CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

are piranah's more aggresive than cichlids? or vice-versa?

Piranah that are in a school of 3 or more can be extremely aggressive. However if kept alone they are very timid and shy. Piranah tend to not be in the scope of fish discussed here but I believe there are several members who have kept or are still keeping them.

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Adam

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I agree. Have you ever seen a group of Piranahs kill for territorial reasons? Piranahs ONLY attack AND kill when they want to eat. NEVER will Piranahs attack and kill something they don't have any intentions to eat. In other words, what they kill they devour. Cichlids on the other hand will kill another fish just to get them out of their territory. They don't eat everything they kill. But once you get a Piranah alone, they are like an oscar to a new tank. (Temperament I mean they are like an oscar, very timid and shy).

[This message has been edited by MeAirlinePilot (edited 12-26-2001).]

I have always been told the more the better with piranah's since if you have 2 they usually kill each other and sometimes even when you have 3. I would try and get 4 if possible and yes they are very timid fish. I would suggest getting a cichlid if you want to see some action or if you are planning on not getting more than 2 fish I would strongly recommend a cichlid.

All around cichlids are more aggressive then pirhanas, and also alot more colorfull. When they are compatable you can put several types togeather. Pirhanas on the other hand should not be kept with different fish.

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Candice

I have kept (3) species of piranha. However, one species is not considered a true piranha; the Wimple Piranha (Catoprion mento). Nevertheless, I have kept Red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) and Black/White/Spotted piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus). The red-bellied piranha are a shoaling fish, whereas the black piranha is a solitary fish.

As far as aggression is concerned, it would have to be based on environment and hunger. However, as some of you have indicated, piranha will usually leave a fish alone, unless it is hungry or during courtship and thereafter (Protect nest and fry).

[This message has been edited by WolfFish (edited 12-31-2001).]

as meairlinepilot said, pirhanas are not as much aggressive as they are predatory. this may not be true for all species of pirhana, but is for the red-bellied. the predatory nature of many fish incorrectly gives them a reputation of being aggressive. a fish that is predatory is only following its natural instinct to eat and will only kill when it is hungry, whereas a fish that is aggressive will kill to get rid of competition, which is also a natural instinct. oscars are commonly mis-labelled as being aggressive. while there are instances where oscars can be aggressive, and it also depends on the individual personality of each fish, oscars are not generally aggressive but they are predatory. to put it another way, a school of pirhanas devouring a few comets is no different than a school of neons eating bloodworms. the only difference is the pirhana scenario seems more violent, which makes them appear to be mean.