# elongatus info needed



## boozehound420 (Apr 18, 2005)

i have the option to get some baby elongatus.....or red bellies

which ones more aggresive?
more active?
more shy?

for you guys that own some elongatus some pictures would be great, picture gallerys are down right now


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

boozehound420 said:


> i have the option to get some baby elongatus.....or red bellies
> 
> which ones more aggresive?
> more active?
> ...


elongs are f'n kick a** now in generalization elong are the "most aggressive" piranha. elongs are WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more active and need at least a 48" long tank for long swimming room. reds are generally a shy fish(as wit all piranhas) and i think there more shy.

if u have a 48" long tank (55's are good) it should do you fine for a elong, one thing also as it gets larger is to get a 18" deep tank. so a 60 will be more than enuf to house one for life.

theres no way id consider getting reds compareds to elongs, cuz reds are g*y and elongs are bada**!!!


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## boozehound420 (Apr 18, 2005)

well i got a 55 gallon....can you keep 3 elongs togethor or are they a solo fish???


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

boozehound420 said:


> well i got a 55 gallon....can you keep 3 elongs togethor or are they a solo fish???
> [snapback]1030298[/snapback]​


lol....ok i wont laugh to much u didnt know lol. there are 2 main genuses of piranhas, pygocentrus and serrasalmus. pygocentrus include

red belly
caribe(look like reds except have a black "earspot")
piraya(are much larger, more expensive, and beautiful than other pygo's)

pygo's are the only ones that can live in groups, and they need to be in groups.

and then there are serra's. serrasalmus are solo fish because of the territorial tendanences and fin-nipping.

so in conclusion elongs need to be alone, since u have a 55 i HIGHLY recommend u get a elong, u WILL not regret it. IMO reds are boring, and everyone has em.

get a elong, they might be spendy, but ull have a rare, super aggro piranha that will make a good buddy. good luck


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## boozehound420 (Apr 18, 2005)

i want more then 1 fish though...maybe ill get 3 red and 1 elong to make it intresting,


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

boozehound420 said:


> i want more then 1 fish though...maybe ill get 3 red and 1 elong to make it intresting,
> [snapback]1030367[/snapback]​


well if u do that expect a $100 head floating in the tank. im just outright telling u it wont work.

i personally was in the same place deciding on my piranhas(reds now but getta eigenmanni) i wanted more than one fish, but serras will be more aggressive(generally), more personable, better looking, and will most likly even attack u thru the glass(ive only seen one red who will do that).

i know u prolly will just end up buying 3 reds in a 55 like EVERY SINGLE member on here, but i urge u to reconsider. you will be much happier with a elong.theres no way id even consider having reds compareds to elong

its your tank u do what u want, but please dont mix both species.


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

Tibs said:


> u prolly will just end up buying 3 reds in a 55 like EVERY SINGLE member on here, but i urge u to reconsider.
> [snapback]1030382[/snapback]​


I don't understand why this matters. Whether other people have a fish and what they do with their fish isn't going to impact on my fish and my tank, so I don't see the issue here. A fish is an animal with scales and fins that lives submerged in water it's whole life, it shouldn't be a status symbol or anything like that.

My two cents man, get what you want because what you want is the only factor that is going to matter in the long run.

A 55 won't work for an elong for life though, towards their maximum size their agility coupled with not so much room to turn around is likely to cause problems. A 55 isn't ideal for red bellies for life either, but it's better suited to them than a more active and agile fish IMO.


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

a 55 would be ok for quite some time. around 6-10" you might wanna upgrade to a 60 or 75(48x18) but its not ENTIRALLY nessasary, i would personally do it, but ive heard elong owners saying a 55 is fine.

yeah twitch is right, you do what u want, i was just trying to tell u what i would do.

but i think even twitch would agree, putting a elong in wit reds wrong and would end up in diaster


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## Piranha King (Nov 28, 2002)

elongs tend to be small i think a 55 is good for life, unless you have a real active one. mine arent active but they are aggressive. would get 1 elong.
wes


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## boozehound420 (Apr 18, 2005)

i guess i still got some thinking to do...i wish i could afford more tanks!!!!

i really like the look of the elongs...having 2 or 3 elongs would be f*cking awesome, one might just get boring for me though

but yes 3 red bellies are so f*cking common its nuts, the elongs at the store are babies right now too so there cheap, not 100$, prolby a bit more then the reds but the reds are only 12$

i can afford to have a fish or two die money wise that is, it would obviosly suck ass though

what do you think the better chance of all going well would be, 3 red bellies and 1 elong, or 2 possibly 3 elongs, two seems good though half the tank each


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

More than one elong will absolutely not work. Sorry dude, but that's just how it is really. It's not a matter of "what has the better chance" it's more like "red bellies have a very high likelihood they will be ok, elongs will most definately not be ok".


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## Mack (Oct 31, 2004)

Hahaha, more than one elongatus in a tank.

NEXT.


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

boozehound420 said:


> i guess i still got some thinking to do...i wish i could afford more tanks!!!!
> 
> i really like the look of the elongs...having 2 or 3 elongs would be f*cking awesome, one might just get boring for me though
> 
> ...


ur best bet is to get more tanks yes

elongs are a very unique fish, but more than one would not only not work, but it would be very cruel, cuz if they made it past the first day together it would be continuse fighting.

yes reds are really common, and 55's are really common too.i cant even list the memebers who have 3 reds in a 55, personally that bugs me, i like to stand apart from the crowd, but like twitch said it is your tank and reds are good starter fish.

i find it intresing that you say the elongs are cheap, the cheapest ive ever seen a elong was a georges and it was 4" and $75.elongs are really epensive, but with aggression, looks, and rarity, it pays off. elongs are one of the only piranhas that have to be caught wildly, even solo piranhas lik rhoms can be bred in large breeding pools at fish farms, but elongs have to be caught on the river as they will not breed in those ponds.

which has a better chance......neither. if u were to do it in a 55 the elong would immediatly start picking at the reds, which in turn would gang up to the elong, killing the epensive rare fish. if u were to possibly even attept this you would need at least a 240 gallon, even then my prediction would prolly come true.

i personally was in the "same" position as you a lil bit i ago, i thought i was gunna be bored with one fish, but ask anyone on here and theyll tell you that serras are much more personable,aggressive, and cool looking(for the most part). ive only heard bout one glass attacking red, yet almost everybody that owns a rhom says theres doez, and since elongs in a stereotype are the "most aggressive" piranha, im sure yours will too.

theres no need to laugh at him, mack, hes only a noob wanting to know answers about piranahas, instead of laughing it would be much better to urge him not to kill these fix by mixing them.


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## blindside (Mar 25, 2005)

if ur after more than one fish in the tank, get reds.

and like said above, who cares if reds are popular? thats all i ever hear, they are lovely fish and u can do what u want!!

ian


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

As stated several times, elong has to stay by itself... no exceptions.
55 gallons is too small for an elong... they require a lot of space, lots of current and excellent water conditions.

If you have to have a 55 gallon, your best bet is 3 reds... just have excellent filtration and keep up on your water changes religiously.
Don't have a lot of decorations in the tank and vacuum the gravel regularly.
Good luck and keep us posted.

p.s. You could get a small Serrasalmus instead like an irritans or altuvei or compressus... (I keep my altuvei in a 54 gallon bowfront with an Emperor 400 filter and 402 Powerhead...)


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## STIFFY (Jul 9, 2003)

I had my elong in a 60 w/o any problems but would have gotten a 100 if i had kept him for life.


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## kove32 (Oct 26, 2004)

Get some reds dude. Here is why:

If you want something that is not going to be boring, reds are always going to interact with each other. Sure they will be skittish, but given the right techniques can help them lose that overtime, most likely. Also, if you looking for something aggressive, you know that usually one red is going to be hungry at a time, so they'll go for the feeder fish. If you have a solo fish, he might not always be hungry, hence he'll let the feeder fish swim with him. Who cares if "everyone has this fish" or "these fish are common" they are great. They are good fish to own, and if one dies, so what, your out what? $12? Whooptidi ding!

I'd reccomend you get some of these and see how you do!! Three in a 55 would be alright. One in a thirty!


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## Sam (Mar 18, 2004)

I f'ing love my reds. 
There's nothing like growing a bunch of natts from dime size.


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## WildRed (May 19, 2005)

if you want a shoal thats a little rarer then reds why not get wild reds or terns?


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

WildRed said:


> if you want a shoal thats a little rarer then reds why not get wild reds or terns?
> [snapback]1031936[/snapback]​


wild reds are just estentially regular reds that instead of being bred in fish farms in the US there bred in breeding ponds down in SA. wilds are more skittsih and at about 6" theyll start looking like regular. terns are good and really cool, but they can be kinda expensive.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Mack said:


> Hahaha, more than one elongatus in a tank.
> 
> NEXT.
> [snapback]1030525[/snapback]​


Listen up Mr. Expert, not everyone started this hobby with full knowledge about piranha's.
If this is the way you threat newcomers, I'm asking you one thing (and doing that only once) - leave them alone









A 55g is not large enough for an Elongatus (unless you manage to get a very small one, no bigger than 4") - they are extremely active fish and very fast swimmers.
The length of a typical 55g (being 48") is sufficient for life (although the bigger the better), but the tank depth of a standard 55 (being 12") is not enough for (sub-)adult Elongs.
Also, as many have said before, Elongatus are not meant to be kept in a shoal, unless you have a 10ft tank - they are usually extremely agressive, and very intolerant towards their own kind.

If you're new to piranha's, I'd first start with Redbellies to get some experience - although they can be a bit shy and skittish, Redbellies are awesome piranha's to own. Cheap, readily available, and much more forgiving towards (newcomer) mistakes than most wild-caught species (practically all non-Redbelly Piranha's are wild-caught, as most are impossible to breed in captivity so far, and those that do only breed occasionally - definitely not enough to provide enough fish to meet the demands, except Redbellies).
A 55g is enough to house 3-5 Reds temporarily, but eventually you'll need a larger tank. Again the 12" depth of your average 55g is what is the problem is: Reds can grow to at least 10-12", but even at smaller sizes (8" and up) it's not recommended to keep them in a 55g, as Reds too can be territorial and also very agressive towards their own kind - a 12" deep tank offers not enough room to flee or fight.

The only species that can be kept in a 55g for life are the smallest of Serrasalmus species: S. sanchezi, S. irritans and S. medinai.


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## boozehound420 (Apr 18, 2005)

when you say debth do you mean front to back

my 55 is 48" long, 12" front to back, 18" high

how many years does it take for reds to get to a massive size where it gets a problem


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

boozehound420 said:


> when you say debth do you mean front to back
> 
> my 55 is 48" long, 12" front to back, 18" high
> 
> ...


Yeah, depth is front to back (left to right is length and top to bottom is height: tanks are measured as length x depth x height).
With proper care, Reds can reach 10" in 2,5 years, but usually it takes longer (my fish are 3 years olf, and between 7,5 and 9" in size).

Don't let all the rubbish people post about Reds and how the are supposedly shy and skittish and pussies and whatnot turn you down: ask 1000 random strangers on the streets about piranha's and 999 out of them will start talking about Redbellies. They are awesome fish, and with proper care they're just as cool as any other Pygo species, but the difference is that for price of one Piraya, Cariba or Ternetzi, you can get an entire shoal of baby Reds that will offer you as much fun as a 500 dollar shoal.


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## Mack (Oct 31, 2004)

Sheesh, people, I didn't mean it in a harsh way, I meant it just being playful.


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

boozehound420 said:


> when you say debth do you mean front to back
> 
> my 55 is 48" long, 12" front to back, 18" high
> 
> ...


he means front to back. pygo piranhas grown rather quickly, maxing in size with a year or so. if u bout quarter sized reds right now about another year and a half theyd be fully grown at roughly 8-10", i dont consider that massive but i guess if u were an ant. personally i dont see a problem wit them being in a 55 for life, 18" deep would be helpful but not needed. that goez wit most fish, i dont see why the aquarium makers wont make more deeper tanks cuz 12" is rather small for almost everthing, but it should be fine.now serrasalmus species grow slow, a 4" elong might take 3-10 years to reach 12".


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