Anyone here keep Piranha??

[freemike]

Just curious if anyone keeps piranha and could give me some tips at what to expect as far as feeding, tank size, and maintenance.

From what I understand recommended tank size is 20 gallons per piranha with no less than 6 fish. Also that tank mates are pretty much not an option. This is for a future tank dream that will be a reality as soon as I find a place to put a 180 gallon tank. I'm shooting to have a school of 9. My main question: How do you do a water change and how often on a tank that size? How do you stir the sand or vacuum gravel with a tank that size and is safety an issue with Piranhas in the tank? I've heard that in smaller schools as they are in aquariums they do not show aggression towards humans.

[R1junkie]

I have had red bellies before, pretty boring fish. Do the weekly water changes with a gravel siphon. It is possible to keep a pleco with them. They are not realy agressive towards humans but if you have a cut that is bleeding or they are spawning the chances of getting bitten are alot higher. Always a chance of getting bitten though. You will have to check to see if they are even legal to own in your state as well.

[thekoimaiden]

I know there is a user over at TFK (parent site of bettafish.com) who keeps them. Maybe post over there in the freshwater fish section. I'm sure he'll come.

From what I have heard about piranha, keeping them is similar to keeping goldfish in that they need heavily filtration and large tanks.

From what I understand of characidae (tetra) keeping piranha is basically the same as any other SA tetra. Dim lighting (achieved through lots of floating plants), sandy substrate, and lots of bogwood can make a great biotype in which they will color up nicely and be rather active. In fact, that also sounds similar to a discus biotype setup. Red Bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) - Seriously Fish

Water changes on a tank like that would be the same as any other tank: once weekly. You could also look into putting in a sump to increase your water volume because with a messy fish like that, more water means more dilution. When you do get ready to install your dream tank, it might be a good idea to join a piranha-centric forum or a megafish forum. I know monsterfishkeepers.com is a good one.

And lastly, we wanna see pictures when it's done!!

[Olympia]

All I know about piranha is that you have to buy them all at once. Sometimes a school accepts new members but sometimes they don't (and you really don't want to watch that). I read about a public aquarium having problems with dumped piranha since their school wouldn't accept newbies.
It'd be really cool if you built a huge biotope for them, tannin stained water and tons of driftwood. I think piranha aren't done "properly" very often, everyone just does huge bare tanks.
A lot of people on megafish forums creep me out. Don't become one of them. Also don't become one of those people that posts "my piranha eats a goldfish/frog/mouse/anything cheap at the pet shop" videos on youtube. Like, really?

For stirring sand I'd just get Malaysian trumpet snails so you don't have to stick your hand in there. For other tank maintenance, I'd just corral them into some huge breeder bin in the tank while I did stuff in there.

[freemike]

Thanks for the tips and places to look for more information. I was definitely going to do more research and try to set up their environment as closely to the natural environment they inhabit. I really got interested in them after watching River Monsters and seeing that guy swim with them. This seems to be another fish with numerous misconceptions. I know most people don't consider them beautiful but I love that glimmer on the sides and the red coloring they have on their bellies. I would feed them live food as part of their diet. I personally think it adds to the quality of life for a predatory species. I won't feed it live exclusively but they'll get the occasional hunt.

I know the timing of the water change is the same but seriously I mean how do you change that MUCH water physically?

[thekoimaiden]

I love River Monsters, too. I was just telling my boyfriend about how misunderstood piranha are and used Jeremy Wade's swim in the pool with them as an example. They're actually a common food item in the amazon despite their fierce reputation. Even the people eat them. Apparently they are pretty good, or so says my ichthyology professor. He did research in the amazon for a year.

I think if you can get a great setup for them, your tank would be the envy of the forum! Most people who keep redbelly don't keep them in proper setups, and their colors get washed out. With diffused light and some tannin staining, I bet you could have some beautiful fish.

As for actually changing that volume of water, it's no problem. I've done changes like that on a 150 gal coldwater community that was housed where I used to work when I was in college. I drained the water from the tank using a massive python siphon connected to a hose (larger than the one I have for my 50 gallon). I then refilled a 60 gallon drum and treated the water there before draining the drum into the sump and having the pump push the water back into the tank. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. You personally don't move too much water; you get the hoses to do it for you.

[Olympia]

I think the thing about feeder fish is you should raise your own, I think they can introduce disease to the fish since they're always treated so bad.
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[Fabian]

I saw some near my house in a shop,they kept plecs and suckers with them.

[copperarabian]

I do a 50% water change on my 48g once a week. It's not too bad, just time consuming to run back and worth with my bucket.

[Curlyfatbottom]

Red bell piranha Are illegal is some state.
If so then the next closest looking fish is the pacu
Yeah piranha tank smells.
If your going to keep it inside and feed it live food.
Good luck
If your going big on the tank
Build a slump system