I recently bought 2 red belly piranhas, and they are about 7 inches. I have 3 medium sized drift woods and one rock in a tank that is 60 gallons. Can they get comfortable and not scared? I've had it for about 3 days now and all it does is stay in a corner and if you go near it, it goes crazy. I heard it takes about 1 week - 1 month for them to be comfortable. But I'm worried they wont eat due to being scared and die.
Can piranhas get comfortable without a lot of decorations?
- Thread starter Cactuschicken
- Start date
Three days isn't a very long time for any fish to get acclimated to their new surroundings, much less Pygos which are well known for being skittish. Just give them a little more time, I'm sure they'll come around.
First off, you will need to get several more Piranha as these very skittish fish do way better in a school.
Second, if you decide to forgo the later, these very skittish fish will be less (only slightly) skittish with cover. These fish also prefer fairly strong, uni-directional current and lower than regular light.
Third, these fish will reach 12" fairly quick. Not to preach, but you may want to consider a bigger tank, especially if you do get more fish to make a school.
Just my 2
Second, if you decide to forgo the later, these very skittish fish will be less (only slightly) skittish with cover. These fish also prefer fairly strong, uni-directional current and lower than regular light.
Third, these fish will reach 12" fairly quick. Not to preach, but you may want to consider a bigger tank, especially if you do get more fish to make a school.
Just my 2
Give it time. Turning off the tank light or dimming it helps for now until they adjust to their new tank.If you are worried about them not eating, feed them at night when it's dark. Putting some power head for current will also help. Sounds like you already have decoration for them to somewhat hide so now it's a waiting game, joy of own RBP's 
This should've gone on the piranha forum... first off, 2 is ALWAYS a bad idea, for future reference it's either 1 or 3+. In a 60, 3 would be comfortable for life. If you want RBP's who aren't skittish, raise them yourself, or put them in a high traffic room. They will eventually get used to people. 3 pieces of driftwood was good. And you really can't expect much from most fish that have been in your home less than a month, even Rhoms (which are the bigger, more aggressive piranhas) need to adjust to a move. I've had my solo RBP for a month, she spends quite a bit of her day hiding, but does swim around the tank at night when I get ready for bed. With the lights on.
Thanks for the help guys. They seem to be more comfortable but not eating still. hopefully they eat soon.