Questions about my 3 RBP

[JayAllure]

I recently purchased 3 RBP's & I have a few questions I need help with.
To start, I have them in a 10 gallon tank (just until wednesday, I'll be getting a 55 or 75 gallon tank)

1) I've noticed 2 are slightly bigger than the 3rd, but the smaller one is more aggressive, is this common?
2) I know RBP's don't mix well with light, I'm interested in getting a black light or something close to it, would that be fine for them?
3) I've noticed they nip at each other's fins, is there a way I can cut back on this?
4) Since I'll be upgrading to a bigger tank this week, I'm interested in purchasing at least 2-3 more, my questions are this
a) Should I purchase the other fish now & put them in the smaller tank so they can get "familiar" with the others or should I wait until I get the bigger tank & they all can be lost together lol
b) what's a good size number of RBP's to have in a 55 or 75 gallon tank or is 3 enough??

Thanks to everybody who replies to this in advance.

 

[Otherone]

1) I've noticed 2 are slightly bigger than the 3rd, but the smaller one is more aggressive, is this common?

It can be both common and uncommon but it is generally a good thing as juvi Piranha can be cannabalistic towards the weaker fish.

2) I know RBP's don't mix well with light, I'm interested in getting a black light or something close to it, would that be fine for them?

Not really Black lights generate too much heat, it'll burn up the ballast, and may very well over heat the water as well. Try a low wattage bulb with a large range color spectrum instead.

3) I've noticed they nip at each other's fins, is there a way I can cut back on this?

Feed them good quality foods daily and cross your fingers - juvi Piranha can be both cannibalistic and parasitic fin feederes.

4) Since I'll be upgrading to a bigger tank this week, I'm interested in purchasing at least 2-3 more, my questions are this
a) Should I purchase the other fish now & put them in the smaller tank so they can get "familiar" with the others or should I wait until I get the bigger tank & they all can be lost together lol

Wait til you get a larger tank, 10 gal of water is gonna have a hard enuff time trying to shed the waste created by the already exsisting 3,RBP's grow fast. Also wait til they new tank is fully cycled - juvi Piranha can fall prey to poor water conditions easily.

b) what's a good size number of RBP's to have in a 55 or 75 gallon tank or is 3 enough??

You might get away with 3 in 55 gal and 5 in 75 gal - general rule of thumb 20 gal. of space per adult RBP and do best in odd number shoals. As juvi's you can get away with more however they are more prone to killing each other off when they are younger than when when full grown.

Thanks to everybody who replies to this in advance.

Hope this helps

 

[JayAllure]

^^^ yes it did help alot, thanks

 

[Sanjo Eel]

Good advice from Otherone, only I would say that if you are upgrading to a 55-75 gallon, it is a good idea to stock more piranha than you plan on ending up with due to potential cannibalism. If you throw 3 tiny ones in there then you may end up with one fish. If you put in 5-6 you are more likely to end up with 3-4 healthy piranha that get along with each other.
Also, a 55 is a good home for 3 piranha for a couple years, but a 75 is good for 3 reds for life. Go with the 75 gallon.

 

[JayAllure]

Good advice from Otherone, only I would say that if you are upgrading to a 55-75 gallon, it is a good idea to stock more piranha than you plan on ending up with due to potential cannibalism. If you throw 3 tiny ones in there then you may end up with one fish. If you put in 5-6 you are more likely to end up with 3-4 healthy piranha that get along with each other.
Also, a 55 is a good home for 3 piranha for a couple years, but a 75 is good for 3 reds for life. Go with the 75 gallon.

Thanks for your help, so you think I should just purchase 2 or 3 more when I upgrade the tank instead of keeping 3? I really want a tank full but there's no guarantee I'll have a tank full months from now...

I've seen numerous videos with RBP's and Oscars in the same tank but I thought they don't get along...would it be a good idea to purchase 3 Oscars while there young since I have 3 RBP's & I want other fish with them or should I just keep the tank full of RBP's??

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

Thanks for your help, so you think I should just purchase 2 or 3 more when I upgrade the tank instead of keeping 3? I really want a tank full but there's no guarantee I'll have a tank full months from now...

I've seen numerous videos with RBP's and Oscars in the same tank but I thought they don't get along...would it be a good idea to purchase 3 Oscars while there young since I have 3 RBP's & I want other fish with them or should I just keep the tank full of RBP's??

keep piranhas only. especially in the tank size you're refering too. oscars are filthy disgusting fish (personal opinion but they are messy eaters with alot of waste, lmao), combine that with the messy eating habits of piranhas and you begin to see the problem. if you want a community tank (you've mentioned you want other fish with them), you might want to consider switching to something other then piranhas before you're in too deep.

i'd get a 75, you're going to need to upgrade from that 55 anyways. might as well get the larger of the 2 tanks, if you're buying used, they can often be found for close to the same price.

 

[JayAllure]

keep piranhas only. especially in the tank size you're refering too. oscars are filthy disgusting fish (personal opinion but they are messy eaters with alot of waste, lmao), combine that with the messy eating habits of piranhas and you begin to see the problem. if you want a community tank (you've mentioned you want other fish with them), you might want to consider switching to something other then piranhas before you're in too deep.

i'd get a 75, you're going to need to upgrade from that 55 anyways. might as well get the larger of the 2 tanks, if you're buying used, they can often be found for close to the same price.

Yeah, I'm thinking of just getting a 75 gallon tank and adding 2 more fish. thanks for your help, hopefully I'll still have 5 RBP's in the long run lol

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

just make sure you have enough filtration

 

[JayAllure]

just make sure you have enough filtration

do you have any recommendations? I'm trying to gather as much info for the stuff I need for my new tank as possible before Wednesday

 

[duster1971]

Filter imo can't go wrong with a AC110 and some other filter just to help out. Not sure bout everyone elses rbp but mine like some current so a powerhead or 2. Don't use the black light I tryed this in the past it scared them more than regular light. I beleave it was due to the fact that a blacklight is a high UV light heck they hurt my eyes. Mine seem to like light I have a 4' double light on mine that I am using a 5600k bulb and a 50/50 bulb.