Red Belly Pacu or Piranah?

My two children ages 2 and 4 picked out a fish the other day that was labeled Red Belly Pacu. When we got home our neihbor noticed the quite large teeth that some what protruded from the fish's mouth. He said that he thought it was a piranah and that sometimes they get them mixed up with Pacus because of thier similarity. What's the odds of this?

 

these two fish are related and do look very much alike so I amagine that it could be possible but if I remember correct the pacu also have large teeth but like i said that is if I remember correctly and for the id shark I can see him maybe living in a ten gallon but his growth would have been stunted and I can't amagine he was to happy I still wouldn't keep one in a ten gallon

 

The easiest way to tell the difference is piranhas have a larger lower jaw than pacu.

However, your 10 gallon isn't large enough for either so I really suggest you return it anyway. Pacus get 2 feet long and almost as tall. They are also social fish and need to be in groups of at least 3. For 3 pacus, you would need at least 600 gallons.

Red bellied piranhas get around 12" and also do best in groups. A single piranha would need around 40 gallons, and 3 would need around 120.

Fish that would be more suitable for a 10 gallon would be guppies, smaller species of cory catfish, small tetras like neons, glowlights, etc, platies, dwarf gouramis, and oto catfish. 10 gallons is really a tiny tank so you probably won't be able to fit more than 5 or 6 fish in it at the most.

-Chelle

 

are the teeth tringular kinda of squarish? if they are squarish, it is a pacu.

 

I don't have the fish in a 10g tank Chelle, and never once in the post did I say that. The teeth are triangular.

 

Sorry about the 10 gallon thing. What size tank are they in?

Is the lower jaw big or small?

-Chelle

 

best bet would be to post a picture of you can...a sideview would hgelp me the most

 

Dont Pirahanas have triangle teeth?

 

grnlemonade how are you Flower Horns Doing?

 

I will try to get a pic of it but my hood light burned out 2 days ago and I have been unable to get to the store to replace it, not that the fish comes out in the light but still.

 

Hi CrazyTat2dChick, Do the fish have a slight overbite or does the lower jaw protrude?

 

It has more of an underbite

 

Hi CrazyTat2dChick, Lower jaw protruding is most likely Piranha. Slight overbite is probably a Pacu. At young ages it is hard to tell from the teeth. The easiest indicator is jaw structure.

 

Well how about what does it eat? What do you feed it? Are they bites clean and fast?