# NEED ADVICE, could add a 10" piraya to my shoal for 100$



## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

so i went to the pet shop minutes ago and saw a 10" piraya. i ask the guy how much and he thought there are only 2 types of piranhas; reds and blacks

so he goes: ho thats a big red so let's say 100$

!!!!!!!!!!!

now, i have a shoal of 6 natts around 5 to 7 inches. could the cohab work?

i'm thinking of getting rid of the 2 smallest and go 4 natts and the piraya in my 130 gal....

dunno if it could work!

right now, my six are shoalling really great, handfeed and everything. so i'm worried to change all the setup and adding a monster with them!

your thoughts, and quick please, imma make the move 2 morrow morning if i do...

AHHHHHAAAA 100$ it's ridiculous!


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## db04ph (Jan 27, 2009)

100 is a steal for a 10 in piraya, but depends on you if you want to take a risk of introducing him. Those guys are usualy aggressive


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2009)

I personally would jump on it. Worse come to worse you could always place a divider in the tank until you
A) Get another tank and keep him solo
B) Get rid of a few Reds

Its to good of a deal to pass up, plus you could probably get the price down a bit









Take plenty of pictures!!!


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

i say go for it, that's a steal @ $100, the cheapest i've seen them in the GTA is $160 for a 5-6 incher, and pray he/she fits in well with the rest for now


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## Ja'eh (Jan 8, 2007)

Trade your smallest reds in for that piraya, by doing so you'll kill two birds with one stone, you get rid of the smaller reds and lower the price of the piraya.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

I dont care if you have to keep it in your bathtub you must get that fish.

I would keep it with the reds, whatever happens happens

If you get rid of the 2 smallest they should be fine.


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

Get the Piraya, HONESTLY.. thats a freakin steal!! Adding that Piraya can work with the rest of the RB's in your 135. Just feed your RBs prior, rearrange decors and watch him closely.,

I know I might get heat for this but for the ones who know, I was one off the people who loved overstocking tanks and went against the 1 Piranha per gallon rule. For example, I had a 7 mixed baby Pygo shoal in a 55 gal... 10 RB's, 7-10" in a 100 gal... and a mixed shoal of 13 monster Pygo's, 10-14"ers, in a 480 gal.

It can work..


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## Dawgz (Aug 18, 2005)

Are you sure its a Piraya? Did you get pictures?


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

Dawgz said:


> Are you sure its a Piraya? Did you get pictures?


That's what I'm wondering...100 bucks for a ten inch piraya sounds wayyy to good to be true... Might just be q really nice red or tern


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

Trigga said:


> Are you sure its a Piraya? Did you get pictures?


That's what I'm wondering...100 bucks for a ten inch piraya sounds wayyy to good to be true... Might just be q really nice red or tern
[/quote]

NO WAY! haha seriously i might be quite new on this forum, but i consider myself somewhat knowledgeable on piranhas (i'm a moderator on another piranha french forum) and i garantee that this is a big piraya!

he seems 2-3 years old, been in a too small tank and got a wimple on the chin and few scars probably due to rubbing on the decor.

plan to buy it like when the store opens this morning! the seller just don't know a thing about piranhas and thinks that there are only 2 types of them: black and red

so he just whent like: oh it's big red so 100$

man...









i'm only affraid to break the great chemistry between my 6 natts that are interacting with me, getting excited when i approach the tank (coming to the surface in front of the glass) and handfeeding very well.

now, i may introduce a new king, a ruler that will set the tempo, a different tempo. at the same time, he may follow the others and come eat at the surface too when he'll see the other pygos...

anywaz, well see!

also, i may start my DIY plywood tank ahead of time. going smaller though, probably a 180 or a 200 gal. more to come on that, depending on the character of the fish

thanks alot for all your opinions, that's a tuff call, but 100$ (canadian haha) for a monster like that is someting i could regret a long time!


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

here's the vid of my actual tank

http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?showtopic=184666


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

you have an unreal tank and a great pack of reds there man!


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

HOOOO bought!

finally, 90$ can, which means around 83 US

hahahahah man o man

bought it, but will go get it tonight, gotta go to work

heres a vid i took at the petshop!






EDIT: I also bought some treatment for fungus (dunno if he has some or only a scar due to rubbing on the decor) and parasite

i remember a thread where a guy claimed that every wild fish should be treated for parasite. and since the fish comes from a keeper who brang it to the petshop, not sure they trerated him...

should i treat him before inserting in the main tank? if so, can i treat both for funus AND parasite at the same time... i may paranoi a bit here... somewhat excited about the steal...


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

you lucky son of a


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## primetime3wise (Sep 28, 2003)

to your ignorant LFS, nice pick up.


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## db04ph (Jan 27, 2009)

wow nice man
there was onotherm ember that bough a rhom that was classified as a rhom for mad cheap too


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## redbellyman21 (Jun 27, 2004)

hey when it comes to lfs, they dont usually order specialty piranhas, obviously pending clientele. But at the end of the day, my store sells rbp, and some serra species from time to time, but lets say joe x brings in a 12" piranha, we dont give much credit n e more as most lfs lose money via credit when fish dies from transfer... so at the end of the day, even if they credited joe x, they didnt pay near retail. So a 5" rbp we order will be 15-25$ but a 10" trade in rbp will be 20$ Its just to move them since people typically look for juvy of any fish and rarely cant accept the size of a fish that another customer couldnt keep ne more... I mean hell I got my 3" black rhom from my store for $13 bux I was thrilled! hes is now 6" and 2 years old.... so when it comes to lfs, always check regulary for trade-ins if looking for cheap big monsters...

P.S. with the exception of me and some of our sponsers that specialize in p's, most lfs people no matter how well informed, no matter how well rounded they are, they can not tell the difference from caribe/piraya/natt or rhom/eingemi/sanchezi so you will get these deals since most people shrub off piranhas as dumb fish. Look I love fish, but I dont respect guppies or goldfish, and some people live for them, lol so its all in what people like, and most people think piranhas are just those killers and pay no mind.. dumbies! lol GREAT STEAL LEG89 congrats good luck with cohab


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

YAH!! the monsters here! im about to clean and change the setup in the main tank. in an hour, piraya should be in!

i bought eggcrate just in case things go wrong...


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## Wide_Eyed_Wanderer (Aug 22, 2006)

pics or it didnt happen!


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## luckydemonz5 (Jul 24, 2009)

did you buy it????


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

Yeah post pics, we wanna see your new addition!!!


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

0Congrats on that steal of a deal


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

some teasers







and a good one...



more to come! (way more haha)


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## Ja'eh (Jan 8, 2007)

Your reds don't look too happy about that big guy being in there with them lol.


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## redbellyman21 (Jun 27, 2004)

very very awesome fish and tank, and camera! nice waiting for more!


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## Ja'eh (Jan 8, 2007)

That reminds, sweet tank set up.


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## philbert (Mar 8, 2007)

looks great. nice pick up!


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

VID!!!!






HA Thanx mat for the hint on youtube vids!

and some pics


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## Ja'eh (Jan 8, 2007)

Nice coloration.


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

Nice.. Love the flame job on the Piraya!!!


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## Moondemon (Dec 9, 2006)

Wow Nic !!!

That's an amazing addtion to your tank.. and for 90$.. hahahaha !!!! That's a very nice piraya and i hope that it'll fit well with your natts ! 
I'll send you a pm on how to embed a video on here...

Anyway, GREAT pick up and i love how you describe what's going on in your videos ! I'm looking forward to see more pics and videos...


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## db04ph (Jan 27, 2009)

wow sick video man
glad it worked out
keep the videos coming man, i was glued to the screen for 5 minutes


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## Dawgz (Aug 18, 2005)

sweet pick up. And Damn he monsters ur reds. I would be worried about him killing ur reds, as pirayas are known to do that. Have you thought of keeping him solo, since apparently u love ur reds.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

WOW great job on that video very cool.
Nice too see the reds are still hand feeding even with the new addition


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

well i couldn't keep him solo since i only have one tank as for now. but a 200 gal ply thank is on the way so it should be better! (still for the whole shoal)

everyone is shoaling tonight so i hope everthing'll be fine! piraya still hasn't eat, but he is more uncomforatble than the others are with me so i'll try leaving some fillet tonight, while i'm out of the room.

eventually, i hope he'll just do like his lil cousins and come handfeed...but i may then be more careful for my fingers!

tanx for all the great comments guys. always like to share experiences when possible so glad you enjoyed the vid!

more to come!


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

and the new setup in pic


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

leg89 said:


> and the new setup in pic


Very nice pic...


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## iceh86 (Mar 14, 2009)

I love the backround in your tank.

Reds and piraya look amazing. Best of luck shoaling.


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

:S things are getting hot in there...

piraya takes like half the tank and reds don't want to concede that. few water splash this morning.

def need to start the 200g build... let's do this


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## massabsamurai (Mar 12, 2009)

leg, thats gotta be the coolest vid i have seen. Pretty awesome work there bro


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## Moondemon (Dec 9, 2006)

massabsamurai said:


> leg, thats gotta be the coolest vid i have seen. Pretty awesome work there bro


Indeed.. every video he does looks amazing !!!


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

im glad you picked him up, opportunities like that dont come that often. the vid and pics look great, keep them coming, also if your interested do a step by step thread when you start your 200 gal tank project


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

of course! that'll be posted in the DIY section

i'll post the link here when i'll start


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## Ja'eh (Jan 8, 2007)

That's a really cool video.







Your set up is also really cool actually it's amazing.







What size tank is it? Where did you get that background? It's the coolest one I've seen in a long time.


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

tanx ja'eh!

the background is DIY

here's the thread: http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?showtopic=182998


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## Wide_Eyed_Wanderer (Aug 22, 2006)

Holy crap that guy is big. Awesome video, awesome fish, awesome tank, and awesome thread.


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## luckydemonz5 (Jul 24, 2009)

great pic up love it


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

lil update: the big guy owns the center of the tank but cohab is doing good.

during feedings, reds are still voracious and handfeeding. piraya is getting excited by all the sound of the feeding and by seeing the others splashing on food but still waits for me to drop the food instead of coming stealing his piece.

vid of feeding soon, and will post the link here of the build (200g) that has started this week!


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

ok here's the link on the build!

http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?showtopic=185701

i have more pics to post, but i can't till someone posts on the topic, cause it's gonna be too many pics in one post...


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## blbig50 (Jan 1, 2009)

Sick vids man. Amazing tank and even sweeter piraya!


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## Show_Me_The_Teeth (Dec 4, 2002)

So how's the fish now? I bet nothing happened. Those natts look a little smaller than 5-7 inches. more like 3.5-5. Do they even shoal with the big guy and how is the pecking order when feeding? The domanit fish should be striking first at food...so is it the piraya? Or the biggest natt? Keep me posted.

SMTT


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## Show_Me_The_Teeth (Dec 4, 2002)

redbellyman21 said:


> P.S. with the exception of me and some of our sponsers that specialize in p's, most lfs people no matter how well informed, no matter how well rounded they are, they can not tell the difference from caribe/piraya/natt or rhom/eingemi/sanchezi so you will get these deals since most people shrub off piranhas as dumb fish. Look I love fish, but I dont respect guppies or goldfish, and some people live for them, lol so its all in what people like, and most people think piranhas are just those killers and pay no mind.. dumbies! lol GREAT STEAL LEG89 congrats good luck with cohab


Do you really think your the only expert on piranhas with few expections? That is rough. Coming form a LFS myself/and the owner many years ago I got more illegal fish imported than I knew what to do with. Back in the day before snakeheads went illegal and-fish and game-knew nothing about the boxes coming from south america. So the wall-e worlds and some general pet stores mess up or they dont care or they got the fish for free thats doesnt make them dumb and it doesnt make you one of the few specialist out there. I hope you just used poor choice of words and not trying to give your ego a bump at the expense of a Local Fish Store.

SMTT


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Show_Me_The_Teeth said:


> P.S. with the exception of me and some of our sponsers that specialize in p's, most lfs people no matter how well informed, no matter how well rounded they are, they can not tell the difference from caribe/piraya/natt or rhom/eingemi/sanchezi so you will get these deals since most people shrub off piranhas as dumb fish. Look I love fish, but I dont respect guppies or goldfish, and some people live for them, lol so its all in what people like, and most people think piranhas are just those killers and pay no mind.. dumbies! lol GREAT STEAL LEG89 congrats good luck with cohab


Do you really think your the only expert on piranhas with few expections? That is rough. Coming form a LFS myself/and the owner many years ago I got more illegal fish imported than I knew what to do with. Back in the day before snakeheads went illegal and-fish and game-knew nothing about the boxes coming from south america. So the wall-e worlds and some general pet stores mess up or they dont care or they got the fish for free thats doesnt make them dumb and it doesnt make you one of the few specialist out there. I hope you just used poor choice of words and not trying to give your ego a bump at the expense of a Local Fish Store.

SMTT
[/quote]

Sounds like you're taking his comments personally, all I can say is if the shoe fits wear it.

He simply gave his opinions and IMO he is correct about "MOST" fish stores and employees being dumb when it comes to P's and this lrg Piraya is a perfect example of it.
A piraya that size should go fo at least$300, they obviously don't know p's.

I think it's you that's looking to give your ego a bump and trying to sound like an expert.

Also before you critisize you should learn how to type/spell


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## Wide_Eyed_Wanderer (Aug 22, 2006)

Feefa said:


> P.S. with the exception of me and some of our sponsers that specialize in p's, most lfs people no matter how well informed, no matter how well rounded they are, they can not tell the difference from caribe/piraya/natt or rhom/eingemi/sanchezi so you will get these deals since most people shrub off piranhas as dumb fish. Look I love fish, but I dont respect guppies or goldfish, and some people live for them, lol so its all in what people like, and most people think piranhas are just those killers and pay no mind.. dumbies! lol GREAT STEAL LEG89 congrats good luck with cohab


Do you really think your the only expert on piranhas with few expections? That is rough. Coming form a LFS myself/and the owner many years ago I got more illegal fish imported than I knew what to do with. Back in the day before snakeheads went illegal and-fish and game-knew nothing about the boxes coming from south america. So the wall-e worlds and some general pet stores mess up or they dont care or they got the fish for free thats doesnt make them dumb and it doesnt make you one of the few specialist out there. I hope you just used poor choice of words and not trying to give your ego a bump at the expense of a Local Fish Store.

SMTT
[/quote]

Sounds like you're taking his comments personally, all I can say is if the shoe fits wear it.

He simply gave his opinions and IMO he is correct about "MOST" fish stores and employees being dumb when it comes to P's and this lrg Piraya is a perfect example of it.
A piraya that size should go fo at least$300, they obviously don't know p's.

I think it's you that's looking to give your ego a bump and trying to sound like an expert.

*Also before you critisize you should learn how to type/spell*
[/quote]

Same goes for you


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## Show_Me_The_Teeth (Dec 4, 2002)

I could careless about my ego or spelling. Its been the LFS that got the trade going not the internet. Until you worked the business you shouldn't probably talk crap about the people in it.

By the way who said a piraya is 300 dollars? The internet? Do you really think a thats what whoesalers are paying or just what they make you think you should pay? Price is only driven by demand or stupid people on the internet throwing prices around. Now that was ego. Wholesalers dont pay for nearly as much for fish as you or I. For example: I was at a wholesaler looking at neon tetras for .05 cents a piece. Thats their price to the pet store. That same store would sell that fish for 2.00 dollars. Even if some die do you see the relationship. The profits are huge. Probably more than almost any other business. Another example was a mabu puffer. It was like 24 inches long. Really big. They had it for sale for 300.00 bucks. Couldnt find one on the internet for the same size. One a little smaller 1500 bucks. Just because some idiots on the net threw out prices with out knowing true value. That puffer wasted tank space, food, and other resources. So big fish arent always great in the store. That LFS guy probably made a hundred bucks quick and easy because who wants a big ass piraya in their little p tank.

SMTT


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

ok ok sorry to interrupt the debate, but i have some news!









by the way, sorry if a make spelling mistakes, but i'm french Canadian so my English isn't perfect

just to give my point on the LFS debate (it's my post after all







) i don't think EVERY fish seller is dumb, and that wasn't my point at all. still, it's true that most pet shops pay small salaries and employees are often some teenagers students that have been formed on the fly to answer the most commonly asked questions. of course they can't know everything about aquariophilia (is that a word in English







)since it is such a complex world, but at the same time, it feels like these employees don't keep this job for ever so it would be a waste of time to teach them everything! you see a new face at the LFS every now and then. that's a bit sad, but it's like that. around here, there isn't any SPECIALIZED fish store...well yes only one, but a saltwater store so...yes fish "experts" around here know very little and i guess it's a bit the same everywhere except in specialized store. so SMTT don't take too personal, the comment was aiming towards pet shops sellers that had a 2 hours formation and think they know everything afterwards. I'm sure you know your stuff and fish stores would be better places if all employees could be as knowledgable as you seem to be. still, you gotta admit that it's not the case in most stores!

ok enough for me!

the big boy is owning the place. he has HIS spot in the tank (center) and is quite territorial. still, during feedings, he is not as comfortable as the others to my presence. dunno if you saw my vid on handfeeding training of my natts, but these are now very used to me. when i enter the room, they get excited and come to the surface. the piraya though, tends to hide when i enter. so during feedings, the natts come to the surface as the big boy is a bit uncomfortable.

still, the more it gets, the more he sees his cousins getting excited and "frenzying" at the surface so it works on his nerves! he gets excited also, but don't seem to be comfortable with me holding the food, or just me standing in front of the tank. still, he seems to be more and more comfortable with my presence, even if nothing compared to the natts.

i always said (for the few weeks i had him haha) that the group's influence would get him to handfeed sooner or later......

.....and yesterday.....














TA DAH!!


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## His Majesty (Apr 5, 2005)

gorgeous setup man







you got a real nice shoal


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## Quido (Dec 5, 2006)

Nice vid and setup! Did u make the background urself?


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

leg89 said:


> Those natts look a little smaller than 5-7 inches. more like 3.5-5.



















heu...nope

the smallest is exactly 5 from upper jaw to end of tail, and the biggest is actually 6 3/4 from upper jaw to tail


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

First off I totally agree with your comment on lfs employee's.

Second that was another awesome video, glad to see the big guy is coming out of his shell


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## Moondemon (Dec 9, 2006)

I really want to do the same with with piranhas.

Handfeeding rules !!


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

great vid man, the piraya looks great.


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## Moondemon (Dec 9, 2006)

So i tried to handfeed my piraya for the first time yesterday..... and he came right up to the surface of the tank and took a big bite of the tilapia fillet i was holding !! I was kinda really proud !!







I'll also try to get a video of that !


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

Moondemon said:


> So i tried to handfeed my piraya for the first time yesterday..... and he came right up to the surface of the tank and took a big bite of the tilapia fillet i was holding !! I was kinda really proud !!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice..


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## blbig50 (Jan 1, 2009)

Sweet video man!!!!!!


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

Moondemon said:


> So i tried to handfeed my piraya for the first time yesterday..... and he came right up to the surface of the tank and took a big bite of the tilapia fillet i was holding !! I was kinda really proud !!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


nice man! handfeeding is soo much funnier than just throwing food in there.


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## leg89 (Dec 10, 2008)

just to let you know that the build for the 200 gal is advancing a lot but i can't post anymore pics since no one has answered my last post. there's a limit of pics per post and if i post pics after my own last post, they'll fusion and exceed the limit of pics per post. thus, i can't post new pics right now.

just to let you know, if you're interested, the projects still goes but unable to show you guys

http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?showtopic=185701


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