Serrasalmus Rhombeus, also know as white piranha or spotted piranha, are another favorite of
people who like to keep dangerous fish. Like Characidae, piranhas are from South America, in
the Amazon Basin. They can grow up to 10 inches long in the wild, but most aquarium-raised
piranha only grows to around 6 inches. As with Characidae, piranhas are not for the beginner.
As one of the most aggressive fishes, they cannot be kept with other fish. Their most prominent
feature is the over-sized jaw, with rows of needle-sharp teeth. Piranhas have been known to
tear apart aquariums with those teeth. When netting a piranha, you must use extreme caution to
keep your hands away from the fish at all times. They will attack and shred your hand without
hesitation if you let them. In the wild, a school of piranha can reduce an entire cow to bones in a
matter of seconds, so your hand is just a little snack for them.
Piranhas eat meat, of course. They will attack and eat any other fish they are kept with. Some of
the nicer things about keeping piranha include their relative indifference to water conditions, and
that they will not breed in a tank. This prevents schools of piranha from appearing in your tanks.
They will eat each other in captivity, especially if there are no other fish to attack. Piranhas are
extremely aggressive and dangerous, and should only be kept by experienced keepers.
Aquarium And Fish Care Support
As a beginner first learning the ins and outs of keeping an aquarium healthy, things can get a bit
overwhelming. There is so much terminology and equipment; it is enough to make anyone's
head spin. Learning it all a piece at a time is recommended. Patience is key in many things
relating to keeping aquariums. A fish often recommended to beginners is the goldfish.
Commonly available, and quite pretty when healthy, the goldfish is one of the easier fish to keep
healthy and happy. Be prepared to do some reading, however. There are terms and procedures
to become familiar with.
The aquarium is absolutely critical to being able to keep healthy fish, no matter what kind of fish
it is. Proper care and maintenance of your aquarium is necessary, and there are daily and
weekly procedures that must be followed. The first step in keeping a goldfish is choosing the
aquarium. While you may see goldfish in bowls and other small containers on television and
even in real life, this is really a bad idea. While a goldfish can live for a while in a small bowl like
that, they will never really thrive, and will be more susceptible to disease and death. A 10 gallon
minimum aquarium with filtration should be the minimum you consider for keeping a goldfish.
The filter running into the aquarium agitates the surface of the water and provides more oxygen
to the water, which in turn means the fish has plenty of oxygen and is healthier. More room to
swim, and even some currents from the filtration, make sure that the goldfish stays happy and in
shape. Don't forget to take the number of goldfish into account! More than one goldfish will
require more space.
Ask the guys at your local pet store or aquarium shop (recommended) what they recommend.
Don't buy too much tank at first though. Try to keep it small and simple. Tell them how many fish
you intend to keep, and whether you would like to add fish later. Always do some research
before buying a product you are not familiar with. There are a ton of accessories and products
associated with aquariums and fish. Doing some research beforehand can keep you from
buying products you don't need.
Unless you have access to well water, your tap water probably contains chlorine or ammonia.
These substances are very harmful to your goldfish, and can even kill them if you have
particularly chlorinated water. There are products available that you simply mix thoroughly into
your tap water after filling the aquarium. They usually remove chlorine as well as adding things
to the water to help your fish form its slime coat and fight off ick (a small parasite that is
extremely common on fish that are stressed). If you would rather use distilled or reverse
osmosis purified water, there are other additives that restore needed minerals into these toopure
waters.
Make sure you check the filters once a week, and rinse them out with dechlorinated water of
some type. It is okay to use distilled water for this. It is common to get snails living on your
filters. Try not to crush them, and remove them during your weekly cleaning. It is not
recommended that you put these types of snails back into your aquarium, because they tend to
over-breed and eat every bit of plant matter in your aquarium.
It is also necessary to keep the aquarium at a fairly constant temperature. An aquarium heater
can be used to control the water temperature with some precision. You should also have an
aquarium thermometer to verify the water temperature.
