Newbie To Pirhanas

[Spencer657]

I recentely bought a 30 gallon tank, just for pirhanas, and was wondering how many pirhanas to buy, and what type of environment to create,gravel,plants,etc. I also read that if you buy more than 1 pirhana then you should buy them as babies, so they form a liege?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Well I'm not an expert on piranhas, but after doing a little research...

- Sorry but a 30 gallon tank may not be quite big enough. Some species get larger than others, but you also need to consider their diet and water quality. You'll want excellent filtration.

- From what I understand piranhas should be kept in groups of 6-10. Maybe someone else can correct me if I'm wrong there.

 

[stang1]

Aphotic Phoenix is right, a 30G is not big enough for Pirhanas.
Have a read of this link to get more idea about their requirements:
Pirhanas

 

[ice(kat)]

are piranahs expensive just wondering on price. as they are "illegal" in australia but id love to have some

 

[backtotropical]

You can buy babies for around £5GBP each. Adults aren't really found for sale as nobody seems to want them.

 

[Gatorbait]

There are many types of different species of piranhas for sale. The most common is red bellies (P. nattereri).

How many to get is dependant upon which species you're talking about. Stay away from shoals if you're going to buy ANY Serrasalmus species. Sometimes a geryi shoal can work out but it's for the experts only. Nothing else can be kept with them at all. They will kill everything put into their tank with no exceptions.

Red Belly's don't need to be in a shoal of 6. The more the better but ONLY if you have the tank space. They are fine if you have at least 3 in a 75g minimum. I've tried 4 a few times and sometimes it worked, others it didn't. If you buy too many you won't have to worry about overcrowding because when they start to feel crowded they will kill each other off until the remaining ones each have their own territories. Piranhas are extremely territorial, much more so than any cichlid I've ever had and they need their space. Pygo's don't like each other but their skittishness allows them to be in the vicinity of others for safety.

IMO, red belly's are kind of boring. They are too skittish for my liking. If you want to go with Pygo's for a shoal I would consider getting tern's or at least Wild Red's from an online source. If you want a more aggressive fish then I would look at a S. rhombeus or other Serra species.

Many adult piranhas are sold online if you want to go that route.

 

[fearce]

What sort of size tank would you need for Red belly piranas?

 

[MrWaxhead]

I have never kept them, but gator stated in his last post for red bellies 3 to a 75g min.

 

[fearce]

Ok thanks..

so generally quite a lot of space.