Red belly piranhas

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ABigFish

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 7, 2014
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Ohio
So I saw some rbp's at my lfs and they are all housed together in a very small display tank. Maybe 10-20g. They all had terribly torn apart fins some to the point of not being able to regrow them. I was curios as to if that was because there were so many in such a small area? If I brought a few home and put them in their own 55g would the fin nipping continue?


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From my experience it will continue. But not as bad as when you have a tank full of hungry fry... It's more like little fights when they are growing in enough tank space... My guess is to many not enough tank and they are probably hungry...
Yours should be fine... Also the group will go after the weak


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I'm no expert so... I can't tell you the perfect number to tank ratio.. But I have 5 that range from 6" to 4-1/2" in a 100 gallon... But will be moving them to a larger tank


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fin nipping depends on age. Juvies and teens do this as they do in the wild because they have nutrients or protein and during the dry season this is sometimes all they got. Fins will grow back unless its down to the flesh.

So if your piranhas are 6" or bigger they will start to stop nipping like adults but even adults go for the occasional nip.

Below 6" they will do it because its natural.

Keep the water temp @ 76-77° this will reduce aggression issues, warmer temps makes them more active and aggressive ime.

So how big are they?


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They do quite a bit of fin nipping at that size. Whenever you buy young rbps they all look a bit rough around the edges but they heal very fast, just avoid ones that are missing eyes and fins that are damaged all the way down to the flesh. Rbps do best in groups but don't only get 2. Either just get 1 or get 3. They will eventually need a larger tank than a 55 if you got 3 but you would only need to upgrade to a 75. Also they are very messy fish so you need a lot of filtration. Also try to find out what they are feeding them since you want to get them on pellets asap because the longer you wait the harder it gets to make the switch but I would start with feeding them fillets of tilapia for the 1st week and then try adding pellets to their diet.

Fin nipping will continue but will not be as bad and will become less frequent as they get older but rbps heal alot faster than most people would expect.
 
Thank you that helped a lot! I hate seeing them in such a crowded space and I imagine they aren't cared after very well. But the LFS does feed them pellets already. Hikari carnivore sticks I believe. Probably because they are too lazy to feed Any real meaty foods. Lol but I have an empty 100 g would 3 or 4 live comfortably in that?


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ABigFish said:
Thank you that helped a lot! I hate seeing them in such a crowded space and I imagine they aren't cared after very well. But the LFS does feed them pellets already. Hikari carnivore sticks I believe. Probably because they are too lazy to feed Any real meaty foods. Lol but I have an empty 100 g would 3 or 4 live comfortably in that?


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A 100 gallon would be perfect for 4 rbps for their whole lives as long as you have adequate filtration. Also get some fake plant and some driftwood for the tank, driftwood lowers the pH and piranhas prefer more acidic water and having hiding spots for your rbps would make them less timid. I also recommend play sand as a substrate since its easy to clean because the piranha poop just sits right on top. Also get a circulation pump since they are river fish and do better with moving water. As for lighting I would recommend going cheap since rbps don't like brightly lit tanks and they will be more comfortable with less light and you won't have to worry too much about algae. Also get a heater guard or a titanium heater because rbps are strong fish and can break glass heaters. Get an appropriately size aerator pump as well.

This all may seem a little overwhelming but if you get all the right equipment it will make your life a lot easier in the long run. I also recommend not buying any live feeders from your lfs since it doesn't sound like they do a great job caring for their fish. Also do not give rbps feeder goldfish since they carry disease and contain growth inhibitors, honestly I would avoid live feeding all together or at least just make them an occasional treat. If you want to use live feeders I would recommend convicts or livebearers like mollies or guppies.
 
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