In certain States in North America, the keeping of Serrasalmus nattereri, the Red Piranha, is illegal. This is to prevent irresponsible hobbyists releasing specimens that have out grown their tanks, or are no longer wanted, into local waterways where they can multiply and prey on indigenous fish.

The table below indicates the legal status for keeping Serrasalmus nattereri in the USA. Generally speaking, for all other US states, the keeping of this fish is perfectly legal because the temperature in local waters is too low to for the fish to breed or survive. Please be a responsible fish keeper and double check with the Department of Wildlife before making a purchase as laws may have changed since this page was uploaded.

In many states, although is illegal to keep Serrasalmus nattereri, retailers may still offer this fish for sale. Serrasalmus nattereri can vary greatly in colour and juveniles forms differ considerably from the adults therefore positive identification can be difficult. Serrasalmus nattereri may sometimes labelled as a pacu or incorrectly as another legal species.