Dewey lake piranha

[MagikSmallie]

http://floydcountytimes.com/bookmark/9427668

A little overhyped, it was someone's pet and it was dead.

[Tim_T]

I agree it was overhyped, but I would have liked to see the look on his face when he saw what it was!

[jamwerx]

did it eat the guys other arm?

[Jbyrd]

Ok the article said they eat only nuts and berries. Wonder what he was using for bait , peanuts ??? lol

[JD7.62]

Pacu piranha?! WTF?

Pacu are NOT piranha. I sure as hell hope the term was made up by the writer and not the biologist as that is just ignorance!

Pacu are related to piranhas just as much as neon tetras are.

[the_donger]

Actually, pacus and piranhas are cousins, very closely related and hard to tell apart.

http://www.helium.com/items/1437518-...ranha-and-pacu

[the_donger]

Some pacus are omnivorous, eating bugs and other small bits of meat that might come their way.

[rooster]

just saw the same fish. was said to have been caught at percy preist lake in tenn. on the nashville news last night
dave

[JD7.62]

Actually, pacus and piranhas are cousins, very closely related and hard to tell apart.

http://www.helium.com/items/1437518-...ranha-and-pacu

I know my way around a fish or two... Especially characins.

Characiformes were at one time my favorite order of fish, I however was drawn to the larger, more predatory genras such as hydrolycus, hydrocynus, serrasalmus, pygocentrus, hoplias and salminus species.

Any so called "biologist" should be able to EASILY tell a piranha rather a serra or pygo species apart from a pacu.

[kygorski]

nothing like confusing the multitude with facts.

[12VoltMan]

Pacu piranha?! WTF?

Pacu are NOT piranha. I sure as hell hope the term was made up by the writer and not the biologist as that is just ignorance!

Pacu are related to piranhas just as much as neon tetras are.

Piranhas are teteras.

[JD7.62]

Correct, piranha are "tetras." All tetras are characins (lately there has been some division in the order but I dont really want to get into that) and all characins have teeth and adipose fins, ok all but a few species have adipose fins.

If you guys want to check out some really COOL fish that are characins/tetras that make piranhas look like guppies, google image search the species listed below. Contrary to popular belief, piranhas rarely get larger then 10" and most piranha do not hunt and kill their prey, rather they sit and wait for a large fish such as a big red tail cat to swim by when they then will dart out and take a little nip out of the fin. The nip will heal very quickly and causes no harm to the "prey" , neat huh?

Anyhow the fish to look up which are all legal in KY where as piranha are not...keep that in mind...

Hydrolycus armatus

Hydrocynus goliath

Hoplias amira

Salminus maxilosus

Sorry guys, I get too excited when it comes to exotics sometimes. When ever I get the chance I like to try and introduce some cool fish and dispell some myths about exotics to fellow fish people. Afterall, we are all fisherman here so we all at least are somewhat interested in the fish themselves...I hope!!