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Piranhas! Help!!!

6K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  lorax84 
#1 ·
Hi everyone. my brother is wanting to keep Red Bellied or Black Piranhas
I Just Want To Know Is This A Wise Move?
Hes 20 Years Old But Hasnt Had Any Experience With Any Tropical Fish.
All He Has Ever had was a goldfish when he was younger.

Any piranha info would be great
:|
 
#2 ·
They need a very large aquarium. There are two genera containing several species of fish commonly considered "piranha," the usual one available in stores (unfortunately) is Pygocentrus nattereri which attains 12 inches. Being a shoaling fish, it shouod be kept in a group, which would mean a 4-foot tank for six young fish (of the size normally seen in stores) but 6 feet or larger would very soon be needed in order for the fish to properly develop and grow healthily. This is not a fish for the home aquarium unless it can be given the space it deserves and properly cared for. Their behaviour is rather "embellished" usually, but they are an aggressive fish nonetheless.
 
#4 ·
i bet his brother wants to look cool and throw a baby pinky in and go.oh look the horror 0.0
am i right??? no offence i'm just joking.

Btw this fish isn't a beginer fish and you'll have to make sure pets in the house or kids don't stick anything into the tank ( meaning get a cover ) and 6 feet aquarium plus cover comes up to a lot of cash not to mention the filter system and gadgets to clean the tank as no hands should be in there scrubbing the walls unless you want to lose any fingers.so think twice before getting them.
 
#5 ·
i bet his brother wants to look cool and throw a baby pinky in and go.oh look the horror 0.0
am i right??? no offence i'm just joking.

Btw this fish isn't a beginer fish and you'll have to make sure pets in the house or kids don't stick anything into the tank ( meaning get a cover ) and 6 feet aquarium plus cover comes up to a lot of cash not to mention the filter system and gadgets to clean the tank as no hands should be in there scrubbing the walls unless you want to lose any fingers.so think twice before getting them.

I Am Female lol
And Also I Have Tried Telling My Brother All This And That Its Not A Good Idea To Start With But He Just Wont Listen So I Suppose Hes Gonna Have To Learn The Hard Way
Thnks Everyone :)
 
#6 ·
do tell us if he losses a finger lol JK you tried your best to advice him.be proud you've done your part =) sorry bout the gender mix up
 
#8 ·
^.^
 
#9 ·
It's very rare for anyone to get bitten by captive Piranhas, the only times it really happens is when they're being transported to other aquaria or feel threatened.

Piranhas are not begginer's fish but they're not particularly difficult to keep either, they just require ALOT of space and filtration. They also tend to be quite boring as has been said and the only time they're 'exciting' is when they're being fed. However, I love piranhas and keep a Spotted Piranha myself which I love but is very boring and timid most of the time.

The Black Piranha is a solitary Fish and cannot be kept with ANY other Fish, they get huge reaching nearly two feet in length so will need a massive tank...Awesome Fish though and they are very popular with Piranha keepers and are normally considered the ultimate Piranha.

Red Bellies are from a different genus (pygocentrus) and are shoalers so need a large tank because of that.

Don't understimate the level of filtration, water changes and related costs that come with large, carniverous Fish. You don't need any special knowledge, you just need deep pockets to set the tank up, space and a liking for doing water changes.

There are other species that are less hard work from the Serrasalmus genus, I would recommend S. Compressus or S.Marginatus if you're limited for space but will still need a 150 litre+ tank.
 
#10 ·
Keep in mind that in some places piranhas are illegal to keep.



If you like fish you can hand feed... piranhas aren't for you.;-)
 
#11 ·
i thought his brother got bitten when i saw a new post here... jk
 
#17 ·
example 1 foot tank 4 foot sump lmao... joking btw. filtration for large fish is half the tank size or more. 4 feet tank 2.5 to 3 feet of filtration.with 80% filter media in there and you get sparkle clean tanks. agreed ??? :-D
 
#18 ·
Agreed, that would be plenty. You can get away with smaller sumps but you need a really good flow rate and good maintenance.

For example I use two Eheim 2217's for my 6" Marginatus in a 150 litre tank. I also use a powerhead on a timer (on/off once a day) to clear the dead spots. I also do weekly 50% water changes and regularly clean the filters (one at a time).
 
#19 ·
for me larger sumps means more filtering, with bigger power heads = more flow rate. :-D HAPPY FISH :-D
 
#20 ·
I just wanted to say... NO aquarium should be placed where a pet can fall in.
I doubt the pirahnas would eat your cat, but my mom used to have a fish tank....

She left on vacation, told a friend to feed her bird, fish, and dog.
The friend didn't do it.

The bird escaped, tried to drink from the aquarium, fell in, and drowned.
The dead bird quickly killed all the fish.


If your brother wants some agressive fish, just set up a african rift lake aquarium.
Still need a large tank (about 90 gallons) and a good bit of filtration... but much more interesting and colorful fish.
 
#23 ·
Pirahna were the first fish I kept. I was in college and was a horrible fish keeper and they thrived the whole time. I kept 5 in a 55gal tall with two penguin biowheel 330's and did not do much else. Occasional (every 2 weeks or more) water changes and feeding was it.

If someone wants to keep them I always suggest that they keep Red Bellies as opposed to Blacks because the Red Bellies don't get quite as big. If they want them to be active I suggest feeding them a high quality diet. I started out feeding a lot of feeder fish (as I said I did not know better at the time) and they just floated in one spot. Once I started feeding more healthy food like beef heart and krill they became a good amount more active.
 
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