# Discussion



## mesx7828 (Mar 3, 2004)

Which piranha is less skittish?

From what I have read on the forum, its sounds like the elong and the rhom aren't skittish at all, they attack your finger when put next to the tank. I have also read that rbp usually take time about a month to 6 months to become use to they environment before they are not skittish at all (correct me if i'm wrong).









I'm also looking for a more mean piranha? what would you all recommend? what the badest out there? I see ash has rhom from peru. read that they are mean as hell. Or how about the spilo, are they mean and aggressive.









I just want a piranha that when I come to my tank, he's on kill like i read on the forum.


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## NTcaribe (Apr 8, 2004)

it all depends on the peronality of the piranha,some less skittish than the other
if your looking for a mean fish,get some dent's or an elong or rhom..but it all depends,i think if they are wildly caught they are aggressive


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## ineedchanna (May 27, 2003)

It all depends on the Piranha you get. Some might be skittish some might not. As for pygos, they will always be skittish. Serras tend to be skittish at first but depending on the serra you have you never know when the skittishness will fade.


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## mesx7828 (Mar 3, 2004)

so what would every recommend?


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## NTcaribe (Apr 8, 2004)

im not expert at this but get a piranha from the serra genus
or a pygopristis denticulata


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## mesx7828 (Mar 3, 2004)

pygopristis denticulata - are those the one's that look kind of like pacu. Are they like rbp's?


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## traumatic (Jan 29, 2003)

S. spilopleura (gold spilo, maculatus) are a great fish. I like to recommend them as a beginner Serra. Buy them small and they grow pretty fast. Hook him up with a decent size tank to start (20-30) gal and he'll be happy for a while. A rhom can be very skittish when smaller than 6" and even when larger. S. rhombeus usually will need a while to get used to it's tank and used to you. It still depends on the fish itself but rhoms can take some patience.
Never owned a denticulatus, and havent a clue as to their aggression. I'm pretty sure they are a solitary fish, but have been kept in shoals of redbellies.


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## mesx7828 (Mar 3, 2004)

interesting. I didn't think rhom was skittish at all. So, rhom are just as skittish as rbp too. I guess all p's are equally skittish and just need time to open up. Some people get lucky and get p's that's non-skittish. As soon as it hits the water its going after you and anything you put in the tank, like the elong for example.


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## mechanic_joe (Dec 4, 2003)

Piranhas are sooooo damn individual that I think its really, really hard to finger one or two types that are very aggressive. Pygos are NOT always skittish (once mature), for example, my ten inch red belly will eat out of your hand, and if you shake your finger he will follow it at the glass and try to chomp it !!! (very scary with his size of mouth) But he just sits in the corner if I actually put my hand in the tank, and if I touch him he casually swims away and does not do the typical pygo 'freak out'.

I have two rhoms, and they both started out very very skittish. After spending time to make their environment very comfortable, and build up their confidence, they are both not skittish anymore, but still do not 'chase my finger' at the glass. (one rhom is four inches, the other about eight).

I recently purchased an elong from Pedro, and he is a very very aggressive fish. If I walk past the tank it will literally smash itself into the glass trying to get at me. I wiggled my finger in the tank and almost lost the end of it !!! When I clean the tank with the gravel vac the damn fish hides behind the powerhead and occasionally darts out and smacks into it. Out of all of my fish he is defineatly the craziest little bastard.

This all being said, I believe in the right environment you can rid almost any piranha of its skittishness and build up its confidence. In my experience, the meanest fish 'out of the box' was the elong, but my big red belly would give him a run for his money.

Good luck


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## mesx7828 (Mar 3, 2004)

I got to order one from ash, that rocks


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## airtorey15 (Jun 15, 2003)

pygo's are really skitish especially if they are kept solitary, most serras are not as skitish once they get used to there tank, my spilo doesn't flinch when i jump at the tank, in fact, he challenges me back, he starts biting at the glass and he doesn't stop for ever, i have to resort to giving him a bit of food to calm him down.







i don't do it as much anymore cuz I don't wanna waste my food.


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## mesx7828 (Mar 3, 2004)

lol, that cool. I wish my rbps were like that. The serras species are crazy.







I love reading discussion about people serras doing crazy stuff. If I had a piranha like that I would dedicate a big tank just for him to live in like if he was king of all fishes. well some day soon i'll have a serras some day


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## Deeks (Apr 23, 2003)

Sarra's are usually the more aggressive of the two main classifications. I think it's safe to say you best bet for a mean P would be to get a big-ass Rhom. I've never heard of a passive rhom that was 10+ inches. Usually the bigger they get, the meaner they are, usually.


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## mesx7828 (Mar 3, 2004)

yeah, that's what I learning from this forum, that the bigger the piranha the better. I seems as though when you get them small, you have to wait until they grow to an adult before they are not skittish at all. I guess I have a long time to wait for my babys rbp.


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## chiefkyle (May 3, 2004)

My 6-







RBPs are skittish as hell.


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## skater_4_lyfe (Jul 24, 2003)

Id say go for a rhom they look good and if your lucky you might get a very agrissive one as well


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## supragtsxr (Feb 18, 2004)

"I recently purchased an elong from Pedro, and he is a very very aggressive fish. If I walk past the tank it will literally smash itself into the glass trying to get at me. I wiggled my finger in the tank and almost lost the end of it !!! When I clean the tank with the gravel vac the damn fish hides behind the powerhead and occasionally darts out and smacks into it. Out of all of my fish he is defineatly the craziest little bastard."

That settles it....I'm getting an elong as soon as the store gets one in!!!!!


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

ELONG









My elong acts the same way, he does everything in his power to try and bite me. It dosen't matter if my hand is inside or outside the tank.


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