# rbp max size



## pirannahzzz (Jul 23, 2004)

how big to red belles max out at . and can u keep one alone or with cichlids


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## r0d1mus (Jul 5, 2004)

I have heard the rbp's can get up to 12".  Also, anytime you put fish with a p, you are taking a chance with that fish becoming a nice snack for your p


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## acidWarp (Jun 30, 2003)

They don't get much bigger than 12' and no I wouldn't keep them with Cichlids.


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## EZ_Ian (Feb 21, 2004)

Ps and cichlids dont mix very well....


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## shutter13 (Jun 23, 2004)

14'' in the wild and like 12'' in captivity


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

i think the whole mixing p's with other fish varies from fish to fish.. currently i have 5 Rb's ranging in size from 4 - 9 inchs in a 125 gallon tank, in with tthe p's are two 5-7inch red tiger oscars and a 2-3 inch keyhole ciclid.. the p's nipped at the oscars when i first put them in the tank but they have been totally fine since then (almost 2 months) in fact the oscars are more aggresive eaters than the p's, i put 12 feeders in the tank and the p's were ignoring them until the oscars started chasing them around teh two of the p's watched the oscars chase one gold fish for about two minutes then when it was cornered the p swam up and ate the feeder, it was like team work. when the p's start to become more active the oscars swim together (im assuming they are schooling as a defense) but generally they swim the tank freely, if the p's feel the oscars are too close or what even they do th head butting thing and sometimes the oscars head but them back.. the keyhole i think is suriving because he is small and camoflages well with the drift wood and balck stones in the tank but ive seen him swim around mixed in with the p's and oscars with no problem. its pretty cool to have diversity with a piranha tank

oh yeah and my p's are total sissy's..


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## pirannahzzz (Jul 23, 2004)

aslo whitch should i get wild caught or tank raised thanks


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

i'd say tank raised, i think they'd be easier to get

and you dont have to feel guilty about hurtin the wild population any


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## EZ_Ian (Feb 21, 2004)

pirannahzzz said:


> aslo whitch should i get wild caught or tank raised thanks


 im pretty sure the majority of Ps we buy are tanked raised.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

The biggest redbelly I've heard of was a captive one that measures close to 16", head to tail: bigger than the largest recorded one taken from the wild...

If you can choose between wild and captive-bred, I'd always go for the wild ones: the are usually much more brightly colored, usually more agressive, and have a more pure lineage (tankraised fish are more subjected to inbreeding, genetic defects etc.) Just keep in mind that over time, wild fish's coloration will become more drab and and the sharp edges of wild fish's behaviour will be smoothened out - still, wild ones are better...


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## pirannahzzz (Jul 23, 2004)

well were im buying them it ask if i want tank rased or wild caught and the wild caught are cheaper for some reason


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## NTcaribe (Apr 8, 2004)

yeah i have a red belly right now and i measured him out to be 10" the other 2 are about 8 and 9 inches


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## pinchy (Jun 3, 2004)

I have never had success keeping reds with anything other than themselves.


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Most Reds will get under 12" but some specimens will get really huge (far +12")...Pygos do better when shoaling so you better get at least a 75g tank and 3-4 Pygos for life...







!


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## 351winsor (Aug 3, 2004)

12 inches,big enough.


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## the_w8 (Jul 28, 2003)

hell even if mine hit 10" that'd be sweet....mine are at like 7.5" so they are on there way














the biggest i seen was at the milwaukee zoo....the curator there or whatever the hell it is that you call them told me that the RB they had in their exhibit was 12" and indeed it was...there were 4 others in there that were bout 8-10"....and another question for you fellow caribe keepers....Do the caribes get bigger then the RB's in captivity....jus curious


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## piranhaha (Mar 22, 2004)

i think the records like 3lbs 7oz.:nodfor a natt) i think caribe are smaller


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## the_w8 (Jul 28, 2003)

you sure cuz i always thought they would get longer....I know they get heavier because in all the books i've read it jus said that they eat way more and get more bulkier...it didn't say anything bout the length though so thats why i'm wondering


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## pinchy (Jun 3, 2004)

I think they get to be about the same size.


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## camotekid (Sep 21, 2003)

there was a post before of a reported 15 inch red. if i can remember, i think its wild caught.


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