# Wont Eat.. :(



## Gwapings (May 3, 2010)

Hi guys, i just bought 3 piranhas and damn, its really expensive... i was excited to see them feast on meat but when i put it on my tank, i was disappointed and worried because they wont eat!! its been like 4 days now, but still they seem to be scared on me, every time i get near my tank they just panic and swim crashing into my tank, they're like 5-6 inch now... what should i feed them and how long will this take? pls help me, what should i do, im worried that they might die...









thanks!!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

It's not unusual for new piranhas to avoid eating while they are settling into a new tank... To give us a better idea of the situation, what kind of piranhas did you get, what size tank, and what have you been trying to feed them?

To answer your question, I'd stick with raw shrimp, tilapia, catfish cod, haddock, or pollock and maybe a high quality pellet.

I'm gonna move this to Feeding and Nutrition...


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Its really common for new P's to skip eating for a bit, you cant say for sure how long it will take for them to eat, sometimes days, weeks and even months, but this is quite rare. Try offering some of the different foods Joe has mentioned, maybe every 2-3 days. They should also feel alot more secure feeding when the lights go out, so dump some fish in before you hit the sack, 9/10 it will be gone in the morning. They will come around sooner rather than later i'm sure, patience is key. Also you may wanna get your water parameters checked and post them up to see if theres any problems.


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## Gwapings (May 3, 2010)

i have bought a RBP's 3 of them, my tank is 50gal and im trying to feed them gold fish..  and super worms... but they dont eat.. hmmm what about getting near to them? how long do you think will they be scared to people, my brothers and friends always looks at them and they always get scared... what do you think of that? im scared that they will never get used to their home when a lot of people looks at them,... will they still get at least friendly and just like a dog thats always wagging their tails when they see their owner?


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Gwapings said:


> i have bought a RBP's 3 of them, my tank is 50gal and im trying to feed them gold fish..  and super worms... but they dont eat.. hmmm what about getting near to them? how long do you think will they be scared to people, my brothers and friends always looks at them and they always get scared... what do you think of that? im scared that they will never get used to their home when a lot of people looks at them,... will they still get at least friendly and just like a dog thats always wagging their tails when they see their owner?


Simple answer, no they wont, you've only had them for 4 days. They arent the blood thirsty killers people think they are. They are really skittish fish. The last they want when they just move in is for a load of people staring at them all the time, give them some space and time to settle. Dont have lots of people round the tank when you try and feed them because they will be spooked and most likely wont eat. Ditch the goldfish, when feeding only livefoods theres a risk that they will become too fond of livefood, therefore eating nothing but live and it aint the best or most nutrional diet they can have. The above mentioned foods should be fed as a staple for your fish. First and foremost you should post your water levels and tell us about which filtration you have on the tank. Forget about feeding them for now.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

As far as skittish behavior....pygos feel most comfortable when in a large group. Bigger tank and more fish...that is how you rid them of their skittish nature. You are a predator...without the protection of a large group...they will feel vulnerable. This goes for pretty much any shoaling fish. They group in nature for protection&#8230;single them out and IMO&#8230;they feel they are easy prey.

In your current tank&#8230;.this skittish behavior will last until they are comfortable they can defend their territory (your tank)...which is basically anyone's guess.

Just my opinion though.


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## RedSoxfan (Apr 7, 2010)

Good luck wih your fish.


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## Gwapings (May 3, 2010)

hmm actually, this is the frst time i owned a RBP and im really not aware that its that sensitive to water levels and temperature you guys are talking about, before, i have an arrowana and oscars.. and they grow and die (of course they reach years before dying) without me being aware of those stuff (temp,levels) but now, my gosh.. RBP's!! damn... ow! one thing, they dont eat right? but when i am not far from the tank and having glimpse on it, i saw them fighting, biting each others tails... is that a evidence of their hunger? im scared that one day ill woke up with the three of them dead,. hmm i guess one shall live.. the referee.. lol..

enewei, thanks for your advices.. i really appreciate it...


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## Ba20 (Jan 29, 2003)

It is possible when conditions arent right, cannibalism can occur.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

My guess...they are fighting to establish a pecking order and over territories. Cannibalism occurs when one of the fish gets a large enough bite that the other fish feel they need to join in. It has nothing to do with hunger.


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## Gwapings (May 3, 2010)

hmm. . as for the skittish fish, do you think three is good enough for my tank? or should i add more? but damn, its too expensive... how many rbps should there be in my 50 gal tank? hmm my three rbps were already 4-5 inch...


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Gwapings said:


> hmm. . as for the skittish fish, do you think three is good enough for my tank? or should i add more? but damn, its too expensive... how many rbps should there be in my 50 gal tank? hmm my three rbps were already 4-5 inch...


Well the general rule is 20g per fish but thats not strict at all, lots of people have had greater success with overstocking there tanks, therefore the fish cannot establish territories and may show less attitude and cannabalistic activity towards each other. I'm not saying go ahead and dump another 10 fish. Adding more fish to your setup now could be also be risky as the original occupants may feel threatened by the sudden new arrivals. I personally dont like overstocked tanks. Just my opinion of course.


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## Gwapings (May 3, 2010)

still having problems with them, i dont know if theyre mating or theyre fighting, they keep on biting each other... one stays in place and when another gets near to it, it wont hesitate and will have a bite... i dont know why they wont hang out with each other, i thought they were "skittish" but y dont they get along? seems like they having a territory on theyre own... hmmm... is it possible for their size to mate? 4-5 inch? hmm


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Because there are only 3....they will set up territories and any other fish that comes into their territory they will attack. This is what they do. You need more fish for them to actively group....it is the only way to get them to forget the territories and swim together. Unfortunately you need a larger tank to do this for any length of time.

I should loose another couple points for this post as well


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## shiver905 (May 27, 2009)

Relax,

They wont die after 4 days of not eating.
Just take it easy, Try to feed them here and there.

As for water conditions - YOU NEED TO CHECK THEM.
I dont get why you wouldnt. Just buy the drip sticks. They are like 5$.

In time they will start to eat.
They arnt agressive killers as people think. 
In my experiance you can get them to be more out going, But thats with training.

Just check your water. make shure everything is ok. Then just relax and wait..


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