# Fighting Piranhas



## gjohnson1989 (Dec 19, 2010)

My 2 piranhas have been their 55 gallon tank for almost 8 months now and they sometimes mess with each other. This morning I got up and the smaller of the two was torn apart, but still alive. All of his back fin and tail is gone and a chunk from the top of him by his dorsal fin is bitten off. I don't know if this is something he can come back from or should I isolate the two or just put him out of his misery? I really need some advice!! pleasae help!


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

Rbp are tough as nails you'd be surprised by what they can come back from. Two isn't a good # less its a pr. Piranha should be kept solo or 4-5 or more to spread aggression but your 55gal isn't the best tank for rbp in the first place(not much room)which only adds aggression.


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## bricklr (Aug 14, 2010)

gjohnson1989 said:


> My 2 piranhas have been their 55 gallon tank for almost 8 months now and they sometimes mess with each other. This morning I got up and the smaller of the two was torn apart, but still alive. All of his back fin and tail is gone and a chunk from the top of him by his dorsal fin is bitten off. I don't know if this is something he can come back from or should I isolate the two or just put him out of his misery? I really need some advice!! pleasae help!


Post some pics if possable. I just lost one of my golds today. He had only one eye, and was doing fine untill this morning. He either damaged his remaining eye, or the little bastards took it out. He was completely blind so I put him down. Bucket of tank water, and slowly added snow untill he "went to sleep". Most humane way IMO. I don't believe in "boiling".


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## gjohnson1989 (Dec 19, 2010)

I hope this picture will come up. I've never been on here before and don't know if I did it right.
The bite behind his head is alot worse than you can tell on here.
Please keep helping me with the advice!


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Looks ok....
You would be suprised what they will recover from...Dont let that bite behind the head worry ya either....thats nothing...I had a "horned" gold mac awhile back that sufferedalot worse fate than yours did..it recovered just fine and left him with what looked like a unicorn or rino horn (only backwards)


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## gjohnson1989 (Dec 19, 2010)

Should I isolate him to this little 10 gallon I can get set up? Let him recover a little?


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

gjohnson1989 said:


> Should I isolate him to this little 10 gallon I can get set up? Let him recover a little?


Always the best solution


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

I doubt that tail will grow back but you never know.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

BRUNER247 said:


> I doubt that tail will grow back but you never know.


You should have seen some of the old stuff before all the pics got ruined from that disaster of an upgrade we had a few years back....

It's all about the right care given........People here now a days are all over the board with suggestions....I see some crazy suggestions being tossed around constantly by those who have never even experienced something like this before..But yet they are all full of info to give....lol


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

gjohnson1989 said:


> Should I isolate him to this little 10 gallon I can get set up? Let him recover a little?


As long as "getting it set up" means having it completely cycled before you put him in...
Last thing you wanna do is throw an already injured fish into an uncycled tank.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

I think it should survie fine but it should be kept alone. The bite on the forehead is nothing. The tail isnt a bad wound but it may be enough for it not to grow back but it appears to have enough stump to survive, I would seperate it then let it heal. The only way i would put it down is if it looks like its heading that way anyways and you can tell it can't swim, control buoyancy and seems to struggle to do anything.


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## bricklr (Aug 14, 2010)

CLUSTER ONE said:


> I think it should survie fine but it should be kept alone. The bite on the forehead is nothing. The tail isnt a bad wound but it may be enough for it not to grow back but it appears to have enough stump to survive, I would seperate it then let it heal. The only way i would put it down is if it looks like its heading that way anyways and you can tell it can't swim, control buoyancy and seems to struggle to do anything.


I don't know how anybody can tell anything by those pics. Unless it's my computer...all I see is pixels.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

bricklr said:


> I think it should survie fine but it should be kept alone. The bite on the forehead is nothing. The tail isnt a bad wound but it may be enough for it not to grow back but it appears to have enough stump to survive, I would seperate it then let it heal. The only way i would put it down is if it looks like its heading that way anyways and you can tell it can't swim, control buoyancy and seems to struggle to do anything.


I don't know how anybody can tell anything by those pics. Unless it's my computer...all I see is pixels.








[/quote]

You can certainly tell that the P has a fighting chance if properly taken care of.....How can you see anything different?


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

bricklr said:


> I think it should survie fine but it should be kept alone. The bite on the forehead is nothing. The tail isnt a bad wound but it may be enough for it not to grow back but it appears to have enough stump to survive, I would seperate it then let it heal. The only way i would put it down is if it looks like its heading that way anyways and you can tell it can't swim, control buoyancy and seems to struggle to do anything.


I don't know how anybody can tell anything by those pics. Unless it's my computer...all I see is pixels.








[/quote]

It looks like there one bite on the forehead and another possibly behind the dorsal. You can tell most if not all of the anal fin is intact so whatever amount of the tail that was taken off wasnt really that much, If the injuries where deffinitly put it down material you shoudl be able to see half the fish gone, I see 1-2 flesh bites and a teal that was bitten off probably just past the flesh. I see pixles too but I can make out most of the fish so i can see there is only a couple bites total.


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## Hogdog (Feb 1, 2010)

I had a silver Dollar that recovered from a massive chunk (much bigger than the one out of your Piranha's top) that was taken out of his flank, he healed so well that I couldn't tell which one of the shoal it was in the end and Piranhas have similar powers of recovery.

It's best to separate him, keep the water quality as good as you can and see how he goes. The picture isn't too clear but it doesn't look catastrophic from what I can tell.


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## bricklr (Aug 14, 2010)

AKSkirmish said:


> I think it should survie fine but it should be kept alone. The bite on the forehead is nothing. The tail isnt a bad wound but it may be enough for it not to grow back but it appears to have enough stump to survive, I would seperate it then let it heal. The only way i would put it down is if it looks like its heading that way anyways and you can tell it can't swim, control buoyancy and seems to struggle to do anything.


I don't know how anybody can tell anything by those pics. Unless it's my computer...all I see is pixels.








[/quote]

You can certainly tell that the P has a fighting chance if properly taken care of.....How can you see anything different?
[/quote]

I didn't say either way. All i'm saying is the pics aren't the best. By all means SAVE IT. sheesh


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## BuckeyeGuy777 (Oct 30, 2010)

yeah id separate them...like others said the head should be fine. i have a rbp that got a bit taken out at the same spot and can barely tell now....
some on here might disagree but i havent or wont put a piranha down...like my completely blind guy

and i agree with bruner...2 together is not optimal...u need at least 4


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## bricklr (Aug 14, 2010)

piranha r ppl 2 said:


> yeah id separate them...like others said the head should be fine. i have a rbp that got a bit taken out at the same spot and can barely tell now....
> some on here might disagree but i havent or wont put a piranha down...like my completely blind guy
> 
> and i agree with bruner...2 together is not optimal...u need at least 4


It wasn't easy, and I have an extra tank...but I figured, if I was that blind fish...would I want to live like that? The answer was no.


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## Inflade (Mar 24, 2006)

isolate him in a tank that is cycled. melafix, salt and a high temp.

hope for the best. the tank is a little small for 2 pygos. and further you should have pygos in at least groups of 3.

you could also buy a divider and medicate the whole tank, no doubt your other fish has some wounds as well.

but this is only a bandaid solution, in that size tank, and only being two of them, they will fight again, next time you may not be so lucky


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## gjohnson1989 (Dec 19, 2010)

I appreciate all the advice. I have separated the little guy in a 10 gallon tank. It seems to not really bother him, just having a hard time swimming at the moment. I definitely made a bad decision on only getting two. I didnt do my research and I want to make it right now so they can all get along in a healthy shoal. So my next question is, can I add another piranha to these two that have lived together for almost 8 months? Would they accept him or attack him because he'd be the new guy? Also, I'm trying to sell my 55 gallon tank and look into a 75 gallon. Any good advice on where to sell a tank?


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

Adding like sized pygos shouldn't be a problem but cannibalism is ALWAYS possible. They are piranha.


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## BuckeyeGuy777 (Oct 30, 2010)

any piranha thats of similar size should be fine...you could possibly put a tank divider up so they can see eachother before the live together

and try craigslist...every tank i have had or sold has been on there


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## Inflade (Mar 24, 2006)

another of the same size should do fine. take all three out and introduce them in the tank at the same time. keep the temp around 76- 78 for the first week or so, then increase the temp.

75 gallon tank would be great for 4 pygos.


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## Dolphinswin (Jun 26, 2010)

piranha r ppl 2 said:


> yeah id separate them...like others said the head should be fine. i have a rbp that got a bit taken out at the same spot and can barely tell now....
> some on here might disagree but i havent or wont put a piranha down...like my completely blind guy
> 
> and i agree with bruner...2 together is not optimal...u need at least 4


If the situation gets worse do not let it get so bad as to leave a blind P suffer.


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

A blind piranha is not suffering... As long as he is not being picked on and he is eating there is no reason to put him down.


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## Dolphinswin (Jun 26, 2010)

You cant say he isnt having a hard time... and i dont believe the story that he was all well and eating.


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## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

so we should kill blind people? Its no different.


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## BuckeyeGuy777 (Oct 30, 2010)

Johnny_Zanni said:


> so we should kill blind people? Its no different.


thank you thats what im sayin....

there is no reason to put a guy down just cause he has a problem...i know pf a blind P that live 5 years...
maybe if you break your leg dolph we should put you down


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## starbury (Jan 30, 2006)

Wow do you try and one up yourself for stupidity every time you post. I have seen piranhas come back from far worse just give him the proper care and see what happens is all you can do. Good luck man



Johnny_Zanni said:


> so we should kill blind people? Its no different.


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## SpiloJoe (Dec 25, 2010)

BRUNER247 said:


> Rbp are tough as nails you'd be surprised by what they can come back from. Two isn't a good # less its a pr. Piranha should be kept solo or 4-5 or more to spread aggression but your 55gal isn't the best tank for rbp in the first place(not much room)which only adds aggression.


yea my four spilos have been systematicly killing eachother of. Im down to two of them


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

SpiloJoe said:


> Rbp are tough as nails you'd be surprised by what they can come back from. Two isn't a good # less its a pr. Piranha should be kept solo or 4-5 or more to spread aggression but your 55gal isn't the best tank for rbp in the first place(not much room)which only adds aggression.


yea my four spilos have been systematicly killing eachother of. Im down to two of them
[/quote]
Spilo are a different level of aggression compared to rbp. IMO different rules apply to macs.I think if you try to co-hab macs like you would rbp, your asking for a disaster.


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## Yambeezy (Jun 21, 2010)

Piranhas are tough fish. I have a group of seven P's and the runt of the group got chewed up pretty bad. huge chunk was missing from his back in 2 seperate places and his eye was jacked up. I decided to keep in him there and let the piranhas finish him off for food. Injured guy smarted up and hid all the time and before you know it he was copletely healed exept for the eye you can tell the eye had some damage but theres still a protective lens that regrew on the eye region. Hes got bigger so the size differnce isnt so bad anymore. The group decided to let him live. So my advice just make sure theres a place that fish can hide or seperate them or just let it be survival of the fittest.


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