# Manuelli ?'s



## X-D-X (Jul 3, 2003)

How long could a 2.5-3" manuelli live in a 30 gal. will upgrade in 4-6 months and how fast do they grow!! (only replys from experts or owners)


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## X-D-X (Jul 3, 2003)

come one people i might order one tonite so replie needed qwikly!!


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## X-D-X (Jul 3, 2003)

and are they better then a brandtii?


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## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

it can live there a a while
enough to get a larger tank 
and they both are amazing looking fish


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## TheFishCatcher (Jun 26, 2003)

ok ill reply







they can live for along time maybe about 1 year. i have them in 10g's, so i would buy one......


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## X-D-X (Jul 3, 2003)

cool ash might do it!!


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

I got my manueli in july this year, and he has grown about half an inch, maybe a tad more in that time span (and space is not a problem here - he lives in a 50g tank all by himself). He did gain a lot of thickness and color in the same period, but I think growth rate is very slow, even at small size.
I don't know what your 30's dimensions are, but when it's 32" or longer, it could stay in there for quite some time, imo. (until he reaches about 7-8", max.)

I think a solitary fish should never be bigger than about a quarter of the tank's size in order to have enough room - this only applies to temporary tanks. A tank for live should be at least 5-6 times the fish's max. size in length.

Oh, and one more thing: imo. there's no answer to questions like "_Is Species X better than Species Y?_"...
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and also, some only get their piranha's for carnage and frenzy, and others to observe them and learn about them.
So, different people, different preferences.


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## Blacksheep (Dec 11, 2003)

Judazzz said:


> Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and also, some only get their piranha's for carnage and frenzy, and others to observe them and learn about them.
> So, different people, different preferences.


This is sooo true! Excellent statement!

X-D-X - Thanks for this thread! The Manuelli is a piranha that I do not know that much about. So while you are asking cause you are buying, I am learning from the answers.

Don't these fish get to be some of the biggest in the piranha world (regarding tank kept fish)? Or am I getting the Manuelli confused with another speicies?

Thanks guys!

Jeffrey


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

PastorJeff said:


> Don't these fish get to be some of the biggest in the piranha world (regarding tank kept fish)? Or am I getting the Manuelli confused with another speicies?


Yup, they are supposed to be the largest serrasalmus species known, reaching up to at least 24" in the wild (according to local fishermen in S. America).

Here's a thread with some big ones: click me








And tons more pics of smaller ones from PFury members: click me too


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## Blacksheep (Dec 11, 2003)

Good Lord! I cannot imagine seeing a fish like that. The second picture from the top - that fish has a HUGE bite!

Thanks for the pictures, Judazzz

All the pics showed only one Manueli in a tank. Am I to assume that they do not do well with other Manueli?

Jeffrey


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

PastorJeff said:


> All the pics showed only one Manueli in a tank. Am I to assume that they do not do well with other Manueli?


Yup, they are strictly solitary (like rhoms), unless you have a massive tank.

My own manueli was kept with another one in a 50g tank (both were about 4-4,5" at that time, so plenty of room), and the one I got was eventually sold to me because it would have been killed if they stayed together.
It suffered from a nasty bite in the head (just behind the eyes), but luckily he healed up nicely - all that's left when I got him was an awesome battle scar). Also he tail was almost completely gone when I received my little guy...

On these pics you can see the scar pretty good:









How he looked when I just got him (check out his messed up tail and shiny area on the back, right behind his eyes).


















The same guy now, 5 months later (tail fully regrown, scar still visible...)

Bottom-line: they should be kept alone, or they will kill or mess up each other!


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## X-D-X (Jul 3, 2003)

yep!!


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## Blacksheep (Dec 11, 2003)

Beautiful fish with beautiful color!

What is the temperment? I am not a big "I want a killer" kind of guy, but I love how different the temperments can be!

Jeffrey


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

PastorJeff said:


> Beautiful fish with beautiful color!
> 
> What is the temperment? I am not a big "I want a killer" kind of guy, but I love how different the temperments can be!
> 
> Jeffrey


 Same here - agression is of no importance to me...

That's why I really like this guy: it's still pretty shy, even after almost 6 months - when I get too close, he either darts around in panick, or just hides, but when I approach the tank slowly, he stays calm and comes up to check me out.
When I just let him be, it's a pretty active fish - patrolling his tank, sparring with his reflection on the tank walls, snapping wildly with his jaws or biting in the powerhead stream.
His only problem: mannies are notorious for being a bitch when it comes to non-alive food. It took me more than 3 months before he ate his first piece of shrimp, and he's still a fuzzy eater: live fish are usually gone in no-time, but shrimp or fish fillet is still not very high on his top-10 list of foods...

But I don't mind all those shortcomings: he's absolutely beautiful, and has a lot of character


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## X-D-X (Jul 3, 2003)

sweet now really want one!!


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