# eating



## bloodyBelly (Oct 31, 2008)

I have RB pirahans. I bought two at the store and third one another time. When i tried to put the first two together they fought like crazy one barely had any fins and a tail. I was suggest to split them so that what i did. i recently found a third one about the same size at same store. Now i have tired putting them all three together in same tank. I have a 55g. Now the new one and one from the two pack are fightign like crazy. Do pirahans eventually get along. I thought they would all get along since i have 3. The new one i bough is about 4.5" and my old ones were 4" n 3". As well when i feed them ythey never get the food from the top they always get it from the bottom. WHy do they do that.

HELP!!!


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

bloodyBelly said:


> I have RB pirahans. I bought two at the store and third one another time. When i tried to put the first two together they fought like crazy one barely had any fins and a tail. I was suggest to split them so that what i did. i recently found a third one about the same size at same store. Now i have tired putting them all three together in same tank. I have a 55g. Now the new one and one from the two pack are fightign like crazy. Do pirahans eventually get along. I thought they would all get along since i have 3. The new one i bough is about 4.5" and my old ones were 4" n 3". As well when i feed them ythey never get the food from the top they always get it from the bottom. WHy do they do that.
> 
> HELP!!!


first off, assuming that your tank is cycled, and you properly acclimated the new fish, them eating off the bottom isnt a big deal at all. all three of those seem to be of close enough size that you shouldnt have a problem in terms of one being way to big for the rest. 
when you added the 3rd P, did you re-arrange the tank decor? leave the lights off for a bit. there could be territory disputes, its always good to break up territories by rearranging the decorations prior to adding a new fish. i usually add new fish during a water change because then everyone in the tank is already slightly stressed out, they never seem to notice a new guy. also leaving the lights low in and around the tnak for the first 24-48 hours is something i always do to help them get properly adjusted to their new home. 
hope this helps.


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## Malawi- (Oct 21, 2008)

Piranha do not like to come to the surface and get kinda scared... If they do find food they will make a quick dart to it and back to the bottom they go... I dont know for sure, but they mainly like the lower levels and rarely come to the top, which is why having a long or wide tank is better than a tall one.


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## bloodyBelly (Oct 31, 2008)

i didn't rearrange the tank. I just add them all. I didnt know that. Now i understand why they are behaving that way. What am i suppose to do? Should i rearrange them now? For a bit they get a long then after a while they start fighting like crazy. What can i do so they can all get a long and stop fighting. Are they always going to fight. This are my first piranhas so i don;t know much


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

bloodyBelly said:


> i didn't rearrange the tank. I just add them all. I didnt know that. Now i understand why they are behaving that way. What am i suppose to do? Should i rearrange them now? For a bit they get a long then after a while they start fighting like crazy. What can i do so they can all get a long and stop fighting. Are they always going to fight. This are my first piranhas so i don;t know much


if i were you. this may seem a bit cumbersome and maybe not 100 percent necessary, but i would separate them into 3 buckets, and rearrannge the hell out of everything in the tank, then put all three back at relatively the same time. though, rearranging the stuff now may be enough. its your call. good luck. keep us posted.


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## ELREYDENJ83 (Jun 25, 2008)

imo in many cases, (but not all) 3 is not a great number for juvenile Ps especially if they are not in a big tank. the weaker of the 3 could get picked off pretty quick and then when you are left with only survival of the fittest will take over as well. But you have to take many factors into consideration as said above. are they being fed multiple times a day??? do they have enough cover??? did you lower temp to about 76 degrees???? i recommend feeding juvenile Ps 2 -3 times a day in order to keep aggression down. I am also going to assume as was asked before that you didnt properly cycle your tank which can cause miltiple problems.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

ELREYDENJ83 said:


> imo in many cases, (but not all) 3 is not a great number for juvenile Ps especially if they are not in a big tank. the weaker of the 3 could get picked off pretty quick and then when you are left with only survival of the fittest will take over as well. But you have to take many factors into consideration as said above. are they being fed multiple times a day??? do they have enough cover??? did you lower temp to about 76 degrees???? i recommend feeding juvenile Ps 2 -3 times a day in order to keep aggression down. I am also going to assume as was asked before that you didnt properly cycle your tank which can cause miltiple problems.


yeah, my first adventure into Ps was 3 babies, i didnt really know what i was doing, and three became two became one in the same manner you described. 
however, i can probably point to 10 reasons why that happened, because i didnt know what i was doing, i didnt know what cycling was, i fed them pellets that were to big for their mouths and they wouldnt eat them, my heater was on the fritz and the temp would wildly swing from day to night.

i still however think that three is the best number of pygos, just so long as you do it right. i have three 7-9"pygos in a 75 and they love it, i havent had so much as a fin nip since i reduced the group from 4 to 3 about 5 months ago.


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## Malawi- (Oct 21, 2008)

Having 3 is not that much of an issue if you care for the properly. I have raised 3 natts togther many time from 1'' size.. The worst number is 2. When having 2, any mistake you make will end up with a dead piranha. With my experience 3 or more is the best.. Of course, the more you have the more likely hood the aggression wil be spread among them but you shouldnt rely on that but take good care of them. And what Nick G said about removing all the piranhas and redueing the tank is a good idea, ive done that many times, especially when adding a new piranha to a old group.


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## bloodyBelly (Oct 31, 2008)

I jus reaarange the whole tank gave them a different atmosphere. Hopefully they will get alogn fi not ill have to return them n get smalelr ones and start from there. i hope don;t have to do this. IThe temperature of my tank is 79 degrees? is that too high> I thoguht that was teh perfect temperature for them. Can you please explain me the process of doing a proper cycle to my tank. Its very hard for me to find out answers to all this questions. I wanna see them eat as a group cuz before i rearrange the tank they were eating independently


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Link to fishless cycle-

http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.ph...&hl=cycling


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

If you want to train them to come to the surface, feed them stuff that floats, like freeze dried krill, floating pellets, etc. Throw it in, and if they dont' eat after 15 minutes take it out and try again the next day. Eventually they'll get hungry enough to come up and feed.


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## bloodyBelly (Oct 31, 2008)

i decided to return the juveniles and get babies and start from scratch. I think it will be easier. At the moment both of my piranhas have been been hiding while the dominant comes out. I think they are really scare of them. How many babies should i get in 55g aquarium. I heard not all of them survive.


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

If your just getting into this hobby I would just stick to 3. Your next tank deff get a 75G. A 75G is only wider not any taller and the price difference wasnt that much when i bought mine. GL and let us know how your doing with this hobby! You will be hooked in no time!


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## bloodyBelly (Oct 31, 2008)

but if i get three babie oes wouldnt they eat each other eventually. I heard there is not a good chnace all of them would survive. I need some advice i dont wanna screw it agin. I wanna do it the rigth way this time,.


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## Malawi- (Oct 21, 2008)

Pygos like to group together for security.. If you are experienced you can keep however many you want, but for beginners, I suggest atleast 3 depending on the size of tank.. They wont eat each other if you properly care for them.


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

bloodyBelly said:


> but if i get three babie oes wouldnt they eat each other eventually. I heard there is not a good chnace all of them would survive. I need some advice i dont wanna screw it agin. I wanna do it the rigth way this time,.


That can happen regardless of how many you have, but having too many in too small a tank (in your case more then 3 in a 55) can make that particular problem worse. Plus, if you're new to this hobby and inexperienced, it's not a good idea to have an overstocked tank.
A word about behavior, if you were dissappointed about the juvies behavior, you're not going to be much happier with the babies. Most Reds are skittish and hide alot till they hit 3"-4" or so. The key is to be patient, and give them lots of cover in the tank (plants, rock caves etc.). Giving them the oppurtunity to hide makes them more willing to come out where you can see them.


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