Rb Piranha Spotted At Lfs

[basboi85]

Any of piranha owners or anyone looking at getting any my lfs has a load in ( roughly 10) and the starting price for small one I think 5.95 each and the large one was 15 quid.

They did have a gar in the tank as well and it must've been about 4-5 inches didn't get a proper look as everything I moved closer to the tank all the RB moved up to me and it was up for 19 quid I think. If anyone's interested I can pass on location

 

[dbanner]

That's about the going rate for red bellys... Paid near enough the same for my group. Mine were under an inch when I had them and were £5.50 each if I remember rightly. They went from that size to the largest being nearly 8 inches in under a year. Nice fish but relatively boring except for feeding time. Also very shy in general.

I'm sure someone will be interested, thanks for sharing : good:

 

[njstockley]

Nice fish but relatively boring except for feeding time. Also very shy in general.

Relative to what? Always surprised to read this type of comment about RBP's and think it does them a real dis-service.

£5.95 sounds reasonable, but you can buy adults for about that off the numerous people online who underestimate their adult size. Well worth it if you can provide a big enough tank.

 

[basboi85]

Nice fish but relatively boring except for feeding time. Also very shy in general.

Relative to what? Always surprised to read this type of comment about RBP's and think it does them a real dis-service.

£5.95 sounds reasonable, but you can buy adults for about that off the numerous people online who underestimate their adult size. Well worth it if you can provide a big enough tank.

They had a quite large adult in the tank with the smaller ones it was easily bigger than my hand and that was going for 15 quid I think.

I've always wanted piranhas, not for the stigma ect ect but just because for some strange reason I love they way they behave, look work as a team.

I have a big enough tank for a few but I'm lacking on the filtration side which could be easily sorted but I think I'll be reading up a lot more on them before I go and buy them

Nice fish but relatively boring except for feeding time. Also very shy in general.

Relative to what? Always surprised to read this type of comment about RBP's and think it does them a real dis-service.

£5.95 sounds reasonable, but you can buy adults for about that off the numerous people online who underestimate their adult size. Well worth it if you can provide a big enough tank.

They had a quite large adult in the tank with the smaller ones it was easily bigger than my hand and that was going for 15 quid I think.

I've always wanted piranhas, not for the stigma ect ect but just because for some strange reason I love they way they behave, look work as a team.

I have a big enough tank for a few but I'm lacking on the filtration side which could be easily sorted but I think I'll be reading up a lot more on them before I go and buy them.

Plus I don't think they would be suited in my house as I have young children and when our friends kids come over it can get quite busy and loud so they prob wont be happy at mine.

 

[njstockley]

They had a quite large adult in the tank with the smaller ones it was easily bigger than my hand and that was going for 15 quid I think.

I've always wanted piranhas, not for the stigma ect ect but just because for some strange reason I love they way they behave, look work as a team.

I have a big enough tank for a few but I'm lacking on the filtration side which could be easily sorted but I think I'll be reading up a lot more on them before I go and buy them.

Plus I don't think they would be suited in my house as I have young children and when our friends kids come over it can get quite busy and loud so they prob wont be happy at mine.

That's the thing - people buy them because they think they can just chuck a load of feeders and frozen rodents in the tank and watch a frenzy. Mine are fed on Massivore Delite which has a considerably better nutritional content, and means that they are really great colours, with a vivid red belly. Feeding pellets also means they aren't as "messy" as some claim but some may read this and think why do I bother if I don't keep them for the feeding, but they offer a lot more than that.

As for being suited to your house - it's tough to say, as yes some are nervous but so are a lot of fish when people are up in their faces. My piranha tank is quite heavily (fake) planted, and I've wrapped foil over various parts of the light tubes to dim the lighting as standard tubes are a bit bright for them. I've also got a fairly low powered powerhead which comes on intermittently and keeps them in good shape and active. Mine shoal in the middle of the tank and I could watch them for hours as the way they act as a group is fascinating - very hierarchical, and really great looking fish.

Just strange that those keeping / wanting to keep "standard" characins on this forum aren't told they are boring, but everyone jumps on RBP's to say that as soon as they get a mention!

 

[basboi85]

I've always said since I was younger I would love to keep them bit I won't keep them until my tank would be ready for them and I have a quite broad knowledge of them but least I know that they are stocked near by if I do choose to own these wonderful fish.

 

[dbanner]

Nice fish but relatively boring except for feeding time. Also very shy in general.

Relative to what? Always surprised to read this type of comment about RBP's and think it does them a real dis-service.

£5.95 sounds reasonable, but you can buy adults for about that off the numerous people online who underestimate their adult size. Well worth it if you can provide a big enough tank.

Relatively boring to pretty much any other fish iv owned. Especially the SA/CA cichlids iv owned like jaguars, dovii's, Red Devils, red terrors, flowerhorn... They just have so much more personality and best of all they are so interactive with their owners. All my piranhas did was stay in 1 place pretty much constantly apart from feeding time.

People just get the wrong impression of them and they think they are crazy killing machines that will take your finger off if you dip it in the tank but this couldn't be any further from the truth.. With the exception of the psycho 1 I had.

Definitely not a fish I would own again but you need to give it a try to see whether they are for you or not. Unfortunately they weren't for me. I prefer interactive predatory species and I like fish that move more often.

Mine were fed on flakes when very small, then when bigger they were on pellets, frozen fish, frozen and live bloodworm (treat), shrimp and frozen prawn occasionally and on rare occasions they would get a frozen mouse.

 

[njstockley]

Relatively boring to pretty much any other fish iv owned. Especially the SA/CA cichlids iv owned like jaguars, dovii's, Red Devils, red terrors, flowerhorn... They just have so much more personality and best of all they are so interactive with their owners. All my piranhas did was stay in 1 place pretty much constantly apart from feeding time.

People just get the wrong impression of them and they think they are crazy killing machines that will take your finger off if you dip it in the tank but this couldn't be any further from the truth.. With the exception of the psycho 1 I had.

Definitely not a fish I would own again but you need to give it a try to see whether they are for you or not. Unfortunately they weren't for me. I prefer interactive predatory species and I like fish that move more often.

Mine were fed on flakes when very small, then when bigger they were on pellets, frozen fish, frozen and live bloodworm (treat), shrimp and frozen prawn occasionally and on rare occasions they would get a frozen mouse.

It depends on what you want from your tank - I've never enjoyed the fish that spend all their time vying for attention and begging for food, so couldn't enjoy my piranha more and the fact that they form an impressive shoal in the middle of the tank means it's a great centrepiece in my living room. As adults they are staggeringly beautiful fish - deep red on the belly and a silver and gold shimmer.

Aquarists are as varied as the species of fish that can be kept in home aquariums - it's good that you've been able to make up your mind after experience with this fish. I just hope though that people aren't put off just because a few others have had bad experiences because a piranha tank can be hugely rewarding.

 

[dbanner]

Relatively boring to pretty much any other fish iv owned. Especially the SA/CA cichlids iv owned like jaguars, dovii's, Red Devils, red terrors, flowerhorn... They just have so much more personality and best of all they are so interactive with their owners. All my piranhas did was stay in 1 place pretty much constantly apart from feeding time.

People just get the wrong impression of them and they think they are crazy killing machines that will take your finger off if you dip it in the tank but this couldn't be any further from the truth.. With the exception of the psycho 1 I had.

Definitely not a fish I would own again but you need to give it a try to see whether they are for you or not. Unfortunately they weren't for me. I prefer interactive predatory species and I like fish that move more often.

Mine were fed on flakes when very small, then when bigger they were on pellets, frozen fish, frozen and live bloodworm (treat), shrimp and frozen prawn occasionally and on rare occasions they would get a frozen mouse.

It depends on what you want from your tank - I've never enjoyed the fish that spend all their time vying for attention and begging for food, so couldn't enjoy my piranha more and the fact that they form an impressive shoal in the middle of the tank means it's a great centrepiece in my living room. As adults they are staggeringly beautiful fish - deep red on the belly and a silver and gold shimmer.

Aquarists are as varied as the species of fish that can be kept in home aquariums - it's good that you've been able to make up your mind after experience with this fish. I just hope though that people aren't put off just because a few others have had bad experiences because a piranha tank can be hugely rewarding.

I appreciate what your saying as your giving your opinion from 1st hand experience with them. I don't like it when people have bad opinions of them when they have never even owned them. It's easy to make something up when you've got no actual experience. This is why I said whilst it wouldn't be a fish id own again, I would still advise them to people that haven't kept them. It's definitely a fish that us fish keepers should have 1st hand experience with at some point.

I also agree with you that they are nice fish in appearance and its impressive to see when they shoal together. Iv not come across another fish that shoals together quite as well as red bellys. The only thing that really put me off them was the lack of activity. This was the same reason I decided not to get a hoplias malabaricus (wolf fish).. Very active when young but just tend to lay there when they get sub adult/adult stage. I just want more from my tank. The flowerhorn I currently have is the best fish iv ever owned but its so aggressive. Never come across anything like it.

 

[njstockley]

I definitely agree about not being particularly active - especially when my Mbuna are just next door to them! It's a very different setup - very serene. It would be great if more people had positive experience of them, but think everyone expects them, as you've said, to be little terrors and crazy all the time.

I've seen pics of your Flowerhorn and looks like he will be a stunner. I'm going to get pics of my RBP's up soon, but currently having a fall out with my Juwel light unit!!

Nick

 

[dbanner]

I definitely agree about not being particularly active - especially when my Mbuna are just next door to them! It's a very different setup - very serene. It would be great if more people had positive experience of them, but think everyone expects them, as you've said, to be little terrors and crazy all the time.

I've seen pics of your Flowerhorn and looks like he will be a stunner. I'm going to get pics of my RBP's up soon, but currently having a fall out with my Juwel light unit!!

Nick

Thanks for the comment I'm hoping he does turn out how I'm expecting. I'm also hoping his aggression decreases but I can't see that happening. As it is now I have to take him out of the 120gal and put him into a 40 when ever I want to rescape or do tank maintenance/cleaning because I haven't got a tank divider. The second anything touches the water he attacks it (including my hands) whether he's hungry or just been fed... Clearly this is not an ideal situation lol my friend had 3 red dragon flowerhorns that were a little bigger than my silk and they weren't aggressive at all. Mine is just pure evil lol he was fine until he hit 5 inches.

Looking forward to seeing the pics of your RBPs. Iv probably put a few on here of mine at some point. This is one of when they were still small and shortly after the dominant 1 took me down from 5 to 4...

I hadn't really had them that long at this point so the lighting was still all wrong

 

[njstockley]

Lovely red in their bellies on those pics mate.

Mine are quite a bit older I think. I've wrapped foil around quite a lot of the light tube to dim as best I can whilst making sure there is still a point in having the lights on!

This is one of the "babies" - although he is probably about 6" at the moment and bosses the tank:

And then one of the adults - must be about 9" and tore my net to shreds when I brought him. Much darker colour, but you get a good idea of the gold on really deep red belly:

 

[dbanner]

Very nice mate. The 1st pic of yours is what my biggest looked like before I rehomed him/her. Must be a huge tank you've got to house a group between 6-9 inches each.

 

[njstockley]

Very nice mate. The 1st pic of yours is what my biggest looked like before I rehomed him/her. Must be a huge tank you've got to house a group between 6-9 inches each.

They're in a 260 at the moment which I know won't be big enough long term - it could house 4 fully grown adults for life at most - but an upgrade is imminent. Water changes, lots of filtration, and a powerhead keep them in tip-top condition.

 

[basboi85]

I've got a rio 400 (5ft/450l)

If I did choose to house RBP's how many could I house so to speak and what sort of filtration rate would I need to have for these beautiful fish

At the moment I have 2 ehims ( 2213&2217) 1400 lph turn over if they was to actually turn over what they say and I'm about to add another 2217 filter turnover should be a total of 2400 lph would this be enough or would I need more ??

When it comes to feeding them as far as I know they like beef heart and I've seen documentaries say that they eat fruit and berries that fall into the water but what else could I feed them to keep them in a healthy diet ??

I've not bought any I'm just doing my research to see if I can offer the a decent home.

I would rather hear it from you guys as I want to hear it from the horses mouth so to speak

iPhone auto correct kicking in so had to re adjust spelling