Community To Predator Setup?

[matuk]

although they seem a good choice, i dont know were there avalible, ill try the piranhas unless discus is something that i can consider

ill defently have to take these 3 sepcies in mind along to the fish stor and see what they have and what meets the needs my tank can provide

 

[erk628]

although they seem a good choice, i dont know were there avalible, ill try the piranhas unless discus is something that i can consider

ill defently have to take these 3 sepcies in mind along to the fish stor and see what they have and what meets the needs my tank can provide

Do you live in the states?

 

[matuk]

the uk. south east for any one in the uk that knows any were

 

[trampas]

Sorry every one I seem to have got this post wrong somehow and reposted the question , however I have managed to get a reply on to page 2 so appologies for any confusion or concern caused

 

[Davo86]

As said if your losing interest in community fish, then I don't personally think Piranha are going to be your thing tbf,
They aren't the most active and tbh don't really keep you entertained after more than a few days IMO

 

[england]

Why is it your bored with those fish? predatory fish in general do alot of sitting around compared to community style fish, discus are hard to care for, alot of work involved, as said pirhana sit around alot, there not what you think, lol there actually very easily spooked...Do you know what it is your wanting? as in a variety of fish, swimming around alot,,,

 

[trampas]

Hi Mat , welcome to the world of predator keeper`s , you are now about to make the classic first step , piranha`s , why ? , because like shark`s they are vicious man eater`s ( so must be cool and impressive ) in reality they are a dull inactive skittish fish that do not roam the tank perpetualy ravenous as shown in film`s , they eat once or twice a day . There are plenty of sizeable one`s about now looking for rehome without the need for LFS`s to still be bringing in juvenile`s for sale to the awestruck .
Your reason " to tame " I was more wary when doing tank adjustment`s with big snakehead`s and wolffish than any of the red belly or black pirana`s I had ( at one time I had 3 impressive 8 inch black`s ) and my big (3 foot ) electric eel was only ever fed with a stick .
However you need to get this urge out of your system and hope in 6 month`s time there will be another keen predator newbie waiting to take them off your hand`s ( unfortunately these were one of the most common fish to end up flushed away ) don`t know if it still exist`s but I seem to recall their sale and the sale of clarius was banned in the USA due to being disposed of down the toilet and their ability to survive and breed in the local water systems . Perhap`s someone could possitively confirm or deny this for me please .
One final thing you don`t need a padlock on your tank hood but you do need some tight fitting glass panel`s on top of your tank as like all skittish fish they are prone to jumping out , if this happen`s their jaw does`nt stop moving and so rapidly chew`s up the recatching net , if your`s does end up " out " the best way to put it back is to guide it into a tupperware box with the plastic lid .
Anyway good luck with your new venture and keep us informed of your progress What A Happy Hobby

 

[Davo86]

Why not go for a character fish, such as a Midas or Jaguar Cichlid,

or even a complete oddball/semi aggressive setup with polypterus, smaller tropical snakeheads species, various cats etc...

 

[hanny93]

I've never been interested in piranhnas myself other than if I could have a big pond full of them , there's something about large shoals of fish that appeals to me.

I'd say to soak your bogwood for two weeks before you plan to move everything, changing the water every day.
Go and pay for the pirahnas before you move anything, so you don't get disappointed.
Then a couple of days before you plan to move, wash all the sand and keep it wet and covered. Not in a tank or anything, just in a big bucket with an inch or so of water so it doesn't dry out and get dusty and so nothing can crawl in
Then on the day of the move, call ahead at your lfs to check the pirahnas are ready to move.
If they are, take all the decorations out including plants (you ownt be wanting plants with pirahnas anyway will you?) and do a thorough gravel clean. Keep one or two buckets of clean water to one side.
Refill the tank to normal level, let everything get back to temp etc and then take out the fish and put them into the buckets.
Keep the filter and heater on all the time.
Cover the buckets with lids and blankets and take them to the lfs, then spend as little time as possible with fish in bags/buckets.
Then as the pirahnas are acclimatising (I'm assuming you'll use a drip acclimatiser) put your bogwood etc in the tank so it's all ready and you won't have to stick your hands in.

Also, to trampas, I think the reason he wanted a padlock was to stop little children's fingers becoming lunch