# Piranha Tank Setup



## plakat (Mar 2, 2008)

1. no
2. depends were you get them
3. fresh..
4. no


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

1. no
2. depends were you get them
3. fresh..
4. no

dude, TANKd, u can barely even have a pair of rams in that size tank, i suggest u research a LOT more


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## CaffeinatedCake (Jun 19, 2008)

1. No. You could maybe house one young red belly in there, but three is insainly over stocked, not to mention they grow to be around a foot each. for Three, you'd want around 50+ gallons[the larger the better!], they need enough room to swim and NOT bite each others tails off, which can leave them open to infections. Also you need a pretty heavy duty filter, they're messy when they eat, and their waste, so you'd want somthing around 1.5 to 2 times the norm for your tank size.

You want to give them plenty of room, and longer tanks are better then tall tanks, as it'll keep your death toll down in younger piranha. It's normally around 20g per fish, but that doesn't say much if you've got a tall tank, since they need plenty of room.

"The minimum recommended aquarium size for a group of for 3 fish is 48x20" (120x50cm.), 60x24" (150x60cm.) for a group of 4-5 fish, bigger still for a larger group."

2.Depends on your stores, I guess. A LFS near me was selling them a few weeks back for around 15-20$ each.

3.Freshwater, they're found South America, Brazil, etc, even some man made lakes. 

4. They CAN reproduce, of course, but they're INSAINLY hard to get to do so and requires a lot of room and dedication, and you have to pay attention to a school [suggested around 5+ to have the chance of getting a mating pair] to see if anyone has paired off and showed signs of breeding.

Of course if you're seriously concidering breeding Piranhas you'll need two+ tank set ups, and lots of research.


Edit:

PS.

Like they said, you should do research with any fish you get so you can provide the proper home


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

fishman9809 said:


> 1. no
> 2. depends were you get them
> 3. fresh..
> 4. no
> ...


exactly. piranhas need a huge tank.


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## fishsandwitch (Apr 20, 2008)

no offense, but if you dont even know if they are fresh or saltwater, google should be your first stop...


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## Aquarist_Fist (Jul 22, 2008)

...and keep in mind that piranhas are illegal in many U.S. states.


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## markopolo (Jun 2, 2008)

and very expensive they need a large species only tank with a high protein diet feeder fish red meat etc. also because of this high protein diet they need a very efficient filtration system which can be quite costly and oh yeh they bite you if they get freaked​


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## Natty (Apr 2, 2008)

fishsandwitch said:


> no offense, but if you dont even know if they are fresh or saltwater, google should be your first stop...


For real, hahahaha!



Aquarist_Fist said:


> ...and keep in mind that piranhas are illegal in many U.S. states.


True that, I can't get them here in CA. Tried. 

However, there are people that are willing to ship it to you nonetheless, either for an extra fee or because they just don't know it.


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## Guest (Jul 31, 2008)

TANKd said:


> I have a few questions about setting up a piranha tank in the future.
> 1. will 3 piranhas fit a 15g tank?
> 2. how much are Red Bellied Piranhas each?
> 3. Are Red Bellied Piranhas freshwater or saltwater? If they are not freshwater, tell me several piranha species that are freshwater.
> ...


1. No way a sure fight will break out.
2. I bought mine before for only a couple dollars each.
3. Freshwater
4. You have a better chance of laying a golden egg.

15g tank is way to small. I had a single Black Piranha in a 55g and had to move him to a 125g. In having both red bellied and black before I would go with a black again. 

They are both evil but a black has to be left alone and will kill everything in sight just for fun. A red bellied when fed well can live with other fish where as a black cant. Good luck on what ever you chose but be sure you will need a huge tank when they get older.


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

I have a serious issue answering any of these questions about keeping piranhas for someone that obviously knows nothing about the fish.

Putting you and piranhas in the same room would be asking for serious issues.

Piranhas are not a beginners fish.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Keep the thread on topic please.


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## Mangala (Jul 23, 2006)

I had heard (and you'll want to do some research on this) but I had heard that red bellied piranhas need to be in a school of at least 6 or they'll turn on each other and rip each other to shreds as they grow. I'd recommend a good 120g tank and a lot more research on their habits and needs. 

If you're just looking for a violent fish, you can get a silver arowana - but they also need a huge tank. lol... Pretty much any really violent fish is going to need a huge tank... Like, if I had a huge tank, I'd get an eel of some kind. 

[edit:] basket full of puppies.


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## Dolphin Dip (Jul 31, 2008)

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2007.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=3&id=74

That is a picture of a world class piranha setup. Even so, 15 gallons won't be near enough. Just to clarify, you're sure you were looking at piranhas and not pacu?


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## ColeMan (Mar 9, 2008)

:icon_roll esta no bueno. I think, as mentioned, you should reconsider your venture into piranha keeping.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Natty said:


> I can't get them here in CA. Tried.


Try Whimples. they do not get as big and more suited for planted tanks.
And they are legal in CA.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Dolphin Dip said:


> http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2007.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=3&id=74
> 
> That is a picture of a world class piranha setup. Even so, 15 gallons won't be near enough. Just to clarify, you're sure you were looking at piranhas and not pacu?


Pacu? Why talk about pacu... A full grown adult would have trouble being STUFFED into a 15g tank, let alone kept alive...


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## Dolphin Dip (Jul 31, 2008)

over_stocked said:


> Pacu? Why talk about pacu... A full grown adult would have trouble being STUFFED into a 15g tank, let alone kept alive...


I wasn't implying that a pacu would. I was suggesting a legal, less demanding fish, that the original poster may have seen at a lfs and misidentified.


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## TANKd (Jul 28, 2008)

I'm not a beginner, i have experience with fish, what is pacu and are they aggressive? (i'll research alright).


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2008)

TANKd said:


> I'm not a beginner, i have experience with fish, what is pacu and are they aggressive? (i'll research alright).


I wouldnt even look into them either cause they are not a fish for a 15g. I wouldnt even put them in my 55g no more as seeing how big they got for me in my 125g before.


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## TANKd (Jul 28, 2008)

Whimples? piranhas? whimples? i'll look that up.


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## TANKd (Jul 28, 2008)

Ok, red bellies not good, or wimples. any good species, beautiful colors 10 cm (max size)?


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

i hope you are not still considering pirahnas, anyway, try gouramis, they have nice color and are not big.


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## TANKd (Jul 28, 2008)

Actually, I'm thinking about a 15g cichlid tank...any ideas on what kind of cichlids i should get? because i want really really cool cichlids like for ex. a black cichlid with very skinny white lines all over. please give me some images, because i'm having a little difficulty researching.


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_10g.php


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## TANKd (Jul 28, 2008)

just letting you know, but i gave an exampole, a cichlid (black) with skinny white lines all over. not plain too bright cichlids, i like dark with cool dark colors and stripes (very skinny) or (thick, i like skinny the most).


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

TANKd said:


> just letting you know, but i gave an exampole, a cichlid (black) with skinny white lines all over. not plain too bright cichlids, i like dark with cool dark colors and stripes (very skinny) or (thick, i like skinny the most).


Tell me the name and I will get you some pics.


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## TANKd (Jul 28, 2008)

Ok, this is the link i saw the type of cichlid.
http://video.google.com/videosearch...en&sitesearch=#q=piranha eating cichlid&hl=en when you're watching keep waiting and you'll get a close look of the cichlid, it's the video screen, click on it " babygirl and taz fighting."


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## TANKd (Jul 28, 2008)

Another example of what i also would like.
look at the yellow striped only


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

well u arent gonna get that, the link i showed u is about all you can do


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## TANKd (Jul 28, 2008)

? Oh really ? i'm not using a 10 gallon tank, instead of 15 gallons, I'm gonna go for 20 gallons, a 20g *LONG* tank


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

well you cant follow the requirements then, you cant have any dither fish then, only your cichlids.


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## TANKd (Jul 28, 2008)

I know, cichlids are aggressive towards other types of fish other than cichlids, that is why, I plan for a cichlid tank instead of a piranha tank.


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

You need to think smaller, much smaller if all you have to work with is a 15. Also, u have PM.


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## DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR (Apr 25, 2008)

take a look at this: http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=marliericichlid


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## zachxbass (Jul 6, 2008)

your tank may be too small, but belonesox are cool aggressive fish... males get to around 4-5 inches long, and females get to around 7 inches. They basically look like little barracudas. Have to feed them live fish though.


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## phatpanduh (Feb 17, 2008)

Piranhas to Pacu to Cichlids.... You need to slow down and really do some research and figure out what you can manage to keep. Your wasting everyone's time by jumping from on bad idea to another. So take a deep breath and research and then ask intelligent questions. G'luk to ya


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## addo (Apr 20, 2007)

Take it easy on the guy, at least he asks questions before he byes his fish, witch is more than most newbies do.


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## die2win (Aug 10, 2008)

_Pygocentrus nattereri_ Red Bellied P

These small fish have the reputation of being one of the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. As their name suggests they have a reddish tinge to the belly and spots also find the in the genus Serrasalmus . They grow to a maximum of 33 cm and a weight of 3.5 kg.

Unless it's legal in your state and you have a huge budget I'd stay away from these fish. You'll regret it


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## sNApple (Nov 6, 2005)

here

http://www.piranha-fury.com/


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## kornphlake (Dec 4, 2007)

Dicrosus Filamentosus AKA checkerboard cichlid would be a good one for a small tank. You'll only have room for a pair and a half dozen small tetras. They aren't very agressive though if that's what your after.

Contrary to popular opinion not all cichlids are hyper agressive, usually agression is limited to conspecific agression, meaning cichlids will only fight with other cichlids that are the same species or look very similar. You need to understand what fish you are keeping to determine how many you can keep and what sexes, some species are best kept as a single M/F pair others will do best with multiple females to one male, in other cases you want several M/F pairs. 

You might be able to get away with a pair of Convicts in a 15 gallon tank, it's definately doable in a 20g long. With Convicts you will have fry if that's what you are after. They are probably the easiest species to breed and can get very agressive when spawning. A member of the fish club said she put some convict juvies in her piranah tank as feeders but a few survived and grew to maturity then started mating. When they were in psycho agressive breeding mode a pair of Convicts would keep 10 or so piranahs pushed into one half of the tank and claim the other half for themselves and their little babies.

A pair of Pelvichromis Pulcher AKA Kribensis would be another option, they are an east african cichlid (not a rift lake cichlid) that will stay small and is easy to breed but are not as agressive as Convicts. They are a little more colorful than convicts too, the females in full breeding colors can be really pretty fish.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Many Roeboides species are small, ugly and will destroy piranhas. I would get at least 30-45gl for them though, or they will probably destroy each other one by one. You'll most likely need to get them through sellers at monsterfishkeepers or aquaticpredators.com.


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