How to encourage my piranhas to use the whole tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
G

Greenpiranhas323

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 4, 2010
9
0
0
South Carolina
I have a 75 gallon tank with 6, 4-6 inch red bellies.... However they all like to sit on the very far end of the tank where it is darkest and hardest to see them... unfortunately when i feed them pellets or other food it ends up accumulating on the top of the other side of the tank and gets wasted and clouds the water because they don't often venture over to that side.

Does anyone have any idea on how to encourage them to either congregate at the other side? or venture over there more often?

I have thought about using a small decorative led above the dark side to encourage them to leave it.


*It should also be noted the side they are on now does contain the heater... but the temp reading at the other side still is 78C.
 
does that side have more decor or less traffic? how about moving the light the other side of the tank see if they will move away from that side of the tank. if so then you'll just have to illuminate the whole tank with equal amount of light, don't think a small decorative LED will be enough. maybe add some power head to the tank to give them some current, that might help. there could more than just one cause why they like to stay at one side only, you just have to try different things to see what might be the cause and/or what might help.
 
First thing that came to my mind was a powerhead. Mine didn't sit in the corner but they'd all sit lazy at the bottom of the tank....until i got a powerhead. Now they sit mid level swimming in the current all the time
 
+1 for the powerhead. In general though P's aren't cardinal tetras, they just sort of chill until dinner time. They conserve energy that way. Most predators are like this.
 
I have a smaller power head placed on the opposite side and pointed up to keep the top of the water moving...

Where is your guys' power heads placed and pointed in relation to your piranhas?


Also what temp do you try and maintain your piranhas water at? I've always thought 78C was the standard but i've read upping it slightly to 80-81 gets them more active.
 
Greenpiranhas323;3857585; said:
I have a smaller power head placed on the opposite side and pointed up to keep the top of the water moving...

Where is your guys' power heads placed and pointed in relation to your piranhas?


Also what temp do you try and maintain your piranhas water at? I've always thought 78C was the standard but i've read upping it slightly to 80-81 gets them more active.
Click to expand...


I keep mine on the right side of the tank and slightly to the front, not at all angled. Grrr, just noticed they were messin with the thermometer again today. I'm at 80. My heater is on the otherside of the tank away from the powerhead
 
I have my filter outlets to break water surface and power head on the same side where the heaters are to help circulate the heated water to the far side of the tank.
picture is better than thousand words
DSC_6615.jpg
 
jp that's a nice ass setup... What are those intakes/outtakes in the top middle and top left? Here is my setup... ****ty pic with my phone for now. If I can't get my piranhas to take advantage of the whole tank I think I'm gonna try to add another fish. Have you ever heard of anyone successfully having a leperanus with their red bellies?

I have a peacock cichlid and by mistake a rainbow shark that have lived with them forever now.

<a target="_blank" href="http://img200.imageshack.us/i/img0113hc.jpg/"><img src="http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/6751/img0113hc.th.jpg" border="0"/></a><br>
<a target="_blank" href="http://img16.imageshack.us/i/img0112tv.jpg/"><img src="http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/764/img0112tv.th.jpg" border="0"/></a><br>
 
thanks. those are the inlet and outlet for FX5 filters, I have two running my 180gallon tank.
your pictures didn't show up, try it pose them again.
as for adding other fish with piranhas you can of course add whatever you pleased but you have to know that the chance of the fish added will get eaten is extremely high. sometimes it'll work a well in the beginning but you can wake up one morning and found the tank mate half eaten and floating around in the tank. just don't be too attached to the fish you are going to add, other wise don't add any tank mates.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom