Many years have passed

[Dolphinswin]

Hey, haven’t kept piranha in quite some time and am planning on diving back in! 40 gallon breeder, big enough for a mid size serra say up to 8”? Used to have a 75 gal w/ 3 reds, but have never had a rhom, was hoping I could get away with a tank of smaller size due to size space restrictions in a smaller apartment. Otherwise does anyone feel like a 75 is big enough for a rhom for life? With 18” depth I never understood why some say you would need such a huge tank. On a different not it seems like all the main piranha forums have disbanded, haven’t followed much since piranha-fury, anyone know if they have a specific forum anymore?

 

[BigShawn]

I believe you could get away with a 75g for life with a ROM if you purchase it small say 5-6 inches, that's just my opinion and I'm with you on the piranha boards fury was my favorite but I don't know of any that are still active, I'd been on it everyday if there was...

 

[tlindsey]

75 gallon too small for a full grown Rhom. 180 gallons would be sufficient.
They grow slow so you could get away with the 75 gallon for awhile.

 

[Dolphinswin]

May have to look into a ruby red Spilo or something along that size. That way a person should be able to do a 40gal, or 30 long. I will ask, how long again can you go without feeding? I sometimes am gone for a week here and there. With a Serra I wouldn’t be too worried but for a small pygo group maybe it would cause and issue for cannibalism? If I were to do pygos I’d do a 75gal again but not sure yet what I’m going to do.

 

[Dolphinswin]

Also I would think a 75 would be fine for a rhom up to 10” at least but obviously not a monster 14 or something along that size. Can’t wait to get a piranha tank going again in February, haven’t had a tank for like 6 years!

 

[pwmin]

I would go with a ruby red spilo, too. That is what I want when I get a tank freed up. They don't get too large and are a beautiful species. I had an elongatus in a 40 breeder and they don't get too large, either, but need a lot of flow.

 

[Dolphinswin]

How long can a pygo shoal go between meals? Just in case I’m out of town traveling for work, I could try to find someone to feed the fish. I travel every so often for about a week each time.

 

[tlindsey]

How long can a pygo shoal go between meals? Just in case I’m out of town traveling for work, I could try to find someone to feed the fish. I travel every so often for about a week each time.

I personally would find someone reliable to feed them just in case you had to stay gone longer. If they got hungry they will kill and eat the weakest one in the shoal.

 

[nzafi]

I am going to disagree a little bit with tlindsey . I was keeping piranha for about ~17 years and was on all the old boards. A good group of those individuals are now just on the piranha central facebook group.

I think a 75g can be good for a rhom for life, but it depends. I bought my rhom at 3in and kept him for majority of those 17 years in a 75g until he passed away about 2 years ago. When he died he was in a 180g tank but more because I wanted a larger tank than he needed it. When I measure him after he died he was only 10in. In all my years I think I have only found one person that was able to get a rhom grown from small past 12in in captivity. Those that grow past 12in often are purchased at 9-10in or larger. One board member here had a rhom for 34-35 years and it stopped growing at about 11in.

I will say, sometimes it comes down to the fish. My rhom actually enjoyed swimming and patrolled the whole tank. There are many folks that only get that behavior in a smaller tank. I say go with a small rhom and 75g tank.

Clearly if you want a rhom that is 13in + I would recommend a 180g or larger, and when I have seen 17-18in beasts I honestly felt like they needed closer to 300g tanks.

 

[DmartinRhom]

May have to look into a ruby red Spilo or something along that size. That way a person should be able to do a 40gal, or 30 long. I will ask, how long again can you go without feeding? I sometimes am gone for a week here and there. With a Serra I wouldn’t be too worried but for a small pygo group maybe it would cause and issue for cannibalism? If I were to do pygos I’d do a 75gal again but not sure yet what I’m going to do.

For anyone interested I am just about to (regretfully) put my collection of a few more rare Serras up for sale. I am a lifelong piranha keeper in NJ (have the pleasure of knowing nzafi, as he lived around the corner from me) and I need to take a hiatus from piranha keeping for at least a few years.

The least rare of my group is an apprx. 6" Ruby Red Spilo I have had for about 5 years. Asking $175 obo for him. He used to have stunning red and yellow coloration but, as all Spilos do, has darkened over the past couple years. Still a gorgeous fish that behaves more like an Oscar as far as coming to the front of the tank when I approach in anticipation of food. Hits the food the instant it hits the water.

Next up is an apprx. 4-4.5" S. Irritans. Have had him since he was the size of my fingernail and watched him develop a beautiful red coloration. Nasty little sucker. Asking $425 obo

Perhaps the most impressive of my group is an apprx. 5.5" S. Altuvei. Have also had him about 4 years and watched him develop into quite the red-eyed beast. This guy is probably the most striking of the three, which is really saying something. Asking $500 obo

All three have been fed a diet of primarily silversides and nightcrawlers over the past several years, with quarantined live fish feeding apprx. every 3-4 months. Please feel free to ask any questions - I love talking about them!