Red Bellied Pirahna Questions...

[hoarp001]

Hello,

Afew years ago i kept a small tropical tank but always fancied some more serious fish. After reading on the internet it seems that adult Pirahnas need 15gallons each. So a 30gallon tank isn't too big for my room or budget. One question i have is most sites say they grow up to 12inches long. do they really grow that big in a smaller tank? I dont think i could cope with two feet of pirahna in a tank in my dining room!

Thats my main concern, im almost ready to do it i was just worried that they would get massivly big.

One more thing,

Does anyone know where I can get these fish from in this country? Years ago I fould a place near heathrow airport called funky fish, but im not sure if they are still around.

Thanks for any help.

 

[cane76]

they wont get as big in a smaller tank coz their growth will be stunted and this causes ill health.also i think it is 20gallons per adult fish.if your close to funky fish visit maindehead aquatics hillingdon its 5 minutes away.they had loads of baby red bellies about 1"

 

[guppymonkey]

Piranhas are not really a good beginner fish and they need a lot of room. If you are serious about getting large fish like Piranhas you need a really large tank, probably a minimum of 55 gallons. This is also a long term commitment, they can be fairly long lived (a lot longer than just a couple years). You can't just return them to most stores (most refuse to deal with them) so be prepared to have them for life. I am not sure about the UK but in some states in the US piranhas are illegal (I know they are in New York).

 

[hoarp001]

Strangely i Live in maidenhead (of maidenhead aquatics) And i always assumed it was just a local shop, not a proper franchise.

This wouldnt be a beginner tank, i had a small tank afew years ago.

Could you find and show me afew suitable tanks online just so i get a good idea of what sort of size the tank would be?

Thanks.

 

[andywg]

You do indeed need 20 gallons ish per RBP, but you need a minimum shoal of 5, so a 100 gallon tank should be the starting point.

There are plenty of other pirannha that do not need shoals and can live out their lives in smaller tanks.

 

[cane76]

i agree^ if your serious about keeping a shoal of rbp get a 100g tank and 5-6 fish.i have 4 and they are going in my 100g eventually