# 8 Red bellys in a 55 gallon



## Shred Revolution (May 16, 2003)

I am seriously considering just downgrading to 3 red belly piranha right now so that I dont have to waste time and effert feeding and caring for 8 just to get rid of 5 of them














okay I have a very serious question that I request to be answerd in a not so strict of fashion concerning numbers. Can I have 5 red Belly's in a 55 for life ? I would really love to have 5 and 5 seems better than 3 because 5 is more of a shoal for hunting purposes and hanging out and such. thanks alot and there has to be some people out there with more than 3 in a 55 gallon


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

for life..no..it would be too small of a confine for them...how big are your red at the moment?


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## Jonas (Mar 14, 2003)

No, 5 for life would lead to territory issues. I've only got 2 rb's just above four inches in a 55 and they already have territory issues. No serious fights yet, but you can tell it's gonna happen eventually. and yes, my bro has 5 juveniles under 2 inches in a 55. ok for now..........until


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## Genin (Feb 4, 2003)

I have 4 Pygos in a 55 right now and I plan on upgrading the tank and adding another 1 or 2. 5 Reds in a 55 is not enough for life. I think it'll be okay up until 6-7" then you will see some deaths.

Joe


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## memen (Mar 14, 2003)

i think that that's run because i know a guy who kept 6 reds in a 20 gallon( 86 liters) for life and have never deaths, his p's are very small (15 cm) but all are fine, and that's a long time he have them, (2 years and more). i think you cant stay with 8 but without any plants,woods or others things, just a few sand and a great filtration ! uprgrade the tank to 80 gallon at least after a year and it will be better for the grow of you p's.
enjoy


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## Shred Revolution (May 16, 2003)

I think that even in a 150 gallon tank with 5 red belly piranha there would be territorial issues I mean the fish arent going to draw a line in the sand and not cross it right ?


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

Shred Revolution said:


> I think that even in a 150 gallon tank with 5 red belly piranha there would be territorial issues I mean the fish arent going to draw a line in the sand and not cross it right ?


 in a 150 there able to swim away from a beating,while in a small tank there no where to go..


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

i vote 5 in a 55 for life is a-ohkay! I had 8 in a 20g long and 8 in a 60g. To my surprise, 8 in a 20g long had less territorial issue because of less space. They seem rather more groupy together in the tank. When i had them in a 60g. they would space out and have territory. Im the kind of the guy who likes to overstock/crowd. Note that i experimented the which the same kind of fish. Just keep them well fed and everything is okay. The reds were also 3-3.5"


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## Shred Revolution (May 16, 2003)

quite true thepack


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## SnowCichlid (Jan 10, 2003)

setup and feeding and many other factors play a significant role on this decision as well


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## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

> thanks alot and there has to be some people out there with more than 3 in a 55 gallon


that is true but it depends on what size they are


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

I have 8 Pygos 5-10"ers in a 125.. and adding 2 more in a week. I can honestly say that sometimes overstocking can definately be advisable. I had 8 huge RBs 7-9" in a 125 and shoaled nicely.. reduced to 3 and fought alot with one another. Overstocking can be done ONLY if you have 80+gal.. other than that, your taking a risk with anyother combination.


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Sorry, you can´t...no more than 3 in a 55g...you should get a bigger tank!


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## DiXoN (Jan 31, 2003)

3 is the magig number in this case and as advised only tanks of a certain size should be overstocked.
i had 4 in my 55 2 8'' and 2 4'' but was never going to keep them in it for life
dixon


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## mechanic (Jan 11, 2003)

Hi.I have 5 reds in a 55.I started out with 2 and they fought all the time.Once I added the other 3 the tank has calmed down alot.The first 2 were over 1 year old and about 9 1/2 to 10 1/2" The other 3 are between 4 and 6 1/2 inches.
They all get along great.
They just chill in their spot in the tank,untill feeding time,when they shoul together nicely.
Later
Eric


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