How easy are Piranha to keep?

Question

I have a 180 litre tank - we have been keeping cold water fish in it but we had one large 'fancy' goldfish who killed and ate all the other smaller fish. The tank has the capacity to be tropical (there is a thermostat already fitted and it has all the correct filters etc) so I have decided to clean it out and start from scratch (don't worry the goldfish have another tank to go to!). My friend has mentioned that Red Belly Piranha are quite cool - I don't want to keep them because of their fierce image (I hear that's not the case anyway) - I think they may look quite cool and different. Any tips on how to keep them/feeding etc would be really appreciated. By the way, I live near a very reputable aquatic centre so will also be asking for advice from the professionals before buying any! I'm just interested to hear any info people have to offer - thanks!

Answer 1

I had red bellys and they are very pretty to look at, and quite active, so are interesting to keep. I fed them frozen bloodworm and occasionally bought some live fish for them, but I found it a bit barbaric to watch, so mainly fed bloodworm.

You have to make sure they are fed often enough though, cos they will eat each other if they get hungry!

We had 5 fish, then four, then three, then two, then one huge fat thing which ate all the others! We called him Jaws and he was aboslutely ferocious, it was difficult to clean bits out of the tank as he used to attack the net, even when he had been recently fed.

I dont know if this is a common trait of the species or just our one fish, so get some expert advice.

Answer 2

Keeping Piranhas

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How easy are Piranha to keep?
I have a 180 litre tank - we have been keeping cold water fish in it but we had one large 'fancy' goldfish who killed and ate all the other smaller fish. The tank has the capacity to be tropical (there is a thermostat already fitted and it has all the correct filters etc) so I have decided...

Answer 4

Piranha are actually easy to keep, but you don't want to keep any other fish but feeders in there. You'll have to go to the pet store and by a dozen or so feeders every couple of weeks, but they are beautiful and interesting and will grow.

Answer 5

As with anything it should be the largest tank you can afford, the common red belly can grow to nearly 12inches, there are several smaller species but they are not as interesting!!!
Have successfully kept a trio, they are a schooling fish but will squabble over food, they will eat almost anything you put in there, as young fish ours were fed on frozen daphnia, bloodworm etc as they got bigger we progressed through the pinkie mice through to small rats.
I highly recommend an external filter ie fluval 304 as the water will get dirty quickly and will smell very bad.
dont bother with a net to catch them as they go straight through these!!!!
I hope this is usefull and good luck with them.

Answer 6

i think your tank may be too small for a good shoal of red bellies. they need to be kept in a good number, in of course a species tank. and you really need to read up on their dietary needs from piranha experts (which i do not claim to be!). Red Bellies will potentially reach 12" long each (18" in the wild!). Therefore, i've seen recommended a 75 gallon tank minimum.

Answer 7

they aren't hard to keep, but they do require a lot, for instance a hugee tank, maybe 300 gallons, but for a baby id say 150 would be fine for a while, and yes they can be keep with each other, if anything as long as there well feed they should go after each other

Answer 8

In 1979 I bought 3 Red-bellied piranhas in a small shop in nyc. They were siblings and about 3/4" in length each. Their 1st tank was a 10g tank with a small piece of driftwood, corner box filter,slow airstone... They were fed baby gups, adult brine shrimp, & tubifex occasionally. With a steady temperature of about 80deg(F), their mass quickly increased in a few weeks. They soon learned when feeding time was near & bec of this they'd circle each other mouth-to-tail slowly-('who of us will eat first'?)-which resulted in 1 having it's tail bitten off, wherein it developed an incurable fungal infec & died. Moved them to a 20 long tnk, feeding them adult gups, small pieces of LEAN beef(fat is hard 2 digest), and scissor clippings of any dead half-floaters I found in my other tnks. Another tail was soon lost & the remaining fish had the 20 to himself. The months passed; with regular wtr changes, feeding & lighting schedules, it developed deep red finnage;throat area too(about 1 y.o. & 6")...I eventually transferred it 2 a 55g tnk w an outside power filter-large piranha do get messy. Food: feeder goldfish, strips of lean beef & supermarket fish. By the time it was 10" long it recognized me when I entered the room, greeting me by wagging his tail, his 'nose' pressed against the glass facing me.... At the age of 14 my buddy passed away-(he was 15") long-but I learned alot from him & he got alot of care AND FOOD from me. PS: altho the redbellied is the most dangerous pir, he never attacked my hands as I siphoned, removed, scraped, added, etc....he just moved 2 the other end of tank and watched...

Answer 9

First check to see if you can own/breed piranha in your state. Many do not allow.

http://www.meditationiseasy.com/tips/pets/46301.php

http://www.petsintheaquarium.com/

There are hundreds of places to get information about the tank you want to have. Good luck....

You are aware of what piranha eat, right?

Answer 10

I believe they're illegal to keep in most states, so you might want to check that out first (but maybe it's only a certain kind). My brother had two of them, and fed them fish - guppies and goldfish. When they get hungry they bite each other, and sometimes they do that anyways. I got the impression from my brother that they were not easy to keep - they only lasted a couple of months (and he had major success with many other kinds of fish). If you get them make sure they're dead before you get rid of them - you don't want to introduce them into any local waterways.