first time piranha owner
- Thread starter jerzyperson
- Start date
jerzyperson;3437405; said:
Petco, Pet Supplies Plus...almost every pet store sells them, one of the best filters around.
It sounds like you want a "show fish" or fish that are active and interactive. If that's the case then go for a blue or black diamond rhom. A gold mac is a cheaper option and is also an active aggressive fish. If you want a school of fish then just get 5-10 reds or caribes depending on how much money your willing to spend.
i went to petco and they the most common one i found there was a fluval 305 i believe. is this any good. and i am seriously thinking about the black rhom, of course by the time i get out of this house i will probably have more then one P tank.
jerzyperson;3433243; said:
75? black mask S. elongatus. rhoms get too big, and you can't keep a shoal of pygos in that tank. BM elong all day.
to answer a few other questions:
Piranhas are plant friendly, but shy away from bright lights. You should aquascape accordingly. Sand is good. The amazon is sandy. Drift wood covered in some sort of aquatic moss is good too. You want filtration that has GPH 8-10 times the volume of your tank so for a 75 that would be 600-750 GPH. Cannister filters are preferable for planted tanks. Soft acidic (ph <7) water is better for P's as well. They eat frozen shrimp, fish filet, live fish, inverts, etc. Also so that you hear it before you buy one, they're not as aggressive as you might think.
anything else?
would a fluval 305 cut it? i went out last night and picked up a couple mollies as a few additions to my feeder/breeders. is it ok to occasionally feed feeders? and how can i get a light that will allow me to have plants in the tank (according to the 1-3 watt per gallon rule) that won't as well stress out the P? if rhoms won't cut it in a 75, then what kinds can i get?
jerzyperson;3440173; said:
I would say no on the 305. It's good for aquariums up to 70 gallons with a flow rate of 185 gph. If money is an issue I would say look for at least a couple of emperor 400s. That would give you 800GPH.
Feeders are ok, most people that keep P's feed feeders, it is generally recommended that you breed your own. I've personally had an outbreak of nematoda in my old P's tank from feeding live fish. Stay away from feeding cypronids (barbs) which includes goldfish because they inhibit the P's metabolization of Thiamine and other B vitamins. Also don't expect a spectacle when they feed. Sometimes it's very impressive, some times they won't eat in front of you. They're fairly shy and retreating in general.
To subdue the lighting, a lot of people make a dimmer by poking holes in pieces of tinfoil and wrapping that around the bulb housing. Probably best to use low light plants if you use this approach. Eco-complete makes a good plant friendly sand like substrate, and 3M quartz as well, although I heard somewhere that they stopped making it. Don't know.
Somebody else might know more about planted piranha tanks.
As far as which fish you decide to get I'll tell you a little about my experience. I started out cheap/poor too, about 14 years ago getting 1 red belly. Started learning about other p species through books, and just wanted to try to own every kind I could get. Of course at that point the whole "mr. cheap its only a fish" outlook I had was quickly thrown out the window. Fastforward to now I've owned at least 1 of about 75% of piranha species known, and spent a lot of money. 2 things you should know...1. piranhas are nowhere near as aggressive as the "Hollywood monster" myth and reputation that was given to them. Most of them will bore you. They can however still be dangerous and unpredictable when least expected if your hand is close enough for them to have access. 2. Everyone always asks whats the most aggressive species of piranha. The truth is, it largely depends on the personality and hunger of the fish, not necessarily about which species you get. They all have razor sharp teeth. I have had p's that are very aggressive and ones(species) that everyone says are aggressive but the ones I got were dull. I will say this though. Your chances of getting an aggressive p are very high if you choose a Black Rhombeus or a Gold Mac. I have owned several of both of those species and not one has been dull. Just for the hell of it here are all the species of p's I have owned to date. Red Belly, Caribe, Piraya, Brandti, Gibbus, Sanchezi, Elongatus, BM Elongatus, Gold Macs, Gold Diamond Rhoms, Black Diamond Rhom, Peru Rhoms, Xingu Rhom, Manueli, Medinai.
i figured that a captive raised P wouldn't be as aggressive as a wild caught P. i will be looking around for such needed items. if push comes to shove i will have to order a filter but i think i can handle the rest. so i take it i can't get any fish to help keep the tank clean? such as pleco, or such janitor fish?
