piranha fish?

Question

what are some good filter for a 55 gallon fish tank with 6 small 1" piranhas?how many filters? any good website for buying filters?

Answer 1

If you're keeping the piranhas to adulthood in that tank, it'll be a tight squeeze, so you'll want to OVERfilter to ensure that you maintain clean water conditions.
There's no "perfect" way to filter - each filtration method has its pros and cons, but I would suggest that go with a canister and a power filter (hang off the back - HOB).
For the canister, I suggest a Rena XP3. The Rena line is relatively inexpensive, but very effective. However, you could also go with Fluval or, if you want to invest in a really good filter, you could go with the Eheim brand
On top of that, an AquaClear 70 would be a good external filter. It will provide some additional filtration but will also add some oxygenation to the water.

As for good websites on the subject, there are many. Here are a few that should help you decide what to do:
http://www.drhelm.com/aquarium/flitration.html

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=218

Answer 2

I always like to use 2 filters, that way if one dies at least I still have something. There are lots of good filters out there. You can get a canister filter, but those can be spendy. What I would use is 2 bio-wheel filters. Aquaclear filters are another really good filter. If you got 2 filters that are each rated for 40-50 gallons you will be in pretty good shape. That tank is pretty small for piranhas, so the more filtration you can get, the better.

Answer 3

forget the filters for a minute. You need a bigger tank. Most sources recommend atleast 20 gallons per adult piranha. I tried to keep my 6 one inchers who within months grew to 6 inches in a 75 gallon tank and long story short, failed. It wasnt enough space. 2 piranhas lost their eyes and quickly became runts and were soon devoured. Get a bigger tank then worry about the filter. Two filters is always better than one and aquaclear powerfilters seem to do the trick. Remember to change the water often too becuase piranhas are quite messy and usually tear food to peices before selecting what they actually want to swallow.