Piranha or Pacu?

Shan2nu · 27th July 2006, 12:38

I recently got a pair of fish for my 70 gallon aquarium (which the guy claims to be Piranhas).

But, it's not diff to get confused between a flesh eating Piranha and a fruit eating Pacu, since they both look similar.

My question is. Is there any way i can find out if, what i've got are actual Piranhas or Pacus?

Couldn't find any websites with satisfying explaination.

The ones i've got are around 4.2" in lenght. They've got a red underbelly, a couple of teeth on the lower/upper jaw and willingly pounce on meat pieces dropped into the tank.

My guess is, if it was a Pacu, it prob wouldn't be interested in meat (as it's a vegetarian)

Shan2nu

khaadu75 · 27th July 2006, 12:53

Hey, just dip ur lil finger into the tank and I'm sure u'll know which of the two it is ...!!!

Cheers

Shan2nu · 27th July 2006, 13:08

Quote:

Hey, just dip ur lil finger into the tank and I'm sure u'll know which of the two it is ...!!!

Haha, it don't work that way. Coz the first fish that'l attack my finger will be my 11" Oscar (which belongs to the Cichlid family)

Shan2nu

Boom Shiva · 27th July 2006, 13:09

Pacu's eat meat also...I used to have them years ago. Heh, even I got scammed and thought they were piranha.

Piranha lower jaws are much more muscular and the teeth are more obvious. Also, they are much smaller than Pacus - 6-8" max vs more than a foot for full grown Pacus.

I suggest you starve the fish for a day or so and then drop a guppy or baby goldfish in there. Best way to find out.

Post some pics of your fish and I'll ask some friends to have a look.

Also visit http://indianaquariumhobbyist.com/community/. There are some good people on the site who can clarify your doubts.

aZa · 27th July 2006, 13:27

Shan2nu i thought Piranha were banned in india ? and a 70 gallon aquarium damnnn !!!

speedsatya · 27th July 2006, 13:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Haha, it don't work that way. Coz the first fish that'l attack my finger will be my 11" Oscar (which belongs to the Cichlid family)

Shan2nu

then put all your ten fingers

Shan2nu · 27th July 2006, 13:44

Quote:

Shan2nu i thought Piranha were banned in india ? and a 70 gallon aquarium damnnn !!!

I don't think all breeds of Piranhas are banned. Only the red bellied one i guess. 99% of the aquariums sell you Pacus, telling you they're Piranhas. I guess my fishes are no diff.

Will see if i can take some good snaps of them and post them.

Yup, we got the tank made last week. 56" in lenght, 18" in height and 16" in width. It's actually 69.XX gallons.

Quote:

then put all your ten fingers

No thank you. Driving is more imp to me than finding out their breed. LOL

Shan2nu

muni · 27th July 2006, 14:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Yup, we got the tank made last week. 56" in lenght, 18" in height and 16" in width. It's actually 69.XX gallons.
Shan2nu

A mini coffin.

@shan2nu chk this link on Piranha identification..might be helpful.

http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/in...showtopic=9708

Boom Shiva · 27th July 2006, 14:35

Hey there are some breeders selling genuine red bellies in Mumbai and Bangalore. I'm not too sure about other places.

The link I posted earlier has lots of contact details etc. It's like a t-bhp for fish lovers.

Btw, if you have an Oscar in the same tank and it's not yet been attacked, I think you've got Pacus. Piranha are real mofos. They won't do anything in front of you when they're new, but in the dark they will attack anything else in the water.

Shan2nu · 27th July 2006, 15:17

Well, i guess they're Red Bellied Pacus. Bcos the lower jaw is in line with the upper one. Piranhas are said to have a huge lower jaw.

But the overall shape and colour looks like this particular Piranha.

PS : If these are Pacus, then i'm gonna need a big pond, to keep them. I heard they grow upto 24" (they're 4.2" now). So far, so good.

Shan2nu

jkdas · 27th July 2006, 15:18

@ boom; nice liner; tbhp for fishes.

thats not a Piranha I guess. I had some before. YOur fish is beautiful

My Piranha didnt look like this at all.

and the tail of ur fish,its 2 long to be of a piranha

Shan2nu · 27th July 2006, 15:41

Quote:

thats not a Piranha I guess. I had some before. YOur fish is beautiful My Piranha didnt look like this at all.

and the tail of ur fish,its 2 long to be of a piranha

Hahah, it's obviously not a Piranha. The firt pic i've posted, is that of my Oscar. No wonder it looks more beautiful than your Piranha. LOL

My Pacus looks like the Piranha pic i've posted above your reply.

Shan2nu

Boom Shiva · 27th July 2006, 15:54

Hey that doesn't look like any oscar i've ever seen.

I've had oscars and they looked like these http://www.oscarfish.com/

Shan2nu · 27th July 2006, 16:06

Quote:

Hey that doesn't look like any oscar i've ever seen.

This one is a long tail version of the Oscar. U must have had the regular, short tail one.

He was only 4" when we got him a year ago. He killed his pair (territorial fight). Was living alone until we got the Pacus. Had to literally sit with a stick to defend the Pacus bcoz he was not used to sharing his tank with other fishes.

He's bitten me several times and believe it or not, he can draw blood. My fish guy didn't believe it, until he got bit. LOL

I've got a vid of him attacking my hand (to protect his territory). Will post it in a while.

Shan2nu

Boom Shiva · 27th July 2006, 16:17

Heh. So what the hell do you need piranha for? Your oscar seems to be doing the needful.

I had to give mine away because they got too aggressive with my other fish...they actually learnt to jump onto the turtle platform, flip around on their sides and grab food out of my hands or the turtles' mouths!

Still remember, once I asked my mom to feed the fish when I was away. She called up to complain that 2 of my fish were "behaving very badly" and grabbing food from her.

Anyways, so you planning on keeping the pacus?

27th July 2006, 12:38	#1
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 127 Times View My Garage	Piranha or Pacu? I recently got a pair of fish for my 70 gallon aquarium (which the guy claims to be Piranhas). But, it's not diff to get confused between a flesh eating Piranha and a fruit eating Pacu, since they both look similar. My question is. Is there any way i can find out if, what i've got are actual Piranhas or Pacus? Couldn't find any websites with satisfying explaination. The ones i've got are around 4.2" in lenght. They've got a red underbelly, a couple of teeth on the lower/upper jaw and willingly pounce on meat pieces dropped into the tank. My guess is, if it was a Pacu, it prob wouldn't be interested in meat (as it's a vegetarian) Shan2nu
	() Thanks

27th July 2006, 12:53	#2
khaadu75 BANNED Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: same as the proposed venue for F1 ;-) Posts: 1,146 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Hey, just dip ur lil finger into the tank and I'm sure u'll know which of the two it is ...!!! Cheers
	() Thanks

27th July 2006, 13:09	#4
Boom Shiva BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,044 Thanked: 19 Times	Pacu's eat meat also...I used to have them years ago. Heh, even I got scammed and thought they were piranha. Piranha lower jaws are much more muscular and the teeth are more obvious. Also, they are much smaller than Pacus - 6-8" max vs more than a foot for full grown Pacus. I suggest you starve the fish for a day or so and then drop a guppy or baby goldfish in there. Best way to find out. Post some pics of your fish and I'll ask some friends to have a look. Also visit http://indianaquariumhobbyist.com/community/. There are some good people on the site who can clarify your doubts.
	() Thanks

27th July 2006, 13:27	#5
aZa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Noida / Delhi Posts: 1,595 Thanked: 25 Times View My Garage	Shan2nu i thought Piranha were banned in india ? and a 70 gallon aquarium damnnn !!!
	() Thanks

27th July 2006, 14:35	#9
Boom Shiva BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,044 Thanked: 19 Times	Hey there are some breeders selling genuine red bellies in Mumbai and Bangalore. I'm not too sure about other places. The link I posted earlier has lots of contact details etc. It's like a t-bhp for fish lovers. Btw, if you have an Oscar in the same tank and it's not yet been attacked, I think you've got Pacus. Piranha are real mofos. They won't do anything in front of you when they're new, but in the dark they will attack anything else in the water.
	() Thanks

27th July 2006, 15:17	#10
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 127 Times View My Garage	Well, i guess they're Red Bellied Pacus. Bcos the lower jaw is in line with the upper one. Piranhas are said to have a huge lower jaw. But the overall shape and colour looks like this particular Piranha. PS : If these are Pacus, then i'm gonna need a big pond, to keep them. I heard they grow upto 24" (they're 4.2" now). So far, so good. Shan2nu
	() Thanks

27th July 2006, 15:18	#11
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,496 Times View My Garage	@ boom; nice liner; tbhp for fishes. thats not a Piranha I guess. I had some before. YOur fish is beautiful My Piranha didnt look like this at all. and the tail of ur fish,its 2 long to be of a piranha Last edited by jkdas : 27th July 2006 at 15:21.
	() Thanks

27th July 2006, 15:54	#13
Boom Shiva BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,044 Thanked: 19 Times	Hey that doesn't look like any oscar i've ever seen. I've had oscars and they looked like these http://www.oscarfish.com/
	() Thanks

27th July 2006, 16:17	#15
Boom Shiva BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,044 Thanked: 19 Times	Heh. So what the hell do you need piranha for? Your oscar seems to be doing the needful. I had to give mine away because they got too aggressive with my other fish...they actually learnt to jump onto the turtle platform, flip around on their sides and grab food out of my hands or the turtles' mouths! Still remember, once I asked my mom to feed the fish when I was away. She called up to complain that 2 of my fish were "behaving very badly" and grabbing food from her. Anyways, so you planning on keeping the pacus?
	() Thanks