Question regarding aquarium size

[Sadrobots]

Hello! I am new to these forums, so please forgive me if I format incorrectly or miss rules, etc. I have just set up my new 110, the dimensions of which are 50"x20"x28". It has a Hydor 150 and a Hydor 400 running on it, as well as three large powerheads. I am extremely interested in doing piranhas, and I am wondering if that tank and it's dimensions are a suitable size, and if so, what kind/how many would I be able to have? I appreciate any and all advice, thank you!

 

[Deadeye]

Welcome to the forum!
I assume you want red bellies?
If so that tank is a good size. You could probably have 3-5 in there. 3 is the safer school size, but I would buy 5 because piranhas will often pick off a few (leaving you with the desired school size).

 

[Sadrobots]

thank you so much!!! I am happy to be here. I am indeed considering red bellies, and that is super exciting! I am already planning on having floating plants to cut down on the light, as well as a large piece of driftwood, as well as tall plants to cut down on light/sight lines on the sides of the aquarium, as well. do you have any other advice/guidance for me?

 

[Deadeye]

Keep them very well fed. I found that every day without food, aggression seems to double, and they will start killing at four days. That was just with one. Piranhas are canabilistic by nature, so they will start to view others as food. Best way to keep aggression down is with lots of food.
Also, feeding pellets seems to curb aggression as they do not associate other fish with food as quickly.
Also they will turn to live plants when they are hungry (or plastic plants, they don’t care).

Do your best to keep them calm too. As you know, they are very skittish. I lost mine mysteriously, not a scratch on it. My theory is that he got scared, swam into the wall, and died of a concussion.

And lastly, keep an eye out during water changes. They are skittish and will play dead when cleaning, but always assume they are going to go for a bite, just to be on the safe side.

 

[tlindsey]

thank you so much!!! I am happy to be here. I am indeed considering red bellies, and that is super exciting! I am already planning on having floating plants to cut down on the light, as well as a large piece of driftwood, as well as tall plants to cut down on light/sight lines on the sides of the aquarium, as well. do you have any other advice/guidance for me?

Welcome aboard
Besides the advice that Deadeye gave you I will add don't feed live feeder fish. If you choose to feed live quarantine prior. Get them on prepared food such as pellets and Frozen Tilapia in feeding rotation.

 

[Deadeye]

Welcome aboard
Besides the advice that Deadeye gave you I will add don't feed live feeder fish. If you choose to feed live quarantine prior. Get them on prepared food such as pellets and Frozen Tilapia in feeding rotation.

I agree. The only feeders mine got were failed attempts at tankmates.
Advice: don’t spend money trying to see what piranhas can live with (see above). The only safe tankmate is water... and even then piranhas will make a mess of it.

 

[Sadrobots]

Keep them very well fed. I found that every day without food, aggression seems to double, and they will start killing at four days. That was just with one. Piranhas are canabilistic by nature, so they will start to view others as food. Best way to keep aggression down is with lots of food.
Also, feeding pellets seems to curb aggression as they do not associate other fish with food as quickly.
Also they will turn to live plants when they are hungry (or plastic plants, they don’t care).

Do your best to keep them calm too. As you know, they are very skittish. I lost mine mysteriously, not a scratch on it. My theory is that he got scared, swam into the wall, and died of a concussion.

And lastly, keep an eye out during water changes. They are skittish and will play dead when cleaning, but always assume they are going to go for a bite, just to be on the safe side.

ok, thank you. that leads me to another question, the aquarium is in our dining room/living room extension, at the head of the table. is that a bad spot for it? I do not want to cause them undue stress or make an uncomfortable place for them.

I most definitely will not be feeding live food, not only am I concerned about parasites, I don't really want to watch live animals be eaten.

 

[Deadeye]

That shouldn’t be a bad spot. It’s mostly light and sudden movements that bothers them. As long as there are plenty of hiding spots they will feel secure. When I would watch mine it would hide but come back out once it realized I wasn’t a predator. As they get larger they are known to get less skittish.

 

[tlindsey]

ok, thank you. that leads me to another question, the aquarium is in our dining room/living room extension, at the head of the table. is that a bad spot for it? I do not want to cause them undue stress or make an uncomfortable place for them.

I most definitely will not be feeding live food, not only am I concerned about parasites, I don't really want to watch live animals be eaten.

Like stated earlier by Deadeye they are a skittish species so a high traffic area may cause them to freak out but walking slowly by the aquarium may help. I've had a group many moons ago that didn't care who walked up lol.

 

[tlindsey]

That shouldn’t be a bad spot. It’s mostly light and sudden movements that bothers them. As long as there are plenty of hiding spots they will feel secure. When I would watch mine it would hide but come back out once it realized I wasn’t a predator. As they get larger they are known to get less skittish.

Damn I'm slow lol.