Redhook

Care at a glance

Overview

Despite the piranha-family ties these are peaceful schooling fish that need a group of at least five or six and a large tank, 265 liters or more, with strong filtration. They swim in the middle and are skittish, so a group and a calm location keep them from crashing into the glass. Feed mostly plant matter like blanched vegetables, spirulina, and quality pellets, with only occasional protein. They will shred soft plants, so use tough species or none.

In the wild

Redhooks come from South American rivers in the Amazon region, ranging through open water and flooded areas where they feed heavily on plants and fallen fruit. The water is soft and runs acidic to neutral. They are big, active swimmers, so the tank needs length and open room more than fine decor. Keep the pH from 5.5 to 7.5 and temps in the low to mid 20s C, and use any plants knowing they may get eaten.

Good to know

This is a serrasalmid in the family Serrasalmidae, a relative of pacus and silver dollars, reaching about 25 cm. The name comes from the red, hook-shaped front edge of the anal fin, brightest in mature males. It is mainly a plant and fruit eater with strong crushing teeth, and there is no real captive breeding record for home tanks.

Did you know

They are closely related to pacus and, like them, are seed and fruit eaters that swallow and spread seeds in flooded forest, acting as part of the forest's natural planting cycle. Their flat, almost human-like crushing teeth are a giveaway that this is a vegetarian cousin of the piranha, not a meat hunter.

Related species

• Spotted metynnis

  Metynnis maculatus

  7.1 in (18 cm)92 gal (350 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Disk tetra

  Myleus schomburgkii

  15.7 in (40 cm)170 gal (645 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Spotted silver dollar

  Metynnis lippincottianus

  5.5 in (14 cm)53 gal (200 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Red-bellied Piranha

  Pygocentrus nattereri

  12.6 in (32 cm)160 gal (605 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
• Black piranha

  Serrasalmus rhombeus

  15.7 in (40 cm)106 gal (400 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Wimple piranha

  Catoprion mento

  5.9 in (15 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)