Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Red-bellied Piranha
Pygocentrus nattereri
Also called Red piranha
From South America: the Amazon, Paraguay-Paraná, Uruguay and Essequibo river basins and coastal rivers of north-eastern Brazil.123
A friendly guide, not veterinary advice. For anything about your pet's health, ask your vet.
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Deep-bodied serrasalmid with strong jaws
A sturdy, deep-bodied fish with a blunt head and a powerful bite. Adults are grey with silvery flecked scales on top and a red to orange belly, throat and paired fins. Young fish are silver with darker spots. Females tend to be a bit larger and rounder.243
Personality what they are like
More cautious than its reputation suggests. It lives in loose groups mainly for safety, settles into a pecking order, and is often shy in the aquarium. It is a species for experienced keepers and is best kept on its own or in a group of five or more without other fish.23
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Moderately active; larger fish are most active around dawn, dusk and at night.1
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Has very sharp teeth, so take care during tank maintenance. Strong filtration and regular water changes keep conditions good for this large, messy eater.13
Home where they are happiest
A very large aquarium, at least 240 x 90 cm footprint (about 1,300 litres) for a group, with plants and cover. Water 24-28 C, pH 5.5-7.5, hardness 2-12 dGH.31
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Omnivorous and opportunistic: fish, insects, worms, crustaceans, snails, plus fruit, seeds and plant matter. In captivity feed foods such as prawns, earthworms, bloodworm and fish pieces rather than live feeder fish or mammal meat.243
Company who they like around
Keep singly or in a group of at least five; juveniles shoal while adults form looser groups.3
The story where it all began
Austrian zoologist Rudolf Kner described the red-bellied piranha in 1858 and named it after the naturalist Johann Natterer, who collected in Brazil. Its fierce public image largely traces back to a staged feeding display shown to Theodore Roosevelt in Brazil in 1913.213
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Red-bellied piranhas talk to each other with sounds, including bark-like calls during face-offs and drum-like noises while competing for food.2
- 2
Teeth are replaced on alternate sides of the jaw, so the fish can keep feeding while new teeth grow in.1
- 3
Pairs build bowl-shaped nests about 15 cm across in the riverbed for their eggs.4
- 4
Much of its diet comes from scavenging, and it also eats fruit, seeds and plants.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Assessed as Least Concern (December 2020)1
- Legal status
- Keeping is prohibited in some places, for example California and Washington in the USA; check local rules before buying2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Red-bellied Piranha. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Feedingevery day
- Water changeAbout 30 to 50% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Filter rinseevery 2 weeks
You might also like
Red-bellied Pacu
Silver DollarLike what we are building? Buy Archy a bone.
All of this is free for everyone, with a source on every fact, and it will never show annoying ads. It was a big job to build, so if it helped you, buy Archy a bone. Any amount is lovely, and no is a perfectly fine answer too.
Archy is our Australian Cattle Dog and chief taste tester. Tips go to 4V3D OÜ, the small family studio behind Furry Diary.
Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Pygocentrus nattereri, FishBase fishbase.seused for distribution, max length and weight, water parameters, IUCN status, teeth, activity, author and etymology
- Red-bellied piranha, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for size, colours, history, sounds, diet, legal status
- Pygocentrus nattereri, Seriously Fish seriouslyfish.comused for origin, size, tank and water parameters, diet, behaviour, history
- Pygocentrus nattereri, Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.orgused for colours, diet, nesting
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.