! Healthy fish differ in behavior and appearance. Sick piranhas are passive or have impaired coordination of movements. They have almost no appetite. On the body of a healthy fish, there should be no bumps, ulcers or bumps that are not standard for the type, as well as sticky or cloudy plaque.

After the acquisition, even fish that does not have signs of illness must be placed in a quarantine aquarium. After about a week, healthy individuals are placed in an aquarium designated for permanent cultivation.

You need to buy a predatory exotic from trusted aquarists or in stores specializing in breeding aquarium fish. The cost of one individual depends on the species and age, but most often varies from one and a half to three thousand rubles. The cost of the rarest specimens sometimes reaches several thousand rubles for one young individual.

Piranhas are river hyenas, very dangerous for all mammals and humans, predatory fish. Hearing the word "piranha", a person immediately imagines the frames of the film, where a huge toothy fish is chasing a person. There is some truth in this notion.

Share - because not all piranhas are predators, and they are not so huge fish. Its average size is 35–50 cm, but there are specimens up to 80 cm.

What are piranhas

There are piranhas that only eat aquatic plants. These include the species Colossoma bidens. The rest of the representatives are predators. Lives in fresh water South Africa about fifty species, the exact number is unknown.

They choose different habitats - some species live in quiet, slow waters, someone prefers a swift and fast current.

Some of them are bred at home. A flock of quiet, small fish will decorate any aquarium. They are fed with squid, capelin and meat.

In nature, several species are predatory, the most dangerous is the species Pygocentrus nattereri.

The most dangerous piranha - Pygocentrus nattereri

Features of appearance and behavior

Piranhas vary in size, head shape, skin color shades. Basically, the coloration of adult piranhas is silver-olive in color on the back and sides. On the abdomen there is a purple tint or red. The very edge of the tail is bordered by a bright black line.

But its most distinctive feature is its teeth. With its mouth open, its triangular teeth measuring 5 mm look intimidating. Moreover, they are arranged in such a way that when the piranha compresses its jaws, the upper teeth fit tightly between the lower ones, forming a semblance of a continuous sharp razor.

The jaws are driven by very strong muscles, due to which a bite with only the front teeth is sometimes enough.

With them, she not only tears out pieces from the victim, but can also bite the bones and veins. There are cases when piranhas bit off with ease human finger or a thick stick.

Piranhas are the only "talking" fish!

Most fish in nature do not make any sounds. Piranhas are an exception to this rule. Surprisingly, they can croak when approaching each other. When fighting, the sound they make is similar to a drum roll. When they are taken out of the water, you can hear sounds resembling an angry bark.

All species of these fish have excellent hearing and sense of smell. They can smell and hear the victim at a distance of 7 km. Moreover, literally a drop of blood from the slightest wound on her body is enough for the piranha to immediately rush to feast.

Schools of fish immediately rush to the place where the prey is located. They are not afraid of either a large animal or fish, which can be 10 times larger in size. If one of the piranhas itself receives a wound, then it is likely that the relatives will attack her as well. Even a crocodile can fold in front of a flock of these ferocious predators and tries to quickly swim away, turning over for safety, belly up.

Many stories are connected with the voracity of piranhas. A case is known when a flock gnawed a pig that fell into the water to the bone. Fishermen often become their victims. Piranha meat is edible, reminiscent of perch. Especially tasty when fried. They catch it with a bait, and if the fisherman is careless when removing the fish from the hook, this is where it can cut off his finger. Not in vain from the tongue different peoples the name "piranha" is translated as "toothy devil", "evil fish", "pirate".

But most of these stories are exaggerated. Aggressive piranhas become only at a time when the reservoirs dry up. The fish have nothing to eat, and you have to eat everything that comes across. During the rainy season, when the rivers are full, people both swim and boat quietly next to the swimming piranhas.