Question about red bellies?

[redbellyPirahna4]

i got 4 redbelly pirahnas and sometime the red fades away to a very light pink color wat is that from is it something i should worry about??
here r pics of the rbps
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h160/pyropoland/SSPX1438.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h160/pyropoland/SSPX1439.jpg

[koop171]

i noticed when mine where this small (not much bigger now) that the more live i feed them the more red they got now i don't know why but it worked for me and i also know that someone WILL come to this thread and tell me i'm wrong ( hapens alot in the P board) but it's got ALOT to due with a good diet

[redbellyPirahna4]

thanks cuz i feed them dead pinkies 2day and yesterday cuz i ran out of goldfish a few days ago
i usually feed them frozen krill or beefhart in the moring and depending on if i have goldfish i usaly give them one befor i go to sleep

[JoeDizzleMPLS]

the best thing for great coloration is a healthy diet and perfect water conditions. a stressed out fish will usually have a washed out look, although they will also lose alot of color at night, i'm sure you've noticed that when you turn on the lights in the morning, their color is more of a faded red than when you look at them later on in the day. for the best coloration, i've always used hikari pellets, shrimp, and krill and i've kept excellent water quality.... i would stay away from the beefheart, pinkie mice, and goldfish, they are not considered to be a part of a healthy diet.

[redbellyPirahna4]

the best thing for great coloration is a healthy diet and perfect water conditions. a stressed out fish will usually have a washed out look, although they will also lose alot of color at night, i'm sure you've noticed that when you turn on the lights in the morning, their color is more of a faded red than when you look at them later on in the day. for the best coloration, i've always used hikari pellets, shrimp, and krill and i've kept excellent water quality.... i would stay away from the beefheart, pinkie mice, and goldfish, they are not considered to be a part of a healthy diet.

thanks
if i were to feed them live fish wat kind would u recomend?
when i was talking to the guy at the pet shop that i bought the rbps at he told me that i should feed them beefheart and big goldfish because he said that they need lots of protien
and wat type of Hikari pellets have u been using?

[JoeDizzleMPLS]

if you really want to continue live feedings, i would suggest setting up a couple ten gallons for a breeding pair of convicts, they are alot healthier for your fish and if you breed them yourself, there are much smaller chances of them carrying disease and/or parasites. goldfish are horrible as feeders because they have very little nutritional value and they have the tendency to bring parasites and other diseases into your tank. there really isn't a reason to feed live tho, piranhas, especially at the size that yours are at, will gladly accept almost any type of food. i personally stick to shrimp, tilapia, catfish, frozen krill and silversides, and hikari cichlid bio-gold pellets.

and one more thing... never take everything the guys at an lfs say as fact without doing some fact checking first, i can't even begin to tell you the crazy things that i have heard people do because their lfs told them to.

[koop171]

feeder goldfish values have never been assesed idk how good they are or are not i have done a google search on the topic of there value but no real anwsers on there value i the illness is correct thou they are known for carrying just be smart if u are to buy golds or ANY feeder fish from a LFS

[redbellyPirahna4]

if you really want to continue live feedings, i would suggest setting up a couple ten gallons for a breeding pair of convicts, they are alot healthier for your fish and if you breed them yourself, there are much smaller chances of them carrying disease and/or parasites. goldfish are horrible as feeders because they have very little nutritional value and they have the tendency to bring parasites and other diseases into your tank. there really isn't a reason to feed live tho, piranhas, especially at the size that yours are at, will gladly accept almost any type of food. i personally stick to shrimp, tilapia, catfish, frozen krill and silversides, and hikari cichlid bio-gold pellets.

and one more thing... never take everything the guys at an lfs say as fact without doing some fact checking first, i can't even begin to tell you the crazy things that i have heard people do because their lfs told them to.

thanks
1 last question for u
how would i have to set up a 10 gallon to breed convicts and how do i know if i get a male and female? and how long does it take to breed them?

[JoeDizzleMPLS]

thanks
1 last question for u
how would i have to set up a 10 gallon to breed convicts and how do i know if i get a male and female? and how long does it take to breed them?
for a breeder setup, a tank with a foam pad over the filter intake and a small flower pot or two for them to spawn in should be plenty for them to get in the mood, a breeding pair of convicts should breed like crazy. males are usually darker and have longer fins and females usually have a bit of orange or pink on their sides. they usually start breeding within a couple weeks. convicts also do a great job at not only not eating their young, but also protecting them, but it would be wise to have a separate tank for their offspring to be moved into after a bit so as to not overcrowd the breeder setup.

[JoeDizzleMPLS]

feeder goldfish values have never been assesed idk how good they are or are not i have done a google search on the topic of there value but no real anwsers on there value i the illness is correct thou they are known for carrying just be smart if u are to buy golds or ANY feeder fish from a LFS
it is pretty common knowledge in fish keeping circles that goldfish should be avoided in a healthy diet. there are far too many healthy options out there to have to feed goldfish.

[redbellyPirahna4]

for a breeder setup, a tank with a foam pad over the filter intake and a small flower pot or two for them to spawn in should be plenty for them to get in the mood, a breeding pair of convicts should breed like crazy. males are usually darker and have longer fins and females usually have a bit of orange or pink on their sides. they usually start breeding within a couple weeks. convicts also do a great job at not only not eating their young, but also protecting them, but it would be wise to have a separate tank for their offspring to be moved into after a bit so as to not overcrowd the breeder setup.

thanks i will start to set up a tank 2marro because i think i have 2 10 gallon tanks just laying around empty and i will take a ride to aquarium adventures by my house to see if they got any convicts and should the temp b around 80 F

[JoeDizzleMPLS]

yup, that should work, and once they start breeding, there will be no stopping them, you should have more than you know what to do with.

[koop171]

it is pretty common knowledge in fish keeping circles that goldfish should be avoided in a healthy diet. there are far too many healthy options out there to have to feed goldfish.


all i was stating is that there is NO stated nutritional values for gold listed anywhere so this does not mean that they are good or bad all this means is that no on has ever really looked into it more then likly b/c of how unkept they are in the LFS holding tanks if there was stated material that says there is lil to no nutritional value then i would totally agreee to NOT feed golds but since there is no such material then i CHOOSE to think that they are "descent" feeders


but in the long run u are RIGHT doing a breeder setup will do nicely i might have to resort to this but i do not want to waste time with the grow out period before the feeders are big enough

[JoeDizzleMPLS]

goldfish contain high levels of thiaminase, which is a growth-inhibiting hormone, that in itself should be enough reason for most people to stay away from them even if they are disease and parasite free.

[redbellyPirahna4]

thanks Joe

[Gypsy69]

Joe hit the nail on the head. In the mornings especially, my reds don't thave the glowing red as they do during the day and this goes for all six of them. Mine regain color within 5 minutes of the lights being on.

[doods]

the same thing with my p's