My 1st Red Belly Piranha

[Cmb Mani]

Hey guys got my first RBP, abt 3 Inches, keeping a single one in my 20gl tank, with my 6 inch common pleco. he bit of a chunk the tail of the pleco the first day but now they dont fight LOL
I feed it frozen fish every other day, goes nuts on it lol!

but i've noticed that he looses the red colouration at night esp when the lights are off i mean he becomes almost white... but it comes back during the day.. just wanted to know why this is?
Also am i feeding it enough? his stomach does buldge afterwards LoL

 

[_Sushi_]

First off, Congratulations on your new addition!!

You'll want to feed him some cichlid pellets twice every day, and maybe keep the fish for every other. It'll keep his colors vibrant. I know mine loves eating them!!

It could be that he's trying to blend in with his surroundings at night, and that's why the red fades. Just my guess.

I would remove the pleco as soon as I could, I had my pleco trying to take over the RBP's "cave" and that pleco lost quite a bit of finnage, being bigger than your p, your pleco could actually harm him!!

Your P is only a little bit smaller than mine is now, I got him at about 2 inches. Be prepared to become super attached, super quick!!

I love my little fella, and wouldn't trade him for the world!!

 

[altimaser]

A 20 gallon may be a bit small when your Red Belly grows to an adult. They can get around 10" or so. Chances are the Pleco won't make it for very long either, especially when the Red Belly starts to get bigger. Cichlid Bio gold is a great food as well as frozen fish fillets. Good Luck

 

[leg89]

Am I the only one to notice a problem here ??? its ok for you if u only want one rbp, but the truth is that reds are shoaling fish. keeping less than 3 shouldn't be considered in my opinion. these fish are large group hunters. if kept alone, they'll feel much less comfortable and probably be way more skittish and nervous, and will probably be less agressive and interesting to watch. also, what's so interesting about them is their social comportment in the shoal...anywaz.

i understand that not everyone has a 100 gals, but many say, and i kinda agree with them, that 50 gals for 3 red is a minimum (at least for adults). and cross your fingers if u want to add more ps with ur juvi once he'll be older!

i find it dissapointing that many of these impressive creatures are not kept in good conditions. i'm sure u want the best for your fish cauz u seem attached to him, but the reality is that he actually isn't kept in good conditions given his specie.

sorry to be such a ****er but i thought someone had to make this clear.
this is basic stuff guys...cmon get info before purchasing...

 

[Davey_8313]

Congrats on getting a RBP first of all. Do you plan on getting more later? If so, be careful to make sure they're the same size and take the one you have now out and rearrange the tank... Feed him some cichlids pellets or something like Sushi said to help keep his color. My shoal of RBPs loved them after they got used to 'em... G/L...

 

[master.k.]

Picture

 

[Nabbig2]

Congrats, but sorry; your tank is not going to do well in the future.
First of all, the tank is too small for even one piranha, and rbp's really are schooling fish.
You pleco also might get killed, especially if the piranha is an adult with other piranhas in a school.

 

[_Sushi_]

I'm still a newbie as far as piranha keeping is, but I still have an opinion here. Not flaming, not being nasty, but stating my piece.

I was all for getting a shoal to keep with my RBP I have now. BUT, upon the realization that he could be eaten by his shoal members, I have decided not to get any piranha buddies for his tank. Sad, yes, mean, perhaps, but I'm looking out for his safety, since I'm attached to him. And you never put a fish you're attached to in a piranha tank......

Also, until I'm good and ready to buy 3 or 4 more piranhas, (whichever number is more recommended it seems) I'm not getting anymore. I don't have the room right now. A 50 gallon is $150 here, I don't have that kind of money...plus, $30-40 for fish, plus the extra food, and substrate, and decor.....I don't see that happening in the near future, at least while my fiance is footing the bill!!

Now, another 29 gallon ($32) and another RBP ($10 puts it to 42) plus sub ($6), and a cave to hide behind, and some decorative plants ($10) $60 total (rounding up) Sounds like a MUCH better deal!! Plus the food for 1 more really won't put a dent in our budget, since it would share everything Whip eats, and that just makes the food go a bit faster so it's less likely to get tossed out for being gross.

OR, sometimes you just don't WANT a lot of RBPs, I'm not one of those people, I think a shoal would be nice.....someday. But I'm sure they're out there. When I first started, even though I really really wanted a shoal, I just wasn't sure about all.....those......piranhas.

That's like, jumping into a pool of cold water without dipping your feet in first.

I love Whip, and I'm sure he'd LOVE having a buddy or two, but he's going to have to socialize through the glass.

Just because you don't have 3-4-10-20-50 RBPs, doesn't mean you're a bad fish keeper. If your tank is appropriately sized, your water is clean, and well-kept, and your gravel doesn't make the water nasty when it gets stirred up, and your fish are well fed, at decent times, and it's not too hot or cold for them, I feel that's pretty good fishkeeping.

If you throw them in a tank that's WAY too small. Say, a ten gallon tank, for a 20 gallon fish....don't feed them, don't clean up after them, don't care about temp, THEN you have a problem.......

Anyways, I'm off my soapbox now. Once again, not being *itchy, just speaking my mind!! ^_^

 

[Cmb Mani]

Hey guys thanx for the critisism i take everything for the positive will think abt getting a bigger tank later.
btw i did read on some web sites that u can keep RBP as single too, guessing it was the wrong info damn! some actually said they kept 4 and the dominant one just ate the others as he grew..

Well thanx again for the help!!

 

[Cmb Mani]

HEY thanx Sushi exactly how i feel!!