WANTED: Good home for piranaha fish, with strong jaws and razor sharp teeth. Previous fish keeping experience not strictly neccessary.

An aquatic pet shop in County Durham has received a consignment of ten unusually large red-bellied piranhas.

The tropical fish were sold to Chilton Aquatics, in Chilton, by a customer who could no longer look after them.

Although not particularly rare, the piranhas are especially big, the largest of them about the size of a dinner plate.

Shop owner Nicola Roe said the fish have to be handled with care, adding: "You can't put your fingers in because they'll have them off. These seem quite tame, but I'm not risking it.

"You have to be careful with them because they can charge to the end of the tank and smash into it, so you have to put plants at either end to make them slow down. It has been known for them to smash a tank and kill themselves in the process."

Mrs Roe said the piranhas are fairly easy to care for, living on a diet of mainly mussels and lumpfish, although they are also partial to Spam and sausages.

The fish can be split up, but it would be better to keep them in large groups. Anyone who wants them will need to have a large tank with a good filtration system.

Anyone interested in the piranhas can contact Mrs Roe at Chilton Aquatics on (01388) 720203