Red Belly Piranha Questions

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Boro25

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 8, 2018
Messages
38
As of rite now i was wanting to know what happen if i only keep one in a 55 gal tank and and jus put fish incests and food in tank for it

Filters im reading alot about how there really messy if doing the above situation how should i go about this and what types any ideas

Actual findin habits like could i leave feeder fish in the tank at all times or can they be fed so much and it be spaced out for so long

I got no pics obviously im tryin to figure things out before i get one
 
Piranhas used to be sold in my area when I was a kid. They have since been outlawed.
Even when they were legal, piranhas never really caught on. Don't expect a bold flambouant predator. Piranhas are shy and skittish, laying low in the tank most of the time.
Feeder fish aren't a good idea, disease eventually results.
Before you take the plunge, research the Bucktooth Tetra (Exodons). They are mean little piranha like predators, which a school of 10 would be a lot more entertaining and size appropriate.
 
But than I can’t say I have a piranha ... I’m set on my fish no matter wat and iv even considered external canister filters for double size tank to be safe I’m using this in hopes to get advice to do this right as cheap and small scale as possible at the same time not get talked out of it
 
You can do a single piranha in a 55g. Although, they are a shoaling fish by nature and run in fairly large groups. That being said, eventually I would get at least a 120g and put them in a group as they are intended.

You could get away with running HOB's on your 55 with regular weekly water changes and gravel vacs if you are worried about the mess they make.

If you are set on feeder fish I would get a separate 20g long tank and stock it heavily with feeder guppies. I'd imagine an adult piranha would consume several a day. Might get spendy plus you have to worry about your piranha contracting a possible disease from your feeder fish. I guess that's a risk you take if you wish to watch it hunt it's food. There's several frozen foods you can feed such as prawns, fish and beef heart. A single piranha can eat up to 1/8th of there body weight daily!! An adult can weigh between 4-8 pounds.

I once was set on keeping bass in an aquarium until I found out how much they eat and the requirements they needed for me to keep them and thrive. I wouldn't mind following through on the idea but it requires a very large tank and filtration system. I think you will find you will also be in that same boat.
 
I'm not trying to talk you out of anything. if you get your dream piranha I hope things go smoothly. I'm just trying to help by providing information about the likely behavior of a solo piranha in a relatively small tank.
The piranha will probably hide or remain stationary most of the day. No tankmates. Sooner or later he might even take a nip out of your siphon or finger.
King Fisher, did a great job summing up the general upkeep of a piranha.
There are a few members on the MFK Forum that keep piranhas that probably can guide you in the right direction.
Might not be a good idea to mention the piranha as being your "status" fish.
 
Ok sorry on late response I’m gettin a bigger tank later down the road but iv decided to get multiple of em so there is tank mates ... I am curious thou why can’t I say it’s my “status” fish and what does that even mean
 
I think things will work better for you with a much larger tank and a school rather than a solo.
Your quote "Then I can't say I have a Piranha" might raise a few eyebrows in certain circles of predatory fish keepers. To announce that you're putting that type of fish in an inadequate setup will only invite unpleasant critisisim, in other words they will "torch" you.
I'm not the fish forum police and I'm not going to judge your piranha keeping plans. I wish you success. I've successfully kept many different varieties of large Characins over the years.
The best advice I can give you is:
- Five foot tank or longer
- Twice the standard filtration
- Driftwood, Characins like dark water

Thats pretty much the basics. Experienced piranha keepers will be able to provide feeding strategies.
Be sure to post pics when things are up and running.
 
Ok makes since I prob could have worded that better and I planned on it bigger tank and filtration driftwood is the first iv heard I’ll look into it
 
What they said. And they are skittish but their personalities come out when they are happy. Harder to get that when in a big group seems like they are always on edge. They don’t like a lot of stuff going on in the room with the tank, bright lights, jacking with decorations, or even the placement or looks of some decorations/plants/equipment. Keep your wires for heaters out of harms way. Airlines are chewy like worms. I only feed till they start spitting it in and out. Any more and you’ll just be making a mess
 
I made changes to my setup and haven’t got em yet that sounds perfect for where they will be the only activity will be is me i plan on gettin in couple months do got a question bout substrate iv already got a lot of the lil rock stuff on hand will that be fine or no ... I’ll be lookin more into this again win I actually get closer to doin it
 
I think that’s just personal preference. I’ve kept them in bare bottom, sand, and gravel. At this time I am using dirt capped with gravel. Might be different for breeding them.
 
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