# Need Help With My Pirahna Id



## Muneeb

First of I'm new to this hobby and this forum is what inspired me to go ahead with my fascination for these creatures so I would appreciate all the help I can get. Just got 5 of these baby Red Belly Piranhas, they are about 1-1.75" Just wanted to confirm they are not Pacus reason being that someone put a doubt in my mind and the fact that they are supposedly banned in my country.


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## scent troll

certinaly looks like a pygocentrus nattereri to me (red belly)


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## Da' Manster!

baby natts!...


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## scent troll

how are the fish doing? what kind of tank do you have them in? the guy looks awfully pale and is doing the 'hide in the corner' thing new natts do. nothing to worry about when new. but if you have any questions or concerns feel free to ask away.


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## Muneeb

Ocellatus2000 said:


> how are the fish doing? what kind of tank do you have them in? the guy looks pale and is doing the 'hide in the corner' thing new natts do. nothing to worry about when new. but if you have any questions or concerns feel free to ask away.


Fish are doing fine.. I just got rid of the murky water finally. Right now I have 5 of them in a small 2'x1x1' tank but as soon as they grow to about 2"+ I plan to get a big tank.

They are still settling in, had to do two water changes within 24hours to get rid of that murky water maybe that's why they are still scared. Fed them squid and chicken heart now. Their eating habits are real erratic as of now and they are still in the hiding position. Will be feeding them live worms today. Wanted to know when will the pale colour start to go away and when will they start to get their red belly? I know it's a vague question but still.. How old do you think they are?


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## scent troll

maybe 4 months old or so. the red will come when they settle in and is highly dependent on their diets. give them time to adjust and get comfortable, maybe add a few more sheltered areas or a background to cut down the ambient light. youll see a big change.


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## Muneeb

Got this problem.. My piranhas don't seem to eat much or I'm not aware of their appetite for their age. Kept squid hanging from a thread near the tank wall they just nipped at it a little. Other day tried feeding them feeder fish and they were more than glad to eat it. Maybe it's the habit they got from the aquarium I got them from. What do I do?


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## Da' Manster!

Give them the feeder fish!...







...yes, I'm one of the very few in the hobby that is actually a proponent of this...I've always used them and have never had any problems not to mention that all of my piranhas have grown to be healthy and aggressive before I sold them to members on here, Keepers, and MFK!...Maybe I was just lucky, who knows?!..







...in addition to feeders, try nightcrawlers (large earthworms), smelt, and silversides!...All of the piranhas that I've ever had went absolutely crazy over these food sources!..


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## Muneeb

Wish I could find a food source that would make my Piranhas crazy! The thing is cleaning the tank and finding the carcus of the feeder fish becomes cumbersome. Anyway can you tell me what appetite they have at their age?


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## scent troll

simple solution to anyone with picky stubborn fish. be more stubborn. a fish will not kill itself via starvation when there is food introduced to the tank. be more stubborn the the fish and eventually theyll accept and even like their food.

and manny, i wouldnt say im against feeders. hell i just fed my jack a dozen rosies the other week as a treat. but please if you feed live fish reguarly or even now and again use caution and quaranteen the fish for a time to ensure you arent introducing illness into the tank. i lost a very very special rhomb early in my hobby life because i fed him diseased live fish.

nothing more bitter then losing a $150 beautiful black piranha because of a 15 cent goldfish


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## Muneeb

I'm just worried about starving my baby piranhas at a young age and feeding a diseased feeder fish scares me..can't think of loosing anyone of my baby piranhas! And Ocellatus that background idea of yours seems to have helped. They are staring to get their colour







Noticed the tails to get a little dark and also the upper body! Can't wait for that red belly to appear...


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## Da' Manster!

Ocellatus2000 said:


> simple solution to anyone with picky stubborn fish. be more stubborn. a fish will not kill itself via starvation when there is food introduced to the tank. be more stubborn the the fish and eventually theyll accept and even like their food.
> 
> and manny, i wouldnt say im against feeders. hell i just fed my jack a dozen rosies the other week as a treat. but please if you feed live fish reguarly or even now and again use caution and quaranteen the fish for a time to ensure you arent introducing illness into the tank. i lost a very very special rhomb early in my hobby life because i fed him diseased live fish.
> 
> nothing more bitter then losing a $150 beautiful black piranha because of a 15 cent goldfish


Are you sure it was the goldfish, Mike?...also look at tank conditions...if they are too crowded or the tank is dirty I wouldn't buy them...but I have several friends and contacts who kept pristine tanks and the goldfish were healthy, colorful, and non-parasitic (as far as I know)..of'course if it was garbage conditions, no way no how am I touching it!...


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## scent troll

yes it was a bad batch of feeders. awful noob move on my part. something i learned from right quick. i contacted the store about it a few days after and they lost half the tank and werent surprised but very sorry i lost my fish...but there was nothing i expected from them...i was just curious.

thinking back the tank was a 90 gallon perhaps and yes, filled to the brim with feeders. really awful but profitable for a pet supplies plus store. i havent actually been back to a pet supplies plus since that.


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## Muneeb

Got two issues needed some advice:
1.Today I noticed that 2 of my 5 RBP had their tail fins nipped somewhat badly... Is this normal behavior? I bloody feed them two and sometimes even three times a day!

2. And I got a 14Watt florescent tube cause my plants are dying (got golden river sand and no fertilizer). I tried the light and the fishes got sh*t scared and all went and hid under the power filter! So I black tapped the light to under 7Watt and it seems better but they are still scared.Any advice on what to do? Will they eventually get use to it? I have seen so many RBP tanks with heavy lighting and the fish seemed settled.

Thanks in advance!


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## scent troll

fin nipping is normal for piranha. its not a hunger thing so much as an aggression thing. youll notice that piranha when shoaling are always facing the same direction, always a bit cautious of eachother. fin nip is normal as long as its not too deep or one piranha is getting it all the time.

as far as the lights go im not sure. im sure over time they will adjust but keeping stress LOW should be a priority in any piranha tank. i would opt for dimmer lighting as oppose to brighter if i means the fish will be less stressed. to touch base on the above too, youll find the less stressed the shoal is the less you notice fin nipping (in my experience)


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## Muneeb

Thanks Ocellatus!

The temperature in my city is between 18-33°C (average about 27°C ) Will I require a aquarium heater for the RBP?


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## scent troll

im american and i have no idea what celcius is haha
we like to be different and make things difficult









but generally yeah tropical fish are gonna need a heater. water, even in a heated home, will remain a bit too cool for most tropical fish. its just a good insurance item to have if nothing else since theyre cheap


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## Muneeb

It's about 74-90°F and average is 80°F. Do I still need a heater? I think it may be useless.


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## scent troll

oh thats the water temp? then no youre in line


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## Da' Manster!

Muneeb said:


> Got two issues needed some advice:
> 1.Today I noticed that 2 of my 5 RBP had their tail fins nipped somewhat badly... Is this normal behavior? I bloody feed them two and sometimes even three times a day!
> 
> 2. And I got a 14Watt florescent tube cause my plants are dying (got golden river sand and no fertilizer). I tried the light and the fishes got sh*t scared and all went and hid under the power filter! So I black tapped the light to under 7Watt and it seems better but they are still scared.Any advice on what to do? Will they eventually get use to it? I have seen so many RBP tanks with heavy lighting and the fish seemed settled.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


with any pygo shoals, aggression is to be expected...fin nipping and even casualties are to be expected...this is not a hunger issue but a territorial one!...the pack is asserting itself and establishing dominance!...







..fear not Muneeb, this is normal behavior (it happens in the wild as well) and generally the rule, not the exception...


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## rusty13

Ocellatus2000 said:


> oh thats the water temp? then no youre in line


I keep my tank at 72 it keeps aggression down!Good advice Mike!


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## scent troll

^ thats interesting. you know i never considered with my piranha to adjust temperature AND adjust aggression with it. my tanks actually run a little hot. around 80 degrees in the summer...77 in the winter. hard to cool off the water. but thats a cool trick to keep the piranha calm rusty


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## rusty13

Its what the big exhibits do it also helps to fed less becuz it slows the digestive system.Definently keeps them in line!


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## Da' Manster!

Well, I've been basically a rhom and solo serra person my whole life and I've kept my temp at 80 degrees!...


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## scent troll

its actually impossible for me to keep my tank below 79-80 in the summer months. the room its in isnt air conditioned and gets really hot. the ambient water temp alone stays steady right around 80. never really had issues but ive noticed the hotter the water the more the fish seems to rest. there seems to be a zone right around 76-78 where the fish is most active. any cooler and hes as lethargic as when its hot. 
much like a person when its too hot or too cold i suppose


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## Muneeb

Update on my RBP:

They have now grown to around 4"-4.5" and have started to get the red belly.
Have moved them to a 36"x18"x12"(height) tank

They seem healthy and eat well but they are still really skittish! Before I feed them I show them the food outside the tank and some of them line up against the glass and that's it!
They don't eat immediately unless they are really hungry.

The water is at 76F and since I have moved them to a bigger tank I have removed the hiding places and don't switch on the light.
Most of the times they are chilling at one place in the tank.

They seem real lazy! any way they can get more active and responsive?


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## Da' Manster!

bump up the temp to 80 - 84 degrees F...


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