# How do they not bite each other



## Restricted- (Aug 21, 2008)

In the wild piranhas go into a huge feeding frenzy right, so how do they not take bites out of each other in the process ?


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## RedneckR0nin (Nov 5, 2008)

If you watch a shoal up close and personal you see that their are more dominent and aggressive out of the pack. They get the best spots of the tank and when they want them. This goes for feeding in most cases and I find that a shoal is like a circle of fish revolving around the food. In my shoals and the vids of most I have seen it is in the shoals general knowledge who eats first and who follows after that. 1 being the most dominating and 5 being the least they eat in the pattern of 1.2.3.4.5.1.2.3.4.5 in most cases. This is not to say that they don't get caught in the crossfire either. I have seen vids as well were the standard frenzy was occuring but somewhere along the lines some P jumped ahead in the line or lashed out and connected on another P. In every case of this happening the wounded P is on the short track and is treated as a food source just the same as the original. With the shoal now putting him into the rotation and usually making short work of him. I have seen the wounded P escape but never in a condition that would warrant a healthy happy life and the injuries substained are allways critical in my experiences and viewed outcomes. The bottom line is they have a method to the madness but if conficted with or the energy level towards feeding is extra impatient P's can and will get mixed up along with the food source and suffer death or major injury. This is the nature of P's and to be expected within every Shoal IMO.


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## roccov12345 (Sep 26, 2008)

RedneckR0nin said:


> If you watch a shoal up close and personal you see that their are more dominent and aggressive out of the pack. They get the best spots of the tank and when they want them. This goes for feeding in most cases and I find that a shoal is like a circle of fish revolving around the food. In my shoals and the vids of most I have seen it is in the shoals general knowledge who eats first and who follows after that. 1 being the most dominating and 5 being the least they eat in the pattern of 1.2.3.4.5.1.2.3.4.5 in most cases. This is not to say that they don't get caught in the crossfire either. I have seen vids as well were the standard frenzy was occuring but somewhere along the lines some P jumped ahead in the line or lashed out and connected on another P. In every case of this happening the wounded P is on the short track and is treated as a food source just the same as the original. With the shoal now putting him into the rotation and usually making short work of him. I have seen the wounded P escape but never in a condition that would warrant a healthy happy life and the injuries substained are allways critical in my experiences and viewed outcomes. The bottom line is they have a method to the madness but if conficted with or the energy level towards feeding is extra impatient P's can and will get mixed up along with the food source and suffer death or major injury. This is the nature of P's and to be expected within every Shoal IMO.


Damn, dropping knowledge..!


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## RedneckR0nin (Nov 5, 2008)

Just put in the time viewing and reading on shoal behavior and study my own with great intrest and attention to detail. That to me is the attraction to P's by watching a established shoal, a shoal broken off and seperated from a bigger established shoal and in the discovery period,or a new entry into a established shoal have all been experienced by myself. If you look on Youtube or a couple threads within this site you will see examples of all these scenarios and if like myself am facinated by social structure and the creation and modification of. The best example was a thread by GG which nam eludes me at the moment of a P added to the established shoal. It is very obvious which is the newcomer because he is out of sync and easily spotted as the P that is unsure of the movement pattern or personal place within the group. It is like watching a fall down drunk trying to keep up in riverdance.


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

I've saw lots of videos were P's get chunks taken out of em. One of my reds lost its eye the second day i got them. I originally got 8 of them at 4cm, i fed them after two days, and during the first feeding on bloodworms (yes, bloodworms) two got canniballized in the process and one got its eyeball completely biten off. I noticed an eyeball floating around, i sort of cringed and sniggereed at the same time. So i took it out and ate it....JK

Ever since then, they have been the happiest group, and i couldn't be happier with them. When its feeding time, its like they know when their turn is, they will circle the food and all have their fair share, without any injury to each other. I myself find it fascinating watchin a group of reds destroy something without causing injury to one another.


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## Restricted- (Aug 21, 2008)

ok i think i understand now. thanks for all the help.


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## RedneckR0nin (Nov 5, 2008)

No problem hope I answered what you were asking and gave a better understanding of.


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