rb in a 20gallon?

[arowana man]

the guys at my lfs a RB will live in a 20 for life by its self. is this right. i put him in a 20 like they said but it doesnt seem right.

[StIcKy~RiCe]

IMO LFS will tell you anything to make the sale. for a sinlge RBP for life IMO would go for 55gallon.

that give him plenty of hiding space, plenty of swimming space, etc...and happy.

[arowana man]

lol. kool. another exuse to get anouther tank. he's about 4'' now. i got him at 2''.

[KingofKings]

he'll live in that 20g for life.... but hes not gonna be too happy-

[arowana man]

he does look a little pissed.

[arowana man]

dont they get about 12''

[StIcKy~RiCe]

dont they get about 12''


Yes they do but NOT in 20gallon.

let me give you a sample.

putting him in 20gallon is like putting yourself and live in a closet or bathroom by yourself. it is to small , stress out, not happy.

If you have a single piranha in 75gallon keep him well feed with variety different food, 30-50% water change weekly, good water parameter, etc....he will get to 12" or so within 2 years or so (could take longer).

[arowana man]

i might have to look into another 75.

[arowana man]

so i guess im stunting his growth:(

[StIcKy~RiCe]

I can promise you that he will never hit to 6" or bigger in 20gallon..or not ever close.

[Druu]

For a single specimen, I think you could keep him comfortably in a 55 without tank mates. Possibly a 40 breeder, but there's a bit of debate on the boards about that.

[StIcKy~RiCe]

For a single specimen, I think you could keep him comfortably in a 55 without tank mates. Possibly a 40 breeder, but there's a bit of debate on the boards about that.


I do aggreed with you on the 55gallon however 55gallon is only 12" wide (i think) when single piranha get to 12" or bigger you want at least an 18" wide like 75 or 90gallon.

[arowana man]

actually it 12 1/4'' lol.

[Onion01]

a single rbp will be unhappy anywhere. They are a shoaling fish, and in small numbers are extremely timid.

[Bogwoodbruce]

That wouldn't be very good, ive got a young rhom in a 20 but he will get bigger.

[StIcKy~RiCe]

a single rbp will be unhappy anywhere. They are a shoaling fish, and in small numbers are extremely timid.

I totally disagreed with this.

First Red bellies or pygo piranha don't "shoal" they only can tolerate each other so they can still in a group. If you using "shoal" term for piranha pygo it is not the right term. They can be in a "group"

Actually if you got a single RED bellies in a 75gallon by himself for life he would be very happy do to the space and room he got for himself. Infact he will get aggressive and very very terrietorial can be finger chaser if you train him right.

I know a guy have his Caribe from 2" now 7" in a single tank by himself and super nice and aggressive.

[_Sushi_]

Actually if you got a single RED bellies in a 75gallon by himself for life he would be very happy do to the space and room he got for himself. Infact he will get aggressive and very very terrietorial can be finger chaser if you train him right.

Actually, I'm going to have to disagree with you there.

I have a single RBP in a 75 gallon, and he's not as happy as he was in his 29. It's completely beyond me how you "train" a fish....anyways, He's not as happy as he should be, considering he's got all that space pretty much by himself (he shares with a pleco). So we've decided to split it, and put one on each side of the barrier.

Piranhas shoal for "safety in numbers" if you have one, they are timid, because they're singled out and don't feel secure.

[StIcKy~RiCe]

maybe you got different set up in the 75gallon.

here is a single caribe that been in there from 2" now its 8"

http://media.putfile.com/Caribe-Getting-Fed-Freeze-Dried-Shrimp

pygo do feel secure with they are in group because one will look out for other. IMO single piranha in a tank is much better and feel better then being in group.

Piranha known as the strongest survice. In group all have a change to get kill or eaten. just my opinion.

[Onion01]

I totally disagreed with this.

First Red bellies or pygo piranha don't "shoal" they only can tolerate each other so they can still in a group. If you using "shoal" term for piranha pygo it is not the right term. They can be in a "group"

Actually if you got a single RED bellies in a 75gallon by himself for life he would be very happy do to the space and room he got for himself. Infact he will get aggressive and very very terrietorial can be finger chaser if you train him right.

I know a guy have his Caribe from 2" now 7" in a single tank by himself and super nice and aggressive.

there was a fish store down the street from where I used to live in brazil. They stocked piranhas. All the rbp that were kept by themselves would die after a while. Either they withered away not eating or were so scared (even after being kept in the dark) that they would glass bang until they died. The rbp kept in shoals in the display tanks did fine. As long as they were well fed, there were no casualties. They would even eat from the owners hand. They also lived with other fish and never attacked them.

[_Sushi_]

I have a cave, a skull, and a ceramic brick in there, since I got my job, I'm going to start decorating that tank with more plants. either way, it was the same decor as his other tank.

Think of it this way though.

Would you rather live by yourself and risk being an easy target for someone to kill you?

OR, would you rather live in a large group of potential enemies and hope that they get picked off first?

Contrary to popular belief, pygos like having companions. be it other piranhas, or in the case of mine, a pleco or other fish who can stick up for itself.

I noticed a decrease in appetite when the pleco was removed. Less activity, and duller colors. So, I put him back in with the piranha, and his color is back, his appetite is more voracious, and he's actually venturing out of his cave during daylight hours!

An RBP would be OK in a 40, the chances of them attaining full wild length are slim to none. More is always better, considering you can never have a tank that's too big.

When it all boils down to it, most of what you're going to get will, can, and does depend on the fish you get. Some are naturally timid, others, more aggressive. Just be sure to get an active, healthy fish that puts up a good fight against being caught!! (I always seem to pick the ones who are hard to catch!!)

[arowana man]

mine always in the same corner unless eating. i might add a pleco soon. im a lil worried thuogh he might get eatn

[_Sushi_]

make sure your pleco is the same size or bigger. and that he has hiding spots that your piranha can't fit into. This will make him more active.

But, don't forget, piranhas aren't the most active fish in the hobby, but you can encourage them to move around.

[arowana man]

will clay pots raise ph. i have tons of these at all different shapes. the pleco can hide in them.

[_Sushi_]

I don't think they will, a lot of people use them in their fish tanks as hiding spots.

I used flagstones built into a small cave, and they worked out well enough....sometimes I catch the piranha and the pleco sharing the cave.

[arowana man]

^^^ kinda like your avatar

[Claw]

If it helps I am putting my two 5 inch pacu for a week in my 10g and they really aren't happy, they have only been there 3 or 4 days. Piranha also move around a lot like pacu because from what I have heard their behaviour is similar, they seem to like the bottom a lot and come up very rarely.

[bigredjeep]

2 5 inch pacus in a 10g.......of course they arent happy,

[Claw]

When i said that I meant they virtually aren't moving........

[bigredjeep]

prolly because they cant

[Claw]

the tank is nearly 3 times the length of each fish, what on earth are you talking about?

[jredner]

I'm just glad that they will only be in there for a week.

[_Sushi_]

ANYWAYS,

Arowana Man, I've changed my avi since then, and don't remember which one I had, but it's my solo RBP now.

To say that a fish will only grow to the size of the tank is a bunch of malarky if you're taking care of it properly.

A piranha cannot stop growing because he thinks to himself...well, it's getting a little cramped in here, I think I'll slow down a bit.

HOWEVER, If you never change your water, the ammonia in the water will gradually increase to a point where your fish's body will realease a growth inhibiter, simply because his environment cannot support him if he gets any bigger. Make sense?

Piranha will try to shoal with fish whom aren't even of it's species, this isn't because they tolerate each other, but because they NEED the companionship, and it makes them feel more secure... BUT, they will only be as active as the fish they are shoaling with....

My 4" RBP shoals with a pair of plecos named Lucky and Sheba, and he's not that active. (him or the plecs)

My fiance's 2" shoals with a pair of half inch YOY bluegill (they were properly quarentined) and she's ALL over her tank, and doesn't even try eating them.

[jredner]

Sushi, are those bluegill local caught? If so, where? And, as always, great info.

[_Sushi_]

yup, my fiance lives on a private lake down here in Lenawee. I had a pair of 7 inchers earlier this year, we tossed them in the duck's pond and they disappeared....

Anyways, on the YOY, we catch them in the seine to use as bait for crappie, we had 200+ and brought home about 20 of them, we q-ed them with the goldfish, and my goldies ate all but 5 or so, the 2 we put in with Kayli as an experiment (types of fish that can house with RBPs) and 3 that stayed with my golds. We lost two of the 3 last Water Change.

[Trevlev]

RBP's aren't overly aggressive and don't need 75 gallons of space a piece... any fish left alone would be unhappy in a 75gallon.. all that space with nothing to share so going that big is overkill. We have 2 in a 40 gallon and its good enough to keep them happy. They chase goldfish around and have plenty of room to chase and move around. Also in our 90 gallon we have 5 2inch RBP's with a pleco and they all share the same hiding spot. To be honest from what I've seen, read and/or heard 10-15 gallons f water per piranha is plentyful and as stated keeping them alone won't help your cause.

[King Edward]

I have a solo RBP and hes as happy as ever. He wouldnt tolerate any other P's in his tank, theyed be eaten. He eats anything that goes in. He even eats the amazon swords....

[ductTAPE]

20 gallon tanks are for fancy guppies [:
not piranhas.