# Teeth



## bcp0715 (Aug 26, 2011)

hey i have 3 RBPs, one has a full mouth of teeth about 3mm big, the other two have very tiny teeth. most times not visible. i've had all 3 in the tank for about 5-6 months now and was wondering if all should grow teeth at the same time or not. thanks!


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## Guest (Jan 29, 2012)

Are they all the same size? I guess its like everything else, each individual grows and matures at their own rate. Usually the teeth are hidden by the lips so unless you are pulling your fish out of the tank and pulling back their lips, there is no way to determine what size their teeth actually are.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

ksls said:


> Are they all the same size? I guess its like everything else, each individual grows and matures at their own rate. Usually the teeth are hidden by the lips so unless you are pulling your fish out of the tank and pulling back their lips, there is no way to determine what size their teeth actually are.


Exactly right.


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## bcp0715 (Aug 26, 2011)

yes they are around the same size, and no i am not pulling back the lip just going by what i can see above the lip.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

bcp0715 said:


> yes they are around the same size, and no i am not pulling back the lip just going by what i can see above the lip.


Here is a sample of one that is smaller than your P. nattereri. Teeth are fully formed. I also have some microscope images of juveniles that are less than a half inch. Teeth are present.


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## bcp0715 (Aug 26, 2011)

the piranha in your pic above has bigger teeth then mine on the top but not the bottom. i'll take a pic today of all 3 hopefully i get good shots. tanks light go on at 1245!(hour n 15mins)


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## bcp0715 (Aug 26, 2011)

the one with teeth i would say 1 yr and a month old








11 months old








11 and 10 months old








a blury close up


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## Guest (Jan 29, 2012)

Some piranhas have thicker or larger lips than others so it will appear that you can not see their teeth but I assure you they are present


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## bcp0715 (Aug 26, 2011)

thanks!


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

ksls said:


> Some piranhas have thicker or larger lips than others so it will appear that you can not see their teeth but I assure you they are present


What she said.


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## black vin (Dec 28, 2011)

Here some teeth from a 9"pygo. natt[not fully grown ofcourse]
biggest teeth is 5mm
picture is taken with a 8.1 MP,not very detailed
but to give you a impression


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

black vin said:


> Here some teeth from a 9"pygo. natt[not fully grown ofcourse]
> biggest teeth is 5mm
> picture is taken with a 8.1 MP,not very detailed
> but to give you a impression


Bit fuzzy, but nice. Big problem using digital camera is the focus. I'll put some ones up that are extremely tiny.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

Just took this shot to show you comparison between a 5 inch piranha and 1.5 inch juvenile.


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## black vin (Dec 28, 2011)

Nice Picture,question:What is the tl of full grown teeth of the pygo species ?4/5mm or larger.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

black vin said:


> Nice Picture,question:What is the tl of full grown teeth of the pygo spicies ?4/5mm or larger.


4 or 5 mm; best guess somewhere between 5-10 inches for Pygocentrus. Wild caught are generally a bit larger.


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## black vin (Dec 28, 2011)

hastatus said:


> Nice Picture,question:What is the tl of full grown teeth of the pygo spicies ?4/5mm or larger.


4 or 5 mm; best guess somewhere between 5-10 inches for Pygocentrus. Wild caught are generally a bit larger.
[/quote]
Thanks for the info!


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## bcp0715 (Aug 26, 2011)

is there anything you can do to make their lips smaller and teeth come out more?


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

bcp0715 said:


> is there anything you can do to make their lips smaller and teeth come out more?


Ethically, no.


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## bcp0715 (Aug 26, 2011)

and un-ethical would be to cut them. which i dont plan on doing


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

bcp0715 said:


> and un-ethical would be to cut them. which i dont plan on doing


Good.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

300x magnification, measured to the micron on larvae tooth.


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## bcp0715 (Aug 26, 2011)

is there a reason why their teeth fall out and grow back? is it stress or any thing bad?


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## memento (Jun 3, 2009)

bcp0715 said:


> is there a reason why their teeth fall out and grow back? is it stress or any thing bad?


No.
The teeth are perfectly interlocking each other. The upper row fits exactly in the lower low, what makes it such a perfect predator.
If one teeth wears off, this interlocking of the complete dentition stops functioning. So the teeth needs to be replaced.

For that same reason not only that one tooth gets replaced, but an entire set which is a full side of one of the jaws.


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## bcp0715 (Aug 26, 2011)

wears off from eating? i feed them shrimp with the shell, and thats about all unless i give them tilapia fillets


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## memento (Jun 3, 2009)

The wearing off is partially from eating.
A bite through bone of course, speeds up the process compared to a bite through soft flesh.

But it's just like a pair of scissors - cut 1000x in the air, and it gets blunt as well.


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## bcp0715 (Aug 26, 2011)

k and should their top and bottom teeth interlock fully? or does it take years? they're almost 2 years


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## memento (Jun 3, 2009)

Yes, evolution made it a perfect interlock.
They've always got a new set ready in the gum, so can change a set whenever they need to.


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