Keeping Piranhas
Sunday, August 26th, 2007A few facts about Piranhas and Keeping them in the Philippines:
1) It is illegal to keep them in the Philippines. It carries with a jail sentence and a hefty fine.
2) And because of this it has become a prized possession among some hobbyists.
3) Only a few Institutions or Organizations are allowed to keep them. These organizations are usually Zoos, Public Aquariums and Scientific Institutes.
Actually, I remember my old Prof in the College of Fisheries was said to be keeping one. This was the only left from a batch of Piranhas smuggled in and was caught. The rest of the brethren were killed by the Bureau of Fisheries and were now in the Big Aquarium in the Sky.
4) In the Amazon, Piranhas really become ferocious when they are land locked and without enough food.
5) The Piranha belongs to the same family as the Pacu, which looks the same and has a more catholic diet - it is omnivorous ie it will eat anything. And keeping a Pacu is legal although you will need a big tank since these fishes can grow to the size of a big plate and more