I need help

[Stephanie Bello]

Hello. I have 4 red belly piranhas in a 10 gallon tank and i am worried because the don't swim around much they just stay at the bottom of the tank
They have a heater and the thermometer says the water is at 76 degrees
I need some advice i dont want them to die

 

[Yohanon]

Red bellied piranhas can grow to be a foot long or more. I do not know how large yours are but they will at some point need at least a 120 gallon tank to comfortably house four of them. Such a tank would need to be WELL filtered, preferably with a sump, with the circulation pump turning the tank over at least six times per hour. Water parameters need to be checked frequently, and partial water changes performed weekly. Avoid feeding them goldfish, rosy reds or any other fish containing thiaminase. With live feeders, you run the risk of infecting your tank with parasites and pathogens. Ideal diet: raw fish filet (white flesh like tilapia, avoid oily fish like tuna or salmon) raw shrimp, meal worms, crickets, grasshoppers. Best of luck. Any more questions, feel free to ask.

 

[tlindsey]

Hello. I have 4 red belly piranhas in a 10 gallon tank and i am worried because the don't swim around much they just stay at the bottom of the tank
They have a heater and the thermometer says the water is at 76 degrees
I need some advice i dont want them to die

souzie
SandNukka15

 

[Timmy]

Hello. I have 4 red belly piranhas in a 10 gallon tank and i am worried because the don't swim around much they just stay at the bottom of the tank
They have a heater and the thermometer says the water is at 76 degrees
I need some advice i dont want them to die

Is tough to give you guidance without some key information.
1. How big are they?
2. How long have you had them?
3. Do you have hiding spots?
4. Water parameters ?

I hope you bought these fish knowing that they can't be kept in a small tank. In theory they shouldn't be in the 10 gallon for any longer than they are an inch or two max.

 

[Stephanie Bello]

Red bellied piranhas can grow to be a foot long or more. I do not know how large yours are but they will at some point need at least a 120 gallon tank to comfortably house four of them. Such a tank would need to be WELL filtered, preferably with a sump, with the circulation pump turning the tank over at least six times per hour. Water parameters need to be checked frequently, and partial water changes performed weekly. Avoid feeding them goldfish, rosy reds or any other fish containing thiaminase. With live feeders, you run the risk of infecting your tank with parasites and pathogens. Ideal diet: raw fish filet (white flesh like tilapia, avoid oily fish like tuna or salmon) raw shrimp, meal worms, crickets, grasshoppers. Best of luck. Any more questions, feel free to ask.

They are like about an inch long i had them for 4 days now, i just recently changed them to a 20 gallon tank while they are small. In about 3 month i want to change them to a 125 gallon tank. What is a sump and water parameters? The pictures that i uploaded is the 20 gallon tank. The tank gets dirty fast in about two days it looks kinda dirty.

 

[Stephanie Bello]

Is tough to give you guidance without some key information.
1. How big are they?
2. How long have you had them?
3. Do you have hiding spots?
4. Water parameters ?

I hope you bought these fish knowing that they can't be kept in a small tank. In theory they shouldn't be in the 10 gallon for any longer than they are an inch or two max.

Yes the workers in the store told me the 20 gallon tank is too small that they need a bigger tank. They are about 1 inch long i have had them for 4 days now. yes i have hiding spots, what are parameters? they look happier but there are three piranahs that are always together but one of the is always hiding and only comes out to eat

 

[Yohanon]

A sump is a filtration system utilizing a smaller tank or some other container divided into sections for various filter media typically located in the stand. Joey from DIY fishkeepers has a number of you tube videos describing their design and construction. They can hold a lot of media and are user friendly and easy to maintain.

 

[tlindsey]

You will need to have a test kit in order to check your water parameters for ammonia,nitrite, nitrate, and ph. Api test kit is what I use.

 

[stempy]

So much craziness in this thread.
One: You do NOT need a sump for a tank that size, that's nuts. A good hang on the back filter like an aquaclear will do just fine. I see you have one on there, hopefully it's a good one and not one where its a simple cartidge you change out weekly when it gets dirty restarting the "cycle" every time.
Two: Did you cycle the tank? If not go buy some "cycle starter" like API quick start or Dr. TIm's, it will jump start your cycle (aka nitrogen cycle)
Three: 4 RBP in a 10 gallon will not work, probably not even short term, they are VERY cannibalistic at that age and you will most likely only end up with one or two at the most. You should start with a small shoal of them in a much larger tank to give them room to "flex" so to speak.
Four: They are also VERY skittish fish, they WILL hide....a lot. Especially when not in a shoal. I've kept as many as 30 at once and they never hid, I've also kept as few as 10 and they were skittish and bounced off the walls at the slightest disturbance. Maybe some taller bushy plants will help them feel more secure, but I would not expect them to come out and say hi

Good luck, but I think you have made a poor selection in species for that tank unless you plan to rehome them soon.

 

[PatrickMW36]

So much craziness in this thread.
One: You do NOT need a sump for a tank that size, that's nuts. A good hang on the back filter like an aquaclear will do just fine. I see you have one on there, hopefully it's a good one and not one where its a simple cartidge you change out weekly when it gets dirty restarting the "cycle" every time.
Two: Did you cycle the tank? If not go buy some "cycle starter" like API quick start or Dr. TIm's, it will jump start your cycle (aka nitrogen cycle)
Three: 4 RBP in a 10 gallon will not work, probably not even short term, they are VERY cannibalistic at that age and you will most likely only end up with one or two at the most. You should start with a small shoal of them in a much larger tank to give them room to "flex" so to speak.
Four: They are also VERY skittish fish, they WILL hide....a lot. Especially when not in a shoal. I've kept as many as 30 at once and they never hid, I've also kept as few as 10 and they were skittish and bounced off the walls at the slightest disturbance. Maybe some taller bushy plants will help them feel more secure, but I would not expect them to come out and say hi

Good luck, but I think you have made a poor selection in species for that tank unless you plan to rehome them soon.

Lol I think it's obvious the tank wasn't cycled seeing how they don't even know what water parameters are. My suggestion would be reading up on basic fish keeping and attemting to return the fish to the LFS and get some beginners fish in order to learn.