4 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Should be kept alone; attacks any tankmate and its own kind.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
Should be kept alone; attacks any tankmate and its own kind.
Check your local laws. This animal is banned or needs a permit in some places, for example several US states. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Fish fillet, prawns and meaty foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
No external differences are recorded, though spawning females are plumper.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Nest guarder (egg layer) ·
Not known to have been bred in the hobby. A 1970s spawning at Duisburg Zoo, Germany, in a 1200-gallon planted tank laid eggs on moss, which the parents guarded.
Raise a group together and let a pair form; bonded pairs spawn in a big tank.
Very large tank (600 L+) with a sand or gravel nest area, plants and wood, warm soft water.
Stable warm water, rainy-season style water changes and heavy feeding.
n/a
Fry are guarded by the male; feed newly hatched brine shrimp then chopped shrimp and fish; separate by size to prevent cannibalism.
A large, variable piranha from northern South America; mature fish have deep red eyes and large adults turn dark. It is solitary in aquaria. Piranhas are restricted or prohibited in several US states, including California and Texas.
Carl Linnaeus described this piranha in 1766, under the genus Salmo. It is one of the largest piranhas and is usually kept alone because it is intolerant of tankmates. Wild-caught fish come from many river systems and can differ in colour and shape.
First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766.
16 facts checked with sources
Valid name, but probably a species complex (Seriously Fish; USGS). S. niger is its best-known synonym. Juveniles lack the red eye until about 12.5 cm and are often sold as S. marginatus, S. sanchezi or S. compressus; dealers also attach false locality names. Common names 'white piranha' and 'black piranha' have both been used for it.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Serrasalmus rhombeus · FishBase: Serrasalmus rhombeus summaryLegacy has no family.
FishBase: Serrasalmus rhombeus summaryAll SL. Seriously Fish 45 cm SL is the larger well-sourced figure; FishBase 41.5 cm SL, USGS 40 cm SL. Legacy 40.
Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeus · FishBase: Serrasalmus rhombeus summary · USGS NAS: Serrasalmus rhombeus fact sheetLegacy matches Seriously Fish within rounding (22-28).
Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeus · FishBase: Serrasalmus rhombeus summaryWithin Seriously Fish 4.5-7.5 (its quick-facts box says not recorded but the water-conditions text gives 4.5-7.5).
Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeus · FishBase: Serrasalmus rhombeus summaryLegacy has no hardness. Seriously Fish 1-20 kept; FishBase up to 10.
Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeus · FishBase: Serrasalmus rhombeus summary210 x 45 x 45 cm = 425,250 cm³ = 425 L, for one adult. Legacy 1000 L is more generous than the sourced minimum.
Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeusNo species-specific lifespan found. Seriously Fish says most serrasalmids live over ten years, which fits legacy 10-15, but that is a family-level statement, so left unknown.
Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeusFishBase calls wild fish timid, but in aquaria it must be kept alone.
Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeusAdults hunt in deep water near rapids in the wild.
FishBase: Serrasalmus rhombeus summaryLegacy has no range.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Serrasalmus rhombeus · Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeusMatches legacy.
Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeusMatches legacy (not bred in home aquaria).
Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeusLegal: California lists all piranhas as restricted (no import, transport or possession without a permit; CDFW); Texas prohibits all species of Catoprion, Pristobrycon, Pygocentrus, Pygopristis and Serrasalmus (TPWD). Other states and countries have their own rules; check locally. (Texas quotes via WebFetch extraction.) In South America only Pygocentrus are called 'piraña'; Serrasalmus are 'pirambeba' (Seriously Fish).
Seriously Fish: Serrasalmus rhombeus · USGS NAS: Serrasalmus rhombeus fact sheet · FishBase: Serrasalmus rhombeus summary · California Department of Fish and Wildlife: California’s Invaders: Piranha · Texas Parks and Wildlife: Prohibited aquatic species