Help Me Save The Killers!

[TaratronVaeVictus]

So we have two separate tanks at work with red belly piranha: 1 125 gallon with 5 6 inch piranha, and 1 55 gallon with 3 adult fat 8 inchers.

I hate the latter tank; the three Killers (Hannibal, Red Dragon, and Tooth Fairy) are anything but, and I want to get them moved out and into the other tank.

However, two problems await me, and hence the Killers.

1. Adding larger piranha to a tank with smaller piranha
2. Adding new piranha to an established school that has been established for over five years.

My boss has never heard of any successful intros of red bellies to another school of red bellies. Has anyone else? Can this be done?

Also, if it matters, all of the fish are on a pellets only diet, no live food period.

 

[guppy]

Mindzz in the cichlid forum had a mefthod for adding cichlids to an aggressive tank that might work. Remove all the fish from both tanks and keep them in seperate 5g buckets for an hour or two with sponge filters, I would also do a partial water change at this point and rearrange the tank. then add all the fish at the same time to the 125g. It might work. The size difference is not extremme and should not matter as shoaling piranha often have larger size variances within a shoal. The fact that they are pellet conditioned should help.

 

[wffsoccer]

This is actually easier to do with piranhas, as i have done it many times. You dont even need to remove any of the fish. Just start re-arranging everything and gradually add a piranha in every couple of mins while you are re-arranging and you will be golden.

 

[Half]

About rearranging...how safe is it? I mean, would ps attack a hand esp when interfering in/braking territories? I already hate the landscape in my tank so...

 

[guppy]

They will ussually avoid you but I have been nipped, use a piece of eggcrate as wide as the tank as a temp. divider to keep them at the other end from where you are working.

 

[DiXoN]

i have used the rearranging trick when adding 7'' cariba to an existing natt/piraya shoal and it worked ok.
i removed them all and redid the tank them put them all back in.