Save these piranhas!

[Lareland]

Hey guys a not so smart hill jack friend of mine went out and bought a ten gallon tank for 3 4" (give or take) piranhas after I told him I wanted a piranha tank. After teaching him that this was a terrible idea he gave the fish to me because he felt bad and didn't want them to die. I put them in my already cycled 29 gallon tank that was ready for my other stocking plans until these guys showed up.

I absolutely love these fish. They are very interesting to watch. And very beautiful fish. I would love to keep them but need some help. I know they can't stay in this tank. They hide all day and haven't eaten hardly anything in about a week. For this reason I have a few feeders in there since I can't get them to eat anything else. They have only eaten one in a week and a half.

My questions are if I go buy a 55 gallon how long will that tank last these fish? I would be running a HOB penguin 350 filter and API Filstar XP-L canister filter both rated at 350 gph. Also what should I do about eating? And these fish hide ALL day. Will they open up with the bigger tank so I can actually enjoy these beautiful fish?

Thank you guys so much.

 

[Lareland]

Also I just shut my filter off for cleaning and they immediately came out from their caves, looked around and started exploring. It is a quiet filter so I don't see why they would act so drastically different.

 

[Dallascowboys16]

I would say for 4 red belly piranhas a 100 gallon tank is in order. They prefer subdued light along with some driftwood and tough leaved plants. Also strong filtration will be needed. I would look into multiple power filters or a canister. Also some circulation pumps should be used to simulate a light river current. Also I would stop feeding feeders as they are very low in nutrition and can introduce diseases to your fish. Look up piranha diet in aquarium for food ideas.

 

[Lareland]

Okay thank you for your opinion. Does anyone else have anything different or think he missed something? I have done lots of research already and it's extremely varied so I just wanted to get as many of your guys opinions as I could to try to make sure I take care of them right. Since I know many of you have been here before and have a great passion for this hobby.