# Big Toothed Piranha



## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

*My fish store here close always is on the look out for Piranha's for me. He recently bought a Big Toothed Piranha, so I did some research. This fish is very hard to find good info on because there is so much controversy on the fish itself. Some label it as a Pygopristis denticulata, or a Serrasalmus denticulatus, I don't know which is correct. I also hear this fish is non aggressive and can be kept with other fish as long as they are not aggressive because it may be picked on? Will eat fruit and seeds also. This doesn't sound like piranha behavior but more like a pacu? I'm about to go to Franks website but I was wondering if anyone has owned or do own one of these. What can you really expect from the fish and what size does it reach? He is asking 80 bucks for a 6" fish. Not sure if it's the one for me if it's so calm but is a very pretty fish.*


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

http://www.opefe.com/genusPygopristis.html

Seems a little high for it


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## Guest (May 28, 2011)

A picture would be easier to ID. When I saw the title of this thread I thought perhaps you meant a payara.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Does it perhaps look a little something like this?


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## Sylar_92 (Dec 15, 2010)

X 2, what Maknwar said. How you discribed it, its most likely a denticulatus. Heres a pic of how it looks


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## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

That pic looks just like him except he is a little bigger and darker. I hear you can put these with other fish and they dont attack them. They are supposedly very sutle, but I don't know anything about them. Frank's website didn't have much about them either but it did confirm some of what I was told. I don't know if this is the fish for me

If I got back to his shop sometime soon I'll see what I can do to get a pic


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## sadboy (Jan 6, 2005)

HAHAHAHAHA








Is that a Toothenlightess Red Rhom?



Piranha_man said:


> Does it perhaps look a little something like this?


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

RedBelly11 said:


> That pic looks just like him except he is a little bigger and darker. I hear you can put these with other fish and they dont attack them. They are supposedly very sutle, but I don't know anything about them. Frank's website didn't have much about them either but it did confirm some of what I was told. I don't know if this is the fish for me
> 
> If I got back to his shop sometime soon I'll see what I can do to get a pic


Perhaps I can explain more if you can ask the question. "Big tooth" is a misnomer
Not sure who at TFH came up with it since this species teeth are small compared to piranha. They are silver dollar-like and have been mixed in with them at pet stores where they can't tell the difference. However they still are a piranha and will on occasion behave like one.


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## Sylar_92 (Dec 15, 2010)

Perhaps like this then


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

Pacu lol


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

That 2nd picture is deffinately a pacu....


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## Sylar_92 (Dec 15, 2010)

hastatus said:


> Pacu lol


LOL yeah, I couldnt find another dent pic that came close after he said bigger and darker. I don't know this pacu is the closet thing I that I could find, and the teeth on this one are pretty huge.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

Johnny_Zanni said:


> That 2nd picture is deffinately a pacu....


Yah think


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## Sylar_92 (Dec 15, 2010)

Alright I think I got it right this time lol.


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)




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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

Sylar_92 said:


> Alright I think I got it right this time lol.


Oh my another pacu







. Nice P denticulata.


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

Frank do you still need S.Serrulatus pics for the website...


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

Johnny_Zanni said:


>


That one looks more like P striolatus. I'd have to see the teeth to be sure since some denticulats in peru look similar in appearance.


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

Lol I got it from the same place Sylar got his last picture.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

Johnny_Zanni said:


> Frank do you still need S.Serrulatus pics for the website...


If you have some clean shots, yes. Pm them to me and include your real name for credit.


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## Piranha-Freak101 (Dec 8, 2010)

Sylar_92 said:


> Perhaps like this then


FAIL!!


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## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

I'll try to get a picture. I don't think this fish is what I'm looking for anyway. I need to hold off on some Terns to come avaliable. That's what I really want an I feel after I get those I will be content for a little while. Then maybe a Rhom in the distant future.


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

BIG teeth


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## frantzml1982 (Jan 12, 2005)

now those are big teeth


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Piranha_man said:


> Does it perhaps look a little something like this?












But seriously vauge names like "big toothed piranha" have no real validity or assosiation with any piranha species and was probably just a name that specific lfs chose to use for a species that they were unsure of.

If you want to know the species post a pic. It should't be hard for you after abit of browsing to at least figure out the species' genus and see if it is a Pygcentrus, Serrasalmus or mayby even a Pygopristis...


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## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

*Well he tell's me the real name of the fish is Serrasalmus denticulatus. It doesn't matter though I'm not going to get the fish. I want tern's or a manny and my women is putting a stop to my fish buying*


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

RedBelly11 said:


> *Well he tell's me the real name of the fish is Serrasalmus denticulatus. It doesn't matter though I'm not going to get the fish. I want tern's or a manny and my women is putting a stop to my fish buying*


Unfortunately for that guy he's got the wrong scientific name. Probably getting it from some outdated piranha book. The fish is not even a Serrasalmus.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

hastatus said:


> *Well he tell's me the real name of the fish is Serrasalmus denticulatus. It doesn't matter though I'm not going to get the fish. I want tern's or a manny and my women is putting a stop to my fish buying*


Unfortunately for that guy he's got the wrong scientific name. Probably getting it from some outdated piranha book. The fish is not even a Serrasalmus.
[/quote]

I hear on that one...
When I first got started in the hobby I read some books on the subject and began my search for some _Serrasalmus notatus._









I ended up settling for some _P. cariba._


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

Piranha_man said:


> *Well he tell's me the real name of the fish is Serrasalmus denticulatus. It doesn't matter though I'm not going to get the fish. I want tern's or a manny and my women is putting a stop to my fish buying*


Unfortunately for that guy he's got the wrong scientific name. Probably getting it from some outdated piranha book. The fish is not even a Serrasalmus.
[/quote]

I hear on that one...
When I first got started in the hobby I read some books on the subject and began my search for some _Serrasalmus notatus._









I ended up settling for some _P. cariba._








[/quote]

Historical lumping when Norman (1929) shoved them all in genus Serrasalmus. Back then they thought there was only 16 or 17 species. Not the over 60 species today.


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## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

Well I could nicely tell him he has it wrongly named, but he is all knowing when it comes to anything fish.  I'm not worthy to let him know its mis-labeled. Thanks for the info though. The more I know the better I feel about raising the ones I have.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

RedBelly11 said:


> Well I could nicely tell him he has it wrongly named, but he is all knowing when it comes to anything fish. I'm not worthy to let him know its mis-labeled. Thanks for the info though. The more I know the better I feel about raising the ones I have.


I know exactly what you mean. I come across a few of those in fury too. Good look. Post a pic up when you decide what you want to do.


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## memento (Jun 3, 2009)

hastatus said:


> I know exactly what you mean. I come across a few of those in fury too. Good look. Post a pic up when you decide what you want to do.












@Redbelly - you can always just tell him it's known as Pygopristis denticulata these days. You never know if he checks it


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## MFNRyan (Mar 27, 2011)

I'm actually going that way now to see if he can find me some Tern's again and also get some more bio-cubes


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