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jonahonah

jonahonah

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 28, 2006
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Hey there ive been lurking here soaking in the knowledge, and chiming in when i can particularly on a ph of 2.2 or is .2:ROFL:

I am going to be buying an elongatus piranha in the next month anything i should know. Th tank will be very open with a central island in order for him to rest out of the current from the powerhead and filter. Was thinking of cycling with small clown plecos so they can keep the algae down, yes i had resigned that one day they may be eaten.

Any advice?
 
elongs don't really require anything different than any other piranha, except that they need alot more room than other piranhas of the same size and they like a good current. i love elongs, they've always been one of my favorites.

just make sure you have plenty of filtration, a good powerhead or two, and some cover in the tank. be sure to provide a healthy diet of pellets, raw shrimp or fish fillets, and really try to stay away from live feeders and other unhealthy foods.

other than that, have fun with the new fish and be sure to ask any questions you may have.
 
Im giving it a whole 90 to itself as a showtank in my new condo is that enough space the fish is probably 5-6" at the moment. I was thinking id run a qt tank for feeders but not goldfish cos of the thiamsine/vit B1 issue. Im only going to use feeders (mollies etc) until i can get it off live as when im not at work everyone is too lazy to try getting them off live.
 
a 90 should be just fine... i would try getting it off of live foods right after it settles in to it's new home, the best way to do it is to just skip a feeding or two, try dropping a piece of shrimp in there and see if if it eats it. if it doesn't eat it, just scoop it out and try again the next day. piranhas can go a long time without eating if they are healthy, so you don't have to worry about starving it to death. piranhas usually take right to raw shrimp or fish fillets and there really isn't any work involved, just switch the foods and stop feeding live, the sooner you start, the better.
 
I havent had such an out and out predator before, usually have cichlid in with bichirs etc see my sig. How often do you feed piranhas as i used to feed 1-2 times a day but iknow predators it should be less than this but i was thinking with the high current he will burn up food faster so thus need feeding more how do you judge this. I dont see the point in dropping food in and then taking it away all the time when hes so vicious that asking to be bit.

Secondly how would i protect myself when cleaning the tank?
 
i feed all of my piranhas on a random schedule, some weeks i'll feed them 4 times other weeks only a couple times, there is no pattern to it. i think that most people overfeed their piranhas and feeding everday isn't necessary after the fish reach a few inches.

as far as cleaning the tank, you do need to be careful and keep an eye on them, but bites are not very common in the hobby. i have never been bit by a piranha and i hope to not have it happen anytime soon, but i am always cautious and i have had a couple piranhas over the years that have made me extremely nervous when it came time for tank maintenance. having a longer tube on your syphon can help to keep your hands out of there during water changes and gravel vacs, other than that, there shouldn't be that many times where your hands have to go into the tank, unless you have planted tanks like i do. my hands are in my tanks alot and i don't even think twice about it anymore, i just dig right in, haha.
 
something to consider while you're cleaning, you could fill a busket with tankwater, and temporarily relocate him. I do this for my RBPs...not because I'm afraid of them, but because if I don't, they're always in the way of whatever it is I'm trying to do. if they can't really see out of the bucket, they don't stress out as much, I get the work done and out of way...
 
but the constant moving of him wouldnt that heighten the risk of being bit
 
relocating them to a bucket during tank maintenance is not a good idea, it puts an incredible amount of unnecessary stress on them, for anyone that does this, i would recommend that they stop, they should be kept in the tank at all times. the best thing that you can do is take your time and be cautious, that way things are much less stressful for both you and your fish.
 
relocate your black rhom to a bucket for tank maintanence? that has got to be the most stupid thing ive ever heard. if your fish is in the way while your siphoning move it over with the siphon and continue, moving a fish is the most stressful thing you can do to any fish,so that idea is just really really really really really really really really stupid. :screwy:
 
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