So after about 2 years now, I've finally gotten my P (Ser. Scapularis) off of live food and eating a much better diet. Still won't eat in front of me, but he will eat dead chunks of fish and shrimp and algae wafers now. In addition to a better diet, I've been trying a few different things to get him to come around, as he's still a skittish hider.
Started by adding some competition for tank space. Threw my wife's Bala Shark in with my P because he was beatin' up on my guppies and I figured a "taste of his own medicine" kind of thing for the shark. Well, 6 months later the darn thing is almost as big as my P and trying to shoal with it! LOL! I also threw a Convict Cichlid in there a couple months ago, and Chompy has been defending his side of the tank a bit more.
Next I raised the temp from 77ish to 80. Seems to have helped a bit, but hard to tell how much with other things I've done also affecting fish.
So the most recent thing I did as add a circulation pump. I added the Aqueon Circ Pump 700 due to efficiency over 950, and I also thought it'd be a bit too much movement in a 50 gal tank... LMFAO!!! He's been sitting with his nose like an inch from this thing since the second I plugged it in! Probably shoulda gotten the bigger one now that I see him going!
I even re-decorated, moving his hiding spot away from the pump and he likes it so much he's come out from behind it to swim. So for those of you with "that" piranha that hides all day, try adding a circ pump and don't be affraid to re-decorate once in a while. It may help you out, as it did with me.
Started by adding some competition for tank space. Threw my wife's Bala Shark in with my P because he was beatin' up on my guppies and I figured a "taste of his own medicine" kind of thing for the shark. Well, 6 months later the darn thing is almost as big as my P and trying to shoal with it! LOL! I also threw a Convict Cichlid in there a couple months ago, and Chompy has been defending his side of the tank a bit more.
Next I raised the temp from 77ish to 80. Seems to have helped a bit, but hard to tell how much with other things I've done also affecting fish.
So the most recent thing I did as add a circulation pump. I added the Aqueon Circ Pump 700 due to efficiency over 950, and I also thought it'd be a bit too much movement in a 50 gal tank... LMFAO!!! He's been sitting with his nose like an inch from this thing since the second I plugged it in! Probably shoulda gotten the bigger one now that I see him going!
I even re-decorated, moving his hiding spot away from the pump and he likes it so much he's come out from behind it to swim. So for those of you with "that" piranha that hides all day, try adding a circ pump and don't be affraid to re-decorate once in a while. It may help you out, as it did with me.
