# anyone keep piranhas



## tarantulamatt (Nov 12, 2009)

i have seen some in a fish shop and my grandad used to have one in a 6foot by 3 foot by 7 high with some over amazon fish like a red bellied catfish i think but does anyone keep them


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## russm (Aug 28, 2009)

I am sure quite a lot of poepl will keep them. They are quite common place in the trade now a days, especially the red belly ones. I personally have kept them a number of times in the past.


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## Dragon84 (Sep 20, 2009)

Red bellies usually do best in a group of 6+. They are also better off in a tank of their own, although there are a few fish that will live with them, common plecs etc. May i ask what are you wanting them for? 
If you want active and interesting fish then these aren't for you, they tend to spend most of their time moving very little or hiding. Alot of people think that a tank of piranha would be cool, however IME i find them to be one of the most boring fish around. If, however, you are really keen on keeping them then there's nothing to stop you. 
You'll find they'll shy away from you rather than try to attack you, during tank cleaning for example, unless you starve them when you put your hand in the tank, you'll find they'd rather swim away and hide. That is ofcourse providing your hand is not bleeding.:whistling2:

You WILL require a large filter as these are incredably messy eaters, and also due to the fact they'll be fed on high protein/ meaty diet heavy filtration is a must for these fish.

They would also benefit greatly from a heavily planted tank, generally speaking the more places they have to hide the more you'll see them.

All i can put on the subject for now as the boss is trying to get me to do some work:whistling2: PM me if you would like any more info.


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## alpharoyals (Nov 21, 2007)

No but they are the one thing that I have always wanted to keep but havent got the room, mind you I decided to set up a 100 gallon marine tank so that might be one reason why I dont have room :lol2:


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## tarantulamatt (Nov 12, 2009)

thanks guys what size tank would they need i no big but how big


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## cbarnes1987 (Feb 2, 2010)

tarantulamatt said:


> a red bellied catfish


no

red bellied piranhas yes

really dirty eaters, had a shoal but sold them last week and got an albino oscar cichlid instead. rebp's are definitley not beginners fish just due to the fact that they have no problems with eating each other when bored:devil:. keep 10 in a 250litre tank, best filtration you can afford, preferably an external canister filter... oh and keep them well fed on baitfish... and keeps hands out of the water!:lol2:


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## tarantulamatt (Nov 12, 2009)

lol yeah it was a red tailed catfish 

yeah im my dads house he has a massive external filter and i have a internal filter a fluval sorry spelling the fluval is the second largest you can get works perfect

and sorry i dont use L i use gallons sorry so a tank, ex filter, in filter, gravel, heater, plants, fish:mf_dribble:


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## dragonsnake (Jan 17, 2010)

red tail cat = one huge fish very unwise choice unless you have a heated indoor aquipond 

red bellies = cool untill novelty wears off at least a group of six and a 8ft tank 

sorry but seen to many folk buy these "show off fish" then realise they are hard work and big when grown bit like boa's and rottweilers i'm afraid :banghead:


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## HalcyonInverts (Jul 22, 2009)

I look after a big piranha display at a public aquarium, i currently have 6 full grown red bellies and they are docile fish. look nice, but have lost any aggression shown as juvies. The public are always dissapointed during feeds as they expect to see 'skeletonisation'. It dosnt work like that.

If you want a fish that grows big, hides alot, and is generally a massive wuss, then get a red belly! Oh and they make alot of mess...


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## tarantulamatt (Nov 12, 2009)

with the red tailed catfish it came with the tank and + i didnt no much about it he has been died for 3 years

and hi mate what sort of tank size are we looking at i no big but how big and yeah i no the filteration


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## mrblue2008 (Jan 27, 2009)

my dad had piranhas for years then one day they all turned on each other and actually ripped the skin of one of them! we have never known why this happend but it was really scary, they had lived together for years & got on so well until that day,

the one that was badly hurt was fine but lost an eye! anyone no why?


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## tarantulamatt (Nov 12, 2009)

well what probs happened was that was a week one and they will turn on week fish


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## Riff (Nov 12, 2009)

I keep Piranha, all mine are kept by themselves, shoals are good but tank cleaning is constant.


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## The Chillinator (Jun 26, 2008)

cbarnes1987 said:


> no
> 
> red bellied piranhas yes
> 
> really dirty eaters, had a shoal but sold them last week and got an albino oscar cichlid instead. rebp's are definitley not beginners fish just due to the fact that they have no problems with eating each other when bored:devil:. keep 10 in a 250 *gallon* tank, best filtration you can afford, preferably an external canister filter... oh and keep them well fed on baitfish... and keeps hands out of the water!:lol2:


That's more like it, remember, that while these things are generally inactive, they can reach 20cm/8" in length and still need a big tank.


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## storm22 (Jan 11, 2009)

iirc now others will jump in here i'm sure, a black rhom is a very aggressive species and again iirc they are kept alone

for interesting aggressive fish fresh water puffers have always intreigued (sp) me effective hunters and nowhere near as shy


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## strictly_scales (Sep 10, 2008)

I have a group of 5 RBP's, all rescues, who live in a 300 litre Tank with a mixed shoal of small Tetra, some Corydoras cats and some Amano Shrimp, in a fully planted Amazonian Style tank. There are 3 filters on the tank to ease maintenance, 2 external cans and an internal. 

I personally love them, and I find their social behaviour really quite interesting, but it has taken the best part of 2 years for me to really start to understand how they behave, as they are incredibly shy. 

Keeping is damn easy, but you are looking at a sizeable tank with a lot of maintenance for a group of fish that will spook as soon as they see you, so for many they are a waste of space. Rest assured they will never do what the media informs us they will do- if you are patient and lucky you may be able to see some very interesting social behaviour- if you want instant results go for Malawi's or Oscars


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## thePuppetMaster (Feb 13, 2010)

i have 4 RBPs that i keep in a 55 gal planted tank with two 10 gal filters, and do a 10% water change about once every 3-4 months. for tankmates, i have a chocolate placo, striped rapheal, and a spoted rapheal catfishes. they have been doing very well at cleaning up the leftover of the piranhas. the RBPs are somewhat timid, but i do occasionally put my hand in the tank and pet them. i see them just as fascinating today as i did the day i brought them home.


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## Luca Brasi (Feb 7, 2010)

dragonsnake said:


> red tail cat = one huge fish very unwise choice unless you have a heated indoor aquipond
> 
> red bellies = cool untill novelty wears off at least a group of six and a 8ft tank
> 
> sorry but seen to many folk buy these "show off fish" then realise they are hard work and big when grown bit like boa's and rottweilers i'm afraid :banghead:


They're not hard work. They're very easy to keep as long as you have good filtration and equally important, a good housekeeping routine to maintain quality. They need a good sized tank for sure but 8' is on the excessive size and they can be housed in a 6 footer with success.

I don't know why you call them "show off fish" though? Piranha are quite boring in captivity. Their fearsome reputation is grossly exaggerated in the wild. And they can be quite skittish in a home aquarium. I've had my hands in piranha tanks lots of times and only ever been bitten once by a tiny 1" red belly. The larger fish stay well away.

A Mystus wykii (Crystal eyed catfish) is probably what most piranha and wannabee piranha keepers are really looking for.


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## dragonsnake (Jan 17, 2010)

blimey talk about hard work :lol2:

i meant that without the right filtration etc they are hard work they are also hard work with regard to them being skittish (the rb's) and hiding (the rtc's) 

and show off fish because as if you should know if you've been around fish as long as you say you will of no doubt come accross the scenario of the i want the "big catfish" buyers who think its cool to own a big fish without understanding the implications or the i wish i was a bond baddy types who think piranhas will have yer hand stripped to the bone in seconds and that gives em kudos :gasp:

take a look on all the usual sites (pre-loved/ebay/etc) and see how many folk are trying to sell or rehome these type of fish along with those who have bought cute little Pangasius cats only to realise they have bought well you should know the rest 

and yep thats why CERTAIN folk buy boas/retics/conda's/staffies/dobermans etc etc :whistling2:

edit taken from badmans trop fish site : Although they appear quite robust, they are not an easy specimen to keep. Even in a very large aquarium an acclimated fish can suddenly become aggressive. The tails of their own species and of larger fish will be bitten off, causing possible disease threats. They can be fed worms and young specimens will take other live food as well. Their water should be soft and Acidic, with a good amount of water movement in the tank. The temperature should be in the range of 75 to 80 °F.

and as thr OP sounds like a new keeper maybe not the best fish for a noob to keep?


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## Luca Brasi (Feb 7, 2010)

dragonsnake said:


> blimey talk about hard work :lol2:
> 
> i meant that without the right filtration etc they are hard work they are also hard work with regard to them being skittish (the rb's) and hiding (the rtc's)
> 
> ...


Not seen any remove the tails of their tank mates but they do have a nasty habit of biting each others eyes out. I can imagine it happening though. I've met the type of people you mention on more occasions than I care to remember. I can't post on MFK any more as it's full of such people (With a couple of genuine very knowledgable people though, I might add).


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## dragonsnake (Jan 17, 2010)

yep MFK the home of the "i want the biggest bad ass fish" question :bash:

and too be honest i thought thats maybe what this thread was MAYBE going to be :whistling2:


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## simonas (Apr 12, 2008)

cbarnes1987 said:


> no
> 
> :devil:. keep 10 in a 250litre tank, best filtration you can afford, preferably an external canister filter..r!:lol2:


250 litres far too small for 10 red bellies


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## simonas (Apr 12, 2008)

I;m a newbie to piranhas but not too fish
Tried these for the first time at xmas bought nine babies for my 150gallon tank
I;m enjoying them so far thebabies are bold when you are still but skittish when I move

I underestimated the waste these fish make though, I though 9 tiny fish in a big tank won;t need that much care but my figures were far too high and I;ve started cleaning far more. In some respects they need maintenance as much as my previous rays and discus!!

I;m looking forward to them growing though and I;ve bought them as an enthisast who likes the look of them rather than to tear stuff up


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## simonas (Apr 12, 2008)

strictly_scales said:


> I have a group of 5 RBP's, all rescues, who live in a 300 litre Tank with a mixed shoal of small Tetra, some Corydoras cats and some Amano Shrimp, in a fully planted Amazonian Style tank. There are 3 filters on the tank to ease maintenance, 2 external cans and an internal.
> 
> I personally love them, and I find their social behaviour really quite interesting, but it has taken the best part of 2 years for me to really start to understand how they behave, as they are incredibly shy.
> 
> Keeping is damn easy, but you are looking at a sizeable tank with a lot of maintenance for a group of fish that will spook as soon as they see you, so for many they are a waste of space. Rest assured they will never do what the media informs us they will do- if you are patient and lucky you may be able to see some very interesting social behaviour- if you want instant results go for Malawi's or Oscars


 
your set up sounds interesting , any pics?

how big are the RBP's? have you lost any corys or tetras?


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## thePuppetMaster (Feb 13, 2010)

With the exception of being afraid of my placo, my red bellies are fairly fierce creatures. Imma gonna try to get video of my next feeding time to show. earlier tonight, one of my lil rapheals came out to munch on their messy leftovers. He reminded me of a tug boat: workin hard, but goin no where fast.


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## simonas (Apr 12, 2008)

My piranhas
9 in a 150g tank
all from 4-5 inches at moment


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## soupdragon10 (Jul 27, 2008)

I have two red bellies that I rescued about 3 years ago as they were living in a very small tank and the guy had small children! I'm not a newbie fishkeeper having had large cichlids and snakeheads in the past so was aware of the filter requirements - very large canister filters are the only option in my opinion with the amount of waste these guys throw out.

If you don't want your fish to be forever on the go then piranha might suit you. However if you want a tank with plenty of interest then they might not be for you.


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