Red Belly Piranha

[Thechicane]

Hi guys, completely new to this forum. Ive always wanted Piranha's since i was a kid and now i especially do so because i fancy a change from the usual "bread and butter" tropical fish species that i have owned for nearly 5 years now. I currently have a 180 litre (40Gallon) http/www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/rio.htm setup and im looking to keep a solitary piranha however i have heard that they are more challenging to keep than standard tropical fish. Im pretty sure the tank size is sufficent for a solitary specimen however ive heard that they are very messy eaters and require extra filtration and water changes so here is my piranha regime proposal (as apposed to what i am doing with my current community tank). (feel free to flame me if i am wrong here)

- Instead of my fortnightly 40 litre water change i will instead change to once a week 40 litre changes.
- To increase filtration and aid my current biological filter i will add a powerhead.
- Instead of my current 10 hour artficial light a day regime i will change to turning the light on when i come home from college 5PM to 10PM as piranha's are shy (especially solitary specimens)
-Instead of the granite and java fern setup currently installed i will change to a bogwood and artificial planting.
- biological filtration changes will remain the same to once a month change
- how much meat should i feed/what meat should i feed my piranha (i here vast differences from each owner i talk to)

any suggestions or advice greatly appreciated

thanks guys

chicane

 

[jonny_dw]

Firstly that tank size is fine for a solitary red belly, however you may find it alot more entertaining and fun to keep a serrasalmus species of piranha, have a look through the different species on google and see which one takes your fancy, some get alot larger than others.

Secondly a powerhead doesnt aid filtration, it creates current which piranhas enjoy swimming into, you WILL need an external filter that can do at least 3-4 time the tank volume an hour. I stuff my filter with stainless steel scourers and ceramic rings and they do the job brilliant.Aim to change at least 25-30% of water a week.

Bogwood is good for a piranha set up and artificial plants are fine, I get by with a few live ones myself though.

Lighting wise you can get your fish used to any light, however they prefer dimmed lighting, this can be done by wrapping electrical tape in a candy cane style around the light. I use blue lighting myself and others use red, either are fine.

Food wise I feed white fleshed sea food such as squid, cod fillets, prawns, mussels etc and some piranhas can be taught to eat cichlid pellets, mine loves them!You can feed food such as beefheart and chicken maximum once a month as it is fatty, stay AWAY from any live food, it runs the risk of introducing parasites, such fish as goldifsh are low in nutrition and have a growth inhibiting hormone which stunts your fishes growth.

Any questions then feel free to ask

 

[Thechicane]

Thanks jonny, the aquarium i have at the moment is a juwel rio 180 and it came with an internal biological filter with an attached box around it that is fastened to the inside of the aquarium walls which also has a heater installed inside it. How do i remove it because if i am going to get an external fitler there really isnt much point in my having that one too. Also how often should i feed my piranha and in what quanitity? I have also been checking out the Serrasalmus species of piranha and i have to say they are really nasty looking which i think is awesome. The shape of there heads is cool and there tailfin is shaped like an elogated crescent which i also like but there are so many varieties and they seem to me from what i have read to be a bit mroe challenging than the standard pygos. Would a solitary serra show more charcter than a solitary pygo?

I find the Serrasalmus Manueli the most appealing out of the serras but im afraid 40 gallons probably would not suffice

 

[jonny_dw]

40 gallons for a juvenile one is fine,you'll get around 1-2" a year so the do grow slow.Their more picky about water quality but otherwise their fine, make sure you add it too a mature tank.

I used a long steel ruler to prise my internal out my juwel tank, took sometime cutting through the four silicone blobs but its worth it. Feed it once a day.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

lol

 

[Obsessed with fish]

I wander when this forum was made

 

[Obsessed with fish]

And 40 gallons is way to small, you need 200 gallons minimum for them!

 

[Obsessed with fish]

im suprised this thread has not been deleted or closed

 

[Essjay]

Please don't post replies in old threads. If it is something which interests you, please start a new thread.

This thread is now locked.