All fish / Serrasalmidae

Wimple Piranha

Catoprion mento

Also known as wimple piranha, wimple pirahna, scale-eating piranha, mento piranha, catoprion, カトプリオン・メントー, 鳞食食人鱼, 旗鳍食人鱼

A deep-bodied silver piranha with a reddish throat and gill area, an undershot jaw and long trailing extensions on the dorsal and anal fins. It specialises in eating scales knocked off other fish, which makes it a fascinating oddity for keen characin and piranha enthusiasts.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

13 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

5.5 to 7

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

Alone or in a group of 5 or more in a large tank

Diet

Carnivore: eats fish scales in the wild; offer frozen mysis, krill, bloodworm, earthworms and quality sinking pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 10 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo and Paraguay basins; Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Guyana

Breeding

Not reliably bred in home aquariums; most specimens are wild caught. Little is known about its spawning beyond it being an egg scatterer.

Good to know

It will strip scales from tankmates, so keep it alone, with its own kind, or with robust fast fish, and expect some squabbling within groups. Piranha ownership is restricted or banned in some places, including several US states, so check local rules.