# Can anybody identify from video??



## Guest (Dec 31, 2004)

Hi there,

I'm hoping you may be able to work miracles and tell me what species of Piranha I actually have, it's really bugging me. I have tried in vain to capture the perfect flank shot, in fact I have not succesfully captured one photo even worth posting. Low Piranha friendly lighting and tanned water ( from driftwood ) do not make for perfect conditions. I will keep on trying though.

For now I have a short video of around 5meg in size, the only time I have caught him out eating a king prawn. I have had to use the torch on the video camera because of the dull lighting so it makes his mouth look a little strange.

He is currently roughly 3-4" TL. I can tell you his coluring is like that of P. Nattereri and he was infact sold to me as exactly that. I bought him because I believed him to be a Serra. His body is of Serrasalmus shaping IMO, with a pointed snout. His tail is of the more common type, triangular banded, with a dark band all the way around the edge. He has bright red colouring as can be seen in the video. Unlike P. Nattereri, I believe, he has a vertical band on his actual eye. The pupil is like a vertical bowtie, as it were









Right click and save as this This link will o longer work, I only have 10meg space on website!!
Thanks for anybody that can take their best guess. I realise the vid isn't perfect but thanks if you have a go. And a Happy New Year to everybody.


----------



## steveling (Jun 6, 2003)

nice video mate , to me its looks like a serrasalmus elongatus , but wait and see wot the pro's say. nice looking fish wot ever it is !


----------



## flash! (Aug 10, 2004)

looking at the vid, I would GUESS S. Sanchezi because it looks alot like mine! , but it's gonna be difficult to be exact, and besides I'm no expert!

D!


----------



## Guest (Dec 31, 2004)

Thanks for the go guys, the reason I bought him is because us English don't see many Serra's in a LFS and he only cost me £10 ish.

When I first bought him I guessed Elongatus Steveling, he looked very stretched then but he now has a bit more rounding to him. He was absolutely battered when I got him, there were around 10 of them stuffed into a 3ft tank. They were taking great chunks out of each other, the LFS thought they were Natts the reasoning I guess.

He does certainly have the S.sanchezi sort of red colouring to him but I always imagined the body to be real shiny. But then again maybe it is or that comes more with age.

I really don't know how people get decent flank photos its darn near impossible. I have honestly sat for hours trying to get a photo worthy of Franks ID process! I guess I need to keep trying too.


----------



## steveling (Jun 6, 2003)

try and trap him in the net at the front of the glass and get someone to take a few dozen pics !


----------



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

post a pic
i cant get the vid to work 
even a crappy pic will get you a good guess


----------



## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

A photo is best, not much to tell from the video.


----------



## Winkyee (Feb 17, 2003)

These might help, To me it doesn't look to be S. elongatus .
S. sanchezi maybe.

View attachment 42570


View attachment 42571


View attachment 42572


----------



## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

I cleaned the image more. Certainly not S. elongatus. Tend to agree with Winkyee, might be S. sanchezi. Need a better photo.


----------



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

im also leading on s. sanchezi

get a good clear pic
its not that hard


----------



## flash! (Aug 10, 2004)

hastatus said:


> I cleaned the image more. Certainly not S. elongatus. Tend to agree with Winkyee, might be S. sanchezi. Need a better photo.
> [snapback]822880[/snapback]​


....and agree with rupert!!!!!!!


----------



## Serygo (May 17, 2004)

rupert said:


> ....and agree with rupert!!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



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

rupert said:


> ....and agree with rupert!!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...










wow 
and i thaught i have seen everything


----------



## flash! (Aug 10, 2004)

eh!!!!!!!!!! wot?????????


----------



## steveling (Jun 6, 2003)

sorry mellor ,maybe i shouldnt have put my guess in here as it seems i am miles off !!!!!! as i said wait for the pro's to come on and im sure frank can id it once u have a good pic as he knows his stuff


----------



## Guest (Jan 1, 2005)

Don't apologise!! I think its near impossible to guess the right one, even with a perfect photo! When I first got him he did look very elongatus like I have waited this long to try and get him Id'd because he has healed up now. He looks a bit less elongated now he has fattened up. Its a shame I didn't have the room for more. All the ones at the LFS died apart from one. They obviously didn't get on in the same tank and the strongest survived. But he wouldn't eat.

I will have another go with the photos and its a good suggestion with the net trapping and possibly the only one that will work. I really didn't want to stress him out doing that though. I may have to be patient and plant some food nearer the glass.

It does prove difficult though because he always hides behind the largest bit of driftwood, if you go near the tank. You probably can't see it all but there are some huge bits of driftwood. He will always come out to eat mind you. Then the tank from front to back is more or less 2ft, meaning you have 2ft of tanned water before the back where he resides.

My digital camera is rubbish, it was a freebie from work. I hate it!!
In fact my digi video camera takes a better photo. I have to have the flash on unless you can really lighten it in Photoshop.The tanks lighting is dim.

Thanks for the help so far everyone, I will keep trying. And post my best attempts. I may be able to get a better video. Hopefully of him moving along the glass. But I will mainly concentrate on a reasonable photo.


----------



## Guest (Jan 2, 2005)

I am starting to believe he is a S. Sanchezi as well. I obviously have the best chance of guessing with the fish being out in front of me. If only I had your knowledge and experience Frank! Its fair to say I won't be giving up my day job to become a photographer.

The only thing making me think he may not be a Sanchezi is the brilliance of his scales. He doesn't seem to share other photographs with the shine on the scales. And how they are described on OPEFE. Other than that his colouring and behaviour match that of OPEFE's description.

Here is about as good as my camera will do. And the flash has glared against the glass. Its very poor I know, in fact I am going to give in with photos. My only chance is to net him and I don't really want to do that.

The main reason I wish to know what species he is was for TL and an idea of what tank to keep him in. He seems a bit lost and wasted in my 75, I may put him in one of my 55's. It would aslo be nice to tell people what fish I have instead of calling him a Serra!!


----------



## Guest (Jan 2, 2005)

I have another 5 meg video that I attempted to get a close up in. The problem being it may be in and out of focus. I wasn't sure if a still, again, may come out reasonable. I am not sure if you just took a snap shot or something Winkyee.

Right click and save This

If everybody after this still suspects Sanchezi that is enough for me and that is what he will be called!! I will know differently in years to come with growth I guess!

Will he keep his colouring frank? Or will that fade with growth/age.

Happy new year to everyone!

And Frank I hope Mario is on the mend. I am squeamish and that sounded really harsh! I would have screamed like a girl.


----------



## steveling (Jun 6, 2003)

after viewing the stills of youre first film and watching the second i can see its not elongatus now , but still wouldnt have known exactly wot is was !!! either way a very nice fish , enjoy it mate


----------



## Guest (Jan 3, 2005)

steveling said:


> after viewing the stills of youre first film and watching the second i can see its not elongatus now , but still wouldnt have known exactly wot is was !!! either way a very nice fish , enjoy it mate
> [snapback]826023[/snapback]​


Yeah I'm happy with him and he will be with me for life it would be just nice to know what he is, the size he can potentially obtain. I only wish to keep solitary P's and would love to use my 75( US ) for a single fish that would eventually obtain around 12" of size. I like the P. Caribe and would maybe use the 75 for one of these and providing he is a smaller Sanchezi put him in a 55. I realise that Serras will grow slowly anyway so I guess I can put him in a 55 for a long time. I like to give them lots of room though and don't go by the rough 20 gallon a fish rule.

He is a final picture that shows markings a bit more clearly. This is not necessarily my fish but is of the same species. This is a picture with my camera phone, hence the poor quality. Although the camera phone is relatively good for a phone! It was taken of the P's that all later died, apart from mine and one other. Here they are "shoaling" as the LFS would put it. I later went home moved some fish about and went back and bought one. I only popped in for some algae tablets!

His markings are now more difficult to see. His colour has got much larger/brighter but I cannot clearly see many markings. May be to do with water tannins blocking sight of them. The 2nd vid Here( save as ) shows a quick glimpse of some markings.


----------



## Guest (Jan 5, 2005)

Darn I had a perfect photo oppurtunity I missed!! He came up to the front of the glass and stayed. I couldn't get the camera in time. I did have a tape measue to hand that I could hold against the glass. Proving my eyeball measurement extremely unaccurate. He is more 4.5-5" TL, don't know if this changes anything!


----------

