Advice for beginner fish owner thinking about Pirahnas

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dquirico

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 3, 2011
12
0
0
Neark, DE
Hello Monster Fish community. I have been doing some research online recently as I am interested in getting some pirahnas. I found this web site forum and it seems to have lots of great content.
I wanted to see if any of you would be able to share some advice with me about my endeavor to get pirahnas (good idea for novice, best equipment to get, how to take care of correctly, etc.). Look forward to the feed back and no matter what, looking forward to reviewing the great setups I already see on this forum as it still peaks my interest even if I don't end up getting the pirahnas.

Thanks,
Dave
 
Found this in under a minute which may help you...

http://www.firsttankguide.net/piranha.php

Also, what size tank do you have? I think you will need at least a 55g or 65g, because piranhas get around 10"
 
Hi dquirico, welcome to MFK.

Do you have any restriction on tank size, budget, preference on piranha species?

Take a look at the threads here to give you a better idea which species you might be interested in and get some better understanding on them.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?50148-Piranha-Species-Information
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?50151-Adult-Piranha-Identification
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?306686-The-Piranha-Nutrition-Thread

here's one of the best site for piranha information, check it out when you have time
www.opefe.com

Once you have a better understand on piranha you can let us know which species you are most interested in, if you have any tank size restrictions, and budget then we give you an idea what fits your bill, tank size out of the piranhas are you interested in and what kind of filtration you will need for the tank size and fish.
 
I have been in the aquarium hobby for darn near 25 years and I am taking my first step into the piranha world as well. Good luck to you. I have been reading this forum for a while now and the information here in invaluable. Its awesome to be able to look to everyone for even the simplest question and not get looked down on. Its Awesome here and welcome :)
 
Thanks for the info, I will definitely look into it. I don't have tank or anything yet, starting from scratch. I have seen in info so far you are right in that up to 50g tank might be needed. i will check out information and let you know how the progress is coming.
 
jp80911, Thanks for the info, I will definitely look into the info and get more familiar. Budget wise, I am pretty open, thinking i can have ~1000 dollars to start and then steady upkeep. I am a chemist by trade, so I definitely am the type that likes to get detailed information about things I am into.

Shadowbear 559, I agree that is a great thing. I was hesitant about just asking and putting it out there and I am a novice and thought people might think "how can this new guy just want pirahnas already", but it's great to hear positive feedback. It's something that interests me and would exciting to get into this. I am going to take a look at the info given and see where I can go from there. I also wish you luck.
 
piranha in general is not hard to keep at all, they are (well most of them are) very hardy fish. main issue with piranha is that a lot of people have the wrong impression that they are blood thirsty killers that will kill everything that enters their water. the fact is that they are often skittish and nothing like what Hollywood presented them in the films they made.
as long as you understand what piranhas are truly are and enjoy them for what they are then I think you won't have any issue.
if you don't have budget issue or tank size limitation then it's always good to start with a big shoal IMO, try look into the pygocentrus family. they grow faster, and more active when in large group and in a large tank and feeding is always a sight to see.
solo fish tend to be a bit more boring to some but a lot of piranha hobbyist slowly move from pygocentrus to serralamus after a while. it can be quite addicting as long as you didn't get into piranha under the wrong impression.
 
jp80911, Good advice. True that they probably aren't really any different than other fish in taking care of, it really is the stigma attached. I plan on reading up and am actually thinking about some other types of fish, but the pirahna really peaked my interest. I will look at the info posted tonight and look into the types you mentioned. Thanks again!
 
You are welcome. Also check out the videos and pictures in the media section so you get an idea what they look like in members' tanks.
 
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