New Piranhas

[timbruun]

i picked up 4 red belly piranhas 3 days ago and they have been doing really well. just wondering if there was a good way to get them to be less shy. the only thing that i've seen them eat are algae wafers. they're much more interested in food that sinks and don't even bother going for floating food. during the day they just sit behind a rock but at night they seem much more active if i can watch them with the lights dim since i don't like spooking them by turning the lights on bright.so i'm goign to go get some sinking pellets soon and try that. but i would still like them to be more active and swim around. unless it's just a settling in thing and after a little bit they'll get better. thanks in advance


EDIT and i forgot to mention i have lots of cover in the aquarium. lots of fake plants and a few nice fake rocks. but i've heard that some people get them to be more active by having an aquarium without much cover.

 

[Davo86]

With species like this it can take one to two weeks before they start to act normally,
What tanksize do you have them in?
What have you tried feeding?

 

[Curiosity101]

What size tank are they in?

Was it cycled prior to adding them?

And you haven't fed them anything meaty? They are carinvores and so need to be fed bits of fish, prawn, mussels etc.

 

[timbruun]

they are currently in a 55 gal tank as they are only 1.5 inches or so. i didn't cycle the tank properly before but it go cloudy in a day and the next day it's crystal clear. all the levels are good. i've tried feeding them pellets, i forget the brand, and freeze dried brine shrimp and also like i said a couple algae wafers that i caught them ripping apart after if softened up a bit.

 

[Curiosity101]

What are the actual water stats...

It seems odd that it'd go cloudy and then clear within a day...Presuming the cloudiness was a bacterial bloom.

So you haven't tried feeding them anything actually meat based then?

 

[timbruun]

i'd have to get the stats later since i'm not at home. and no nothing meat based yet. i was told to wait a few days and every once in a while since they are small to give them a bit of either beef or white fish meat as a treat

 

[Curiosity101]

Well here is a link with alot of info about pirahna keeping
http/www.piranha-info.com/default.php?la...n&id=page_2

And I disagree that they should only be given meaty foods as a treat. They should only be given very small portions as they are only young. But it should still be a mainly meaty diet.
Avoiding feeding things that are too high in fat.

As for getting them too come out more often. I'd suggest lots of floating plants and just leaving them to it. They've only been in the tank 3 days. It could take them weeks to settle properly.

 

[timbruun]

k. i'll for sure try more meaty diet. and see what happens in a coupel weeks. thanks for the replies

 

[jonny_dw]

juvenile red bellies at that size will hide alot. They only get bolder at around 6" or so but generally tank bred reds are always shy and skittish, wild reds or caribe are alot more outgoing.


At that size you want to be getting them on to bits of chopped prawn, mussel etc. You can try giving them pellets but it takes time and training usually to get them to accept, is great for their colour if you can though, try hikari gold cichlid pellets but only as a supplement to a fish based diet.

Dim the lights down or add floating plants, will help them feel settled or you could also try coloured lighting, I find blue a good colour to use.

Has the tank been cycled and what filtration you using?

 

[timbruun]

actually i keep the lights off generally. there is enough light in the room that i don't need to have the top ones on. the tank has gone through the bacteria cycle and i'm using a top fin 60. looked into getting a bigger one but for now this one is going fine so i figured i'd see how it goes.

 

[always4lora]

Hi' There, i'd be looking for a better filter tbh , you want a decent sized one capable of around 5-6times the turnover of the water in the tank .

Also bear in mind you will need to upgrade the tank at some point

 

[Curiosity101]

How exactly did it go through 'the bacteria cycle'?

 

[timbruun]

why the better filter? the top fin 60 does 300gph with is about 5.5 times the tank. and from what i've read the water will get cloudy and clear up when the cycle is done. i'm using a tank that i purchased that had fish in it and all we did was drain the water and i cleaned the rocks somewhat and set it up.

 

[Curiosity101]

The top fin 60 is recommended for 60gal tanks. But with the diet pirahnas should be on they create alot of ammonia. A 60gal filter will probably struggle.
I'd think about upgrading it to something at least double that. You can always move it onto the new tank as they grow and you upgrade.

Also how did the tank do its 'Bacteria Cycle'???

 

[timbruun]

like i said the tank is not new. i picked it up from someone who had fish in it at the time. we had to drain most of the water. so the filter and rocks were ready to go. and when i put my new water in it seemed to go through what alot of what i am reading is the bacteria bloom and then it clears up. depending on where i read some say that it will happen really quick while others it could take a long time.