Amazon Rainforest is large, tropical rainforest that occupying the drainage basin of the Amazon River and its tributaries in northern South America, and covering an area of 2,300,000 square miles (6,000,000 square km). The nine nations that have the Amazon rainforest in their borders are Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Tropical forests have been present in South America for millions of years and were at one point spread over most of the continent. It only cover about 6% of the Earth’s surface, but they are home to more than half the world’s total plant and animal species. The rainforests have begun to be destroyed in the last 100 years to make way for farm land. Today, the rainforests are being destroyed by 1.5 acres every second. It is believed that there may still be as many as 50 Amazon native tribes living in the rainforest that have never been in contact with the rest of the world. There were an estimated ten million Indians living in the Amazonian forest five centuries ago. Today there are less than 200,000.

credit: CIAT            Pics by Neil Palme

Piranhas are a carnivorous fish from South America, which have a fearsome reputation. They are very aggressive fish and cannot be kept in a community tank. They will attack and eat the other fish. Piranhas have very sharp teeth and strong jaws. The red-bellied piranha can reach a size of 11-12 inches (28-30 cm) in length. Your tank should measure at least 60 x 24 x 24 inches (150 x 60 x 60 cm). A piranha tank needs extra filtration. Best alternative is using one internal and one external filter to keep water clear in same time. Tank should be planted with lots of cover, becouse piranhas do not like bright tanks. The water temperature should be about 79°F (26°C). The pH should be around 6.6. Baby Red Belly Piranhas can fed about 2 to 3 times a day. As they get older you can slow down to about once every other day would be best. Frozen foods are best, like bloodworms, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, beefheart…