Red Belly Piranhas

[Carnivore]

recently i have decided to set up my 25 gallon tank and start caring for fish again

the tank has been off an on for years, the most recent time it was set up was about 3-4 years ago when we had 2 piranhas
to my dismay when i went away on a trip i had someone else clean the tank, and they didnt wash out all the cleaning products1

therefore when i came home, my two little beasts were gone

i have started about a week or two ago by setting up the tank..
2 orange platys
to set it up i bought
new gravel and a new filter


the smaller of the two platys died within the first 2 days, i think he was sick when i bought him though(got them at walmart)
had the water checked at the local fish dealer tested fine
i cleaned out the gravel but it still left the tank murky so i changed all the water and it was crystal clear for a few days
maybe because of over feeding i think the tank is partially murky again

i doubt this will be a problem though i plan on buying 2 RBP's in the near future maybe the next day or two
the filter is cleaning it well though almost crystal again
the remaining platy however is very scared of me and whenever i enter the room he hides in the bottom corner of the tank or inside the skull
i have a heater in the tank but it is summer so i havent turned it on
besides adding plants what else can i put into my tank to make my piranha environment more beautiful

heres a few pics of my tank and platy

 

[orange shark]

red bellied pirahnas need atleast 75 gallons for one

 

[Dark Wolf]

yeah, 25 gallons too small to keep a RBP in, sorry to dissapoint.

Also it doesn't sound like you cycled your tank? Am i right?

 

[Carnivore]

well my two four and a half inch piranhas lived happly in this exact tank until they were poisoned

and yes i took all the water out

the tank is 12"x12"x24" btw

 

[OohFeeshy]

So... Where'd you get 25 gallons from? It's 15 maximum.

 

[orange shark]

well my two four and a half inch piranhas lived happly in this exact tank until they were poisoned

and yes i took all the water out

the tank is 12"x12"x24" btw

how do you know if they were happy, they were probably stunted and lived a miserable life and would of died earlier than they should have done if they were not poisoned

 

[Dark Wolf]

I'm not going to argue with you or lecture you, so if you want to put the RBP in there, that's your choice, but the tank is too small for them.

 

[Musho3210]

i could live in my closet all my life and be healthy (if people fed me) and by looking at me i would seem happy (mind you my face cant show emotion) but do you think i really am happy. Please dont be another person that only hears what they want to hear....

Plus you didnt cycle the tank, you over feed, and you dont have many hiding places in the tank even though piranhas are timid fish. Also they are schooling fish (tetras) and in the wild they school in the hundreds. But upon reading this maybe you are going to put a hundred in there and call them happy and blame someone else for killing them. Test your own water, they said fine but did they tell you exact results or did they test in front of you and did you see the test results? Although i test my own water my lfs tests it as well (no such thing as over testing) and they always do it in front of me, tell me exact results, show me how to do it, and show me the results.

 

[Gatorbait]

Like mentioned, this is not good practice.

The tank is too small. 75g minimum for 1-3 red belly piranhas.

2 is a bad number to have. One reason, because red belly's (not piranhas in general but the Pygo species) are timid fish. P. nattereri's are usually afraid of their own shadow and like the security of a shoal to make them feel more secure. Putting them into such a small tank makes them even more scared since they don't have the security of swimming away from danger.

Secondly, 2 is a bad number to have because it almost always ends in the death of the subordinate one. Then you're left with one red belly who is even MORE scared because he doesn't have anyone else in there with him.

piranhas are extremely mesy fish. They need heavy filtration. You don't even have the space on that small of a tank to have the filtration needed and if you did, the current would bee too much for them. Red belly's don't like heavy current and aren't used to that.

Yours won't but healthy rbp's will grow up to 8-9" the first year. Healthy red belly's will outgrow your tank in about a month if you bought them at dime-sized.

 

[Carnivore]

ok chill out

i was just looking for some information that comment wasnt saucy or rude

it was an addition to the one earlier i forgot to mention the specs of the ones i had before
and dont worry im not a 12 year old idiot that will stuff piranhas in the tank hoping theyll live happily

i cant afford a huge tank right now
would it be ok if i put down a layer of sand and live plants?
then buy 2 or 3 little tiny baby pirahnas just for a month or two until i can get a larger 100-150g tank?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

"Grow out" tanks are fine as long as you are committed to upgrading when needed.

 

[Musho3210]

you tell us you arent someone who will stuff fish in a small tank then go ahead and then say you are going to do it. I dont believe in "grow out tanks until i get a bigger tank", have patience, dont get the fish you want until you have the bigger tank.

 

[Carnivore]

so you think keeping the piranhas in that small tank for a month or two until i can get a big one is a bad idea?

 

[stang1]

If it's only a month or two until you get a bigger tank then you are best waiting. Many people buy fish that are too big for their tanks with the hope of upgrading. Unfortunately, no-one can predict what's going to happpen in between that may prevent them from doing so.
You are best buying fish that are suitable and when you have your new tank, you can stock it with Pirhanas.

 

[sjcneedshelp321]

and remember it wont just be a month, even after you've bought the tank it will have to cycle.. an added 3-4 weeks