# Irritan or Elongatus



## sweetgtx (Jan 5, 2006)

Which 1 should I get , can't make up my mind, I did some research and these two seemed to b the most aggressive.









Do the Elongatus really chase your finger if u put it up to the tank :nod: , what about the Irritans

I need some help deciding


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## Ex0dus (Jun 29, 2005)

venromb said:


> Which 1 should I get , can't make up my mind, I did some research and these two seemed to b the most aggressive.
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Man... Im kinda dissapointed. I saw the topic and thought, "cool someone with my same tastes"... If you want the fish only for sheer agression save your $ and buy a convict. 
Both these fish are amazing in their own right and in my opinion you cant go wrong with either. But if your only reason for getting either is for agression... save your money and buy a $3.50 convict at your lfs.


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

get a turtle if you want a finger chaser.


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## Hemi (Nov 13, 2005)

Xedons are really aggressive


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## dipset.taliban (Sep 8, 2005)

it differes realy from fish to fish n enviroment. when i just got my elong he was playful n agressive. then i re-aranged the tank a lil he went into a shell. now hes coming out of that shell but still skittish

if u want an elong ill sell u mine. i want to get a biggggg rhom


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Well, now... I don't know, but I kinda disagree.
Serras can be quite aggressive.

I have an altuvei for example that will go crazy trying to get at my finger when I put it up to the tank.

AND, I must admit, it's quite a kick to sit there sometimes and watch it, open mouthed, go back and forth, and if it weren't for that 1/2 inch of glass, my finger would be a stub.

I have my altuvei tank in my livingroom right next to where I sit and watch television some evenings, and every time I move my hand anywhere he can see it, he's there, showing that it's "His area."

Elongs or irritans can both be quite aggressive.
I recommend chosing between the two on which you like the looks of better.


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## PaNo617 (Jan 31, 2005)

venromb said:


> Which 1 should I get , can't make up my mind, I did some research and these two seemed to b the most aggressive.
> 
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There is no such thing as the meanest piranha or most aggressive species. Every single fish is different you won't have two fish that are exactly the same, personality wise. You might have 2 irritan's and one could be very active and a "finger chaser" and the other one could hide behind plants everytime you walk into the room.

I admit, when i first wanted to get piranha's i only cared about how cool it would be to own a PIRANHA! and wanting it to be a killing machine. If thats the case you will be disappointed. Don't get me wrong i dont think anyone wants a piranha that sits in one spot all day...i had one, i know! Some piranha's take a long time to adjust and become active and even eat in front of you. Some might be the complete opposite as soon as you put them in your tank...Not trying to discourage you, just giving you a heads up of what to expect. Both are good choices, it's up to you to decide.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

p.s. I also have convicts... and I gotta tell ya, my altuvei going for my finger is just a tad more impressive and intimidating than my convicts...


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## Ex0dus (Jun 29, 2005)

Piranha_man said:


> p.s. I also have convicts... and I gotta tell ya, my altuvei going for my finger is just a tad more impressive and intimidating than my convicts...:nod:


You got very lucky with your altuvie. Throw a serra in a tank, wait a few hours and it will still be hiding in a corner. Throw a convoct in a tank, wait a few hours and he will be ready to dominate.

It just seems silly to go out and spend 100$ to find out what you could have found out by going up to your lfs and buiying some reds. That being, piranhas are not the agressive killers that hollywood or state legislatures want the american populas to think they are.

My suggestion? If you REALLY want to raise piranhas. Go get some reds. See if you even like it. If in a few months all is going well and you still interested, get yourself an elong or an irritans. This way imo, you will have a better feel for what your are going to be getting into.


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## SpeCiaLisT (Aug 12, 2005)

It really depends on the fish itself.


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## t_rent8 (Dec 15, 2005)

very true ^^ i also had a very shy rhom when i got him and even though hes small he dosnt get scared when i walk by the tank in fact he follows my finger but hasnt tried to bite it yet but still dont get them for agression you could end up with a nice piranha


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## SpeCiaLisT (Aug 12, 2005)

Get a goldfish they seem to chase my fingers a lot.:laugh: But if your getting a serrasalmus you can only put one in a tank. They are solitary fish. Be patient because the piranha could take awhile to adjust to the new environment, could even take weeks or months for a piranha to adjust to the new home.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Ex0dus said:


> p.s. I also have convicts... and I gotta tell ya, my altuvei going for my finger is just a tad more impressive and intimidating than my convicts...:nod:


You got very lucky with your altuvie. Throw a serra in a tank, wait a few hours and it will still be hiding in a corner. Throw a convoct in a tank, wait a few hours and he will be ready to dominate.

It just seems silly to go out and spend 100$ to find out what you could have found out by going up to your lfs and buiying some reds. That being, piranhas are not the agressive killers that hollywood or state legislatures want the american populas to think they are.

My suggestion? If you REALLY want to raise piranhas. Go get some reds. See if you even like it. If in a few months all is going well and you still interested, get yourself an elong or an irritans. This way imo, you will have a better feel for what your are going to be getting into.
[/quote]

Oh, I fully agree with the_ "Throwing a serra in for a few hours"_ bit.
It took a solid *8 months * for my altuvei to get out of his corner and shart showing his stuff.

Exodus, I'm not disputing your point, and I've always respected your opinions... I'm just saying that serras can be quite aggressive if given the right conditions and amount of time.

Bottom line (In my opinion):
They're not the maniac killers that will strip your hand to the bone the second you put it in the tank like most people think...
But...
They _can_ be damn aggressive and _do_ have _razor-sharp, interlocking teeth _ that can be used if they so desire.


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## Ex0dus (Jun 29, 2005)

I agree, they be. Alot of people want the 'out of the box action' tho.









Nothing imo can beat a properly settled serra







Just most people wont wait it out and usually just end up selling the fish because its not 'killer' enough for them.


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## -d0rk- (Nov 10, 2005)

Personally myself, I'm a pygo man.... if ya wanna see about the finger thing, go to the downloads section, and download "94NDTA's 4inch spilo".... its a 4" gold spilo chasing a guys finger on the outside of the tank. I would go spilo if I were to like serra's. Good Luck and enjoy the video!


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Ex0dus said:


> I agree, they be. Alot of people want the 'out of the box action' tho.
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Yeah, and to tell you the truth, when I first got my altuvei, I was one of those "Out of the box" expecting kinda guys.
I was thoroughly dissapointed in my 5.5 inch altuvei for quite awhile.
But, like I said, 8 months later, just when I least expected it, the guy darted for the glass and acted like he had rabies or something!
Now, one year and 1 3/4 inches later, the guy is a holy terror!


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## b_ack51 (Feb 11, 2003)

Piranha_man said:


> I agree, they be. Alot of people want the 'out of the box action' tho.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, and to tell you the truth, when I first got my altuvei, I was one of those "Out of the box" expecting kinda guys.
I was thoroughly dissapointed in my 5.5 inch altuvei for quite awhile.
But, like I said, 8 months later, just when I least expected it, the guy darted for the glass and acted like he had rabies or something!
Now, one year and 1 3/4 inches later, the guy is a holy terror!








[/quote]

8 months may be way too long to wait for some people who think piranhas are straight up killers. I've seen compressus that are crazy as hell. I've had an Irritan who would kill anything, chase your finger from across the room at 2 inches. (Its now on the OPEFE website). I've also had a gold spilo that would hide the entire day and be boring as hell.


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## -d0rk- (Nov 10, 2005)

b_ack51 said:


> I agree, they be. Alot of people want the 'out of the box action' tho.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, and to tell you the truth, when I first got my altuvei, I was one of those "Out of the box" expecting kinda guys.
I was thoroughly dissapointed in my 5.5 inch altuvei for quite awhile.
But, like I said, 8 months later, just when I least expected it, the guy darted for the glass and acted like he had rabies or something!
Now, one year and 1 3/4 inches later, the guy is a holy terror!








[/quote]

8 months may be way too long to wait for some people who think piranhas are straight up killers. I've seen compressus that are crazy as hell. I've had an Irritan who would kill anything, chase your finger from across the room at 2 inches. (Its now on the OPEFE website). I've also had a gold spilo that would hide the entire day and be boring as hell.
[/quote]

Good god, I want a compressus


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## sweetgtx (Jan 5, 2006)

I been through the RB species :nod: , I started rasing them at 13 years old , now 31 I have a lot of pirranha expereince. So much that I will go to stores and tell them that is not a black pirranha , this is not a gold one either, the fish stores around me suck, some where selling Pacus as RB's, and hollindi as RB's







. I kow it's hard to look at a pirranha and say what species it is when very young ,but some have distinktive marks.

I have a ven Rhombous and a convict in the same tank and the only reason the convict is still alive is has places to hide., it's the only ciclide that survived, he's anout 3 inches long, and rhombous is about 5 inches , I might just sell the rhombous and buy something else(bigger).

Thanks 4 your help guys, I let u know what I get in the comming weeks

Are the rhombous slow growing piranha?

Mine is pretty skidish, I can't get to close to the tank and it freaks out, I've had it for about2-3 months


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## Califella (Aug 30, 2005)

I think irritans are nicer looking myself.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

b_ack51 said:


> I've had an Irritan who would kill anything, chase your finger from across the room at 2 inches. (Its now on the OPEFE website). I've also had a gold spilo that would hide the entire day and be boring as hell.


Can you get a link to the pictures..I couldnt find it. I would like to compare him to my guys.


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

i like irritans, im lookin to get one in the next few months

here


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## Ex0dus (Jun 29, 2005)

Califella said:


> I think irritans are nicer looking myself.










Indeed. All bias aside, I think irritans are the most beautiful piranha.

Ok, so its biased...

The compressus familiy in general has some amazing looking fish: irritans, geryi, altuvie compressus...


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## booozi (Nov 4, 2005)

No lie. I had a solitary red (because he ate the other bud) chase my finger almost everytime i put my figner to the glass. But then i got 5 more reds, and he was too big for them. So i sold him to my lfs







I miss that guy, he was mean as hell.

*dang, i had a pic of him, but his on my other comp. I well put it up when i get the chance to.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

I guess the moral of the story is:

_Piranhas are like a box of chocolates... ya never know what you're gonna get!_


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## b_ack51 (Feb 11, 2003)

Grosse Gurke said:


> I've had an Irritan who would kill anything, chase your finger from across the room at 2 inches. (Its now on the OPEFE website). I've also had a gold spilo that would hide the entire day and be boring as hell.


Can you get a link to the pictures..I couldnt find it. I would like to compare him to my guys.
[/quote]

Sure can. I think Frank redesigned the website, its harder to find the species list.

Here is the Irritans: http://www.opefe.com/irritans.html
Here is the picture of mine: (heater boiled him) 








He had a yellow anal fin. He was small, (very small when I first originally got him. I think the smallet of the three Mashunter had, but he was crazy. He was trying to attack me like I just killed his whole family. Little guy was nuts, definately one of my favorite p's) A few awesome things about him... tried to attack anything that moved in my room. No matter how far or how close you were to the tank. (P hobbyist dream fish). Second, would let you hand feed it.

If anyone wants to look at the species list, here's how you get to it from OPEFE.

1) Click on picture of Serrasalmus or Pygocentrus
2) Click on small blue button on top of page titled "Serrasalmus list"
3) Click on the species blue link


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Oh...I saw that guy. I just didnt know it was yours. I thought you might have written an artcle about him and had some pics when he was alive. The other guy on there was mine I gave to Frank.....and I agree on everything you wrote about him. Although they act different when in a group, when I had the smallest one solo he acted exactlly as you described your fishs behavior.

Thanks.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

> I think Frank redesigned the website, its harder to find the species list.


That's under repair. It should be easier by next week or sooner. The button was put in at the genus level so that those that want to read the long general info can access it or just hit the button for the species list. The species list button will be added at the home page for those that don't want to access the general info.


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## b_ack51 (Feb 11, 2003)

Grosse Gurke said:


> > I think Frank redesigned the website, its harder to find the species list.
> 
> 
> That's under repair. It should be easier by next week or sooner. The button was put in at the genus level so that those that want to read the long general info can access it or just hit the button for the species list. The species list button will be added at the home page for those that don't want to access the general info.


Cool. I just visit the site maybe once a month and noticed it has gone through some changes. For awhile I couldn't find the individual piranha pages that were titled S Irritan, S Geryi and I was like "What are you doing Frank"

Can't wait for the finished site.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

You're welcome. All the photos are undergoing modifications as are the background and data.
The Home page has undergone the most with the banner being the most obvious.









BTW, there is a quick search button at the HOME PAGE. All you had to do with type in sci name of fish and it would have given you opefe data info. Keep that in mind for future.


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