# Mistreated Piranha (snack attack)



## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

So, there is a chance today I might be getting a Red, that has spent its entire 3 year life in a 30 gallon tank. I have a feeling he is not going to be in the best shape.
(info is scarce at this point, but as i learn more, i will provide it.

What are some things I can do to get him healthy?
Im going to immediately put him in a 40 gal, keep lights low. 
anything else i am going to need to do immediately?


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## TheWayThingsR (Jan 4, 2007)

Is it in bad shape just because of the 30 gallon? 1 Red can live good in a 30 gallon. Or was it the quality of the water? If it's that, then I would try to keep a fair amount of water it was living in and slowing do changes to prevent the shock of being put straight into well treated water. You should know the rest of the deal, whatever it takes to keep the stress off, make sure it has a place to hide in your new tank, good filtration, aquarium salt if it comes with injuries, temp, dim lights, etc.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

TheWayThingsR said:


> Is it in bad shape just because of the 30 gallon? 1 Red can live good in a 30 gallon. Or was it the quality of the water? If it's that, then I would try to keep a fair amount of water it was living in and slowing do changes to prevent the shock of being put straight into well treated water. You should know the rest of the deal, whatever it takes to keep the stress off, make sure it has a place to hide in your new tank, good filtration, aquarium salt if it comes with injuries, temp, dim lights, etc.


No, not just because of the tank size. I spoke with the girl who has it now, and she didnt even know the size of the tank. She said its only about 5 inches long. After 3 years.
She is giving me the whole setup, tank filters, etc. The water is unfortunately the only thing that i probably wont be able to bring back to my house.

I asked like 30 questions, and she didnt have any answers. Except that its been in her living room for the past three years. 
So, it may be fine. I just have a feeling it might be drastically overweight. and bugged out.

Basically im preparing for the worst.


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## Kemper1989 (Feb 14, 2005)

About the only thing you can do for it with the information you have now is feed it a healthy diet and keep the water conditions perfect.
Other then that if it is real bad you might need to post some pictures and get meds, but I doubt it's that bad.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

yeah, def will do with the pics.
I hope your right, i think you probably are. I just want to be prepared for the worst in case its a reality.
I just seriously doubt this fish has been taken care of as well as they need to be.
UNLESS, there is a piece to her story that she hasnt told me. 
(crossing my fingers that it comes through)


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

Put it in a big tank, the fish deserves it.


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## zippa (Apr 29, 2005)

I have seen a solitary red that was kept in a 10g octagon tank for 5 yrs...Surprisingly the fish is not overweight,,just tiny...If the fish you are getting has been stunted it may never grow to full size but if put in a larger tank with lots of water changes and a good feeding regiment it should be healthy and grow some.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

yeah, he is def going in a 40 gal planted tank immediately.
I want to do bigger than that, but things have to be decided first.
I just cant wait to know more about this fish.
Will keep you all updated.


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

if she havent said anything like disease or such then maybe the problem is only its size/feeding or diet 
(i guess) 
like some already said, a lone red in 30 gals aint bad

good luck with him


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

this is the only pic i have.
It looks good in here... but im not 100 percent sure that its this fish i am getting.
I hope it is, it may be just a stock photo to show a RBP, like on ebay when someone is selling something and just posts the stock picture. 
Supposedly the fish is 3" wide... thats pretty fat right?


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

that pic looks good, if thats it. but about 3" thick, i dunno because mine is about 8" long and he doesnt seem to be 3"; only about 2". If your's is 5 inches long (as she said) and 3inches thick red then that is an obese red no doubt.. and seems impossible


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

fish lover said:


> that pic looks good, if thats it. but about 3" thick, i dunno because mine is about 8" long and he doesnt seem to be 3"; only about 2". If your's is 5 inches long (as she said) and 3inches thick red then that is an obese red no doubt.. and seems impossible


yeah. It seems like it would look more like a puffer.
haha. but sometimes its hard to guesstimate fish sizes in a tank if you dont know what you are looking at. So, if she is wrong, then thats good. If she is right, and the thing is just longer than she said, then its going on a diet, and getting a huge powerhead.
This day wont go any slower. I cant wait. 
Getting it (hopefully, still knocking on wood) at 6:30
Will post much pics then.


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

Good luck with him, i hope he's better than what we think..


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

thanks man.
me too.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

just spoke with her, via email.
She doesnt change the water. 
I am going to have to bring a python to drain the tank.
......
uh oh.
3 years of no water changes (most likely)


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## P-Dee (Jun 1, 2007)

oh gosh, 3 yrs and no water change?? 
bleh
good luck with the poor lil dude
let us know!


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## Chapz (Jul 9, 2007)

What's the update on this P?


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

all the fears we had were pretty much correct.
I get to this girls place.
theres a thirty gal in the corner.
theirs sh*t in the water, just EVERYWHERE.
the girl, has absolutely no idea what shes doing.
this piranhas diet, for three years, has been
GOLDFISH
and 
STEAK...
she said he wont eat anything else.
no water changes.
the fish is just sitting in the back idle.
it felt comperable to being homeless, if you were a fish

arggg.
so i just smile, take everything.
bitch about it on the way home.
and ik just basically re-set up the tank, minus the gravel...still a tiny bit left.
and then worked to reclean the tank.
One thing is that im not familiar with this type of filter 
so i dont want to try cleaning it until i hear it from you all out there.
but im in the process of retoring this fish.
once i got the tank set up , i fed him tilapia, and he like TORE SH*T UP
and he has this awesome personality, he is very personable, which is why i want to revive him.
He is very obese, so i added a powerhead, and he loves it.
but here is some pics.
In advance, i have to say that the algea you can see, its a MARKED improvement. Before it was almost totally covering parts of the tank. but it still gets in the way.
any and all advice is SORELY needed.
Here is right when i filled the tank up at my place.














What kind of filter is this?







Here is once I got the tank cleaned and rran the filter for a bit.





















alright guys what do you think? calling all experts








What should i do next?

but as for tonight, work at 7 this amand humping a fish tank and scrubbing it for the last 6 hours makes me tired.

dont believe this guy will stay in this filth for long.


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## Dawgz (Aug 18, 2005)

u should have choked that bitch, wow i feel so bad for that fish.

what should u do next? make sure u test the water every few days, give it the best conditions possible, provide it clean water, change that filter, get a new one (shark aquarium has used aquaclear filters for pretty cheap, im picking one up myself this week)

Get it back on a real nice diet, and u already added the power head.

Im seriously glad that this piranha is in ur hands now.

Oh and, that tank is pretty useless, id say a waste of ur effor and water, since its high, not long.

Get something thats a bit longer and wider if u can.

GL man


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## Nevermind (Aug 16, 2007)

Filter looks like a penguin 350 to me. Which should be fine for a 30G since its rated for 350GPH
Im surprised at the nice color this fish still seems to have for being neglected for so long.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

Dawgz said:


> Filter looks like a penguin 350 to me.
> Im surprised at the nice color this fish still seems to have for being neglected for so long.


yeah, his color is real nice, and his personality is so awesome. he seems to know when we are around, and come out and play.
he is going to be amazing in about 6 months or so.

We named him "snack attack"
in memory of my girls dead shark, and because he is so hefty.


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## Christopher666 (Nov 1, 2007)

Nevermind said:


> Filter looks like a penguin 350 to me.


That filter is the standard cheap-o that comes with a 55 g tank. The name brand starts with an R. I forget what they're called though. I have two of them running on my 55 and it's perfect-o. It's like a Whisper, but not. They run off the whisper cartidges and numerous discontinued cartridges. They're not great filters and the impellar or whatever gets really noisey sometimes. But they work when you're too poor to afford a nice fluval or something of that stature.

That rbp looks beat. He's awkwardly shaped. His colors are pretty nice though. I'm glad you've got her and not some dumb broad that's going to feed him steak and goldfish until it dies.

No water changes in 3 years? How the hell does that work? That's like telling someone they have to live in a septic tank for three years. That poor little soldier.









Well, good luck, brother. I know you'll treat him right.


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## Nevermind (Aug 16, 2007)

Christopher666 said:


> Filter looks like a penguin 350 to me.


That filter is the standard cheap-o that comes with a 55 g tank. The name brand starts with an R. I forget what they're called though. I have two of them running on my 55 and it's perfect-o. It's like a Whisper, but not. They run off the whisper cartidges and numerous discontinued cartridges. They're not great filters and the impellar or whatever gets really noisey sometimes. But they work when you're too poor to afford a nice fluval or something of that stature.

That rbp looks beat. He's awkwardly shaped. His colors are pretty nice though. I'm glad you've got her and not some dumb broad that's going to feed him steak and goldfish until it dies.

No water changes in 3 years? How the hell does that work? That's like telling someone they have to live in a septic tank for three years. That poor little soldier.









Well, good luck, brother. I know you'll treat him right.
[/quote]

Looks like it says penguin 350 to me, and i have heard alot of good things about the penguin 350 biowheels


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## Christopher666 (Nov 1, 2007)

Nevermind said:


> Filter looks like a penguin 350 to me.


That filter is the standard cheap-o that comes with a 55 g tank. The name brand starts with an R. I forget what they're called though. I have two of them running on my 55 and it's perfect-o. It's like a Whisper, but not. They run off the whisper cartidges and numerous discontinued cartridges. They're not great filters and the impellar or whatever gets really noisey sometimes. But they work when you're too poor to afford a nice fluval or something of that stature.

That rbp looks beat. He's awkwardly shaped. His colors are pretty nice though. I'm glad you've got her and not some dumb broad that's going to feed him steak and goldfish until it dies.

No water changes in 3 years? How the hell does that work? That's like telling someone they have to live in a septic tank for three years. That poor little soldier.









Well, good luck, brother. I know you'll treat him right.
[/quote]

Looks like it says penguin 350 to me, and i have heard alot of good things about the penguin 350 biowheels
[/quote]

Yeah. It looks exactly like the two filters I have here. But apparently it's not. Haha. I'm not on a computer, I'm on my sidekick, so, the 2.5" screen makes it harder to read tiny writing as opposed to your 19" lcd screen or whatever you're working with.

Not being argumentative, just saying it looks a lot like the two crappers I have running on my 55. Maybe they stole the general idea from Penguin. Who knows?

You win.


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

Man its great to see someone taking a fish that would most likely have died and taking good care of it...............................if i were you on filter terms i would get a small cannister.........................

hope you bring this fish back to life as to be honest he looks in a sh*t state....................


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## Ihavebigpiranha (Aug 19, 2004)

Christopher666 said:


> Filter looks like a penguin 350 to me.


That filter is the standard cheap-o that comes with a 55 g tank. The name brand starts with an R. I forget what they're called though. I have two of them running on my 55 and it's perfect-o. It's like a Whisper, but not. They run off the whisper cartidges and numerous discontinued cartridges. They're not great filters and the impellar or whatever gets really noisey sometimes. But they work when you're too poor to afford a nice fluval or something of that stature.

That rbp looks beat. He's awkwardly shaped. His colors are pretty nice though. I'm glad you've got her and not some dumb broad that's going to feed him steak and goldfish until it dies.

No water changes in 3 years? How the hell does that work? That's like telling someone they have to live in a septic tank for three years. That poor little soldier.









Well, good luck, brother. I know you'll treat him right.
[/quote]

Looks like it says penguin 350 to me, and i have heard alot of good things about the penguin 350 biowheels
[/quote]

Yeah. It looks exactly like the two filters I have here. But apparently it's not. Haha. I'm not on a computer, I'm on my sidekick, so, the 2.5" screen makes it harder to read tiny writing as opposed to your 19" lcd screen or whatever you're working with.

Not being argumentative, just saying it looks a lot like the two crappers I have running on my 55. Maybe they stole the general idea from Penguin. Who knows?

You win.








[/quote]

a regent 30-60 is a penguin 350 without the biowheels. marineland manufactures the Regent aquatech line of filters.

That filter is fine, get some new pads for it and clean it up real well, usually a green scotchbrite pad and some water will take off the crusty stuff.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

true.
thanks guys,
yeah, that fish is awesome, i just wish that that girl realized it and kept better care. 
Its staying in my room, and i was getting ready for wotk this morning, and the little guy was following me around the room.
Yeah, after work today, im going to keep scrubbin and testin and water changin.

Should I keep feeding him or should i starve him. 
I was thinking of getting him on pellets (Hikari Bio Gold), and feed him as many as he wants like every other day.
Is that too much?

and cleaning this filter.... should I do anything special to prevent killing the bacteria?


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

this is the tank setup at that girls house, all that sh*t floating around in there is actually sh*t, not bubbles.
it was taken by cellphone, hence the crappiness of the pic.


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## Chapz (Jul 9, 2007)

Fish is at a good place now and feels better not to be swimming in 3 years of its own filth.

Good catch.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

thanks for the confidence guys.

cant wait til he is in good condition.


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## Chapz (Jul 9, 2007)

When all is said and done, post the updated pics of the new set up. That P's probably thinking it's in heaven now.


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

Chapz said:


> Fish is at a good place now and feels better not to be swimming in 3 years of its own filth.
> 
> Good catch.


i couldnt even imagine that..









he's a lucky P to be under your care after years of mistreatment... good luck with him


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

Good job for rescuing that red belly Nick. Hope it all works out for you.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

thanks guys.
glad i have everyone here for advice, its a huge help.
I will keep you all updated, trust me.


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## Christopher666 (Nov 1, 2007)

Ihavebigpiranha said:


> Filter looks like a penguin 350 to me.


That filter is the standard cheap-o that comes with a 55 g tank. The name brand starts with an R. I forget what they're called though. I have two of them running on my 55 and it's perfect-o. It's like a Whisper, but not. They run off the whisper cartidges and numerous discontinued cartridges. They're not great filters and the impellar or whatever gets really noisey sometimes. But they work when you're too poor to afford a nice fluval or something of that stature.

That rbp looks beat. He's awkwardly shaped. His colors are pretty nice though. I'm glad you've got her and not some dumb broad that's going to feed him steak and goldfish until it dies.

No water changes in 3 years? How the hell does that work? That's like telling someone they have to live in a septic tank for three years. That poor little soldier.









Well, good luck, brother. I know you'll treat him right.
[/quote]

Looks like it says penguin 350 to me, and i have heard alot of good things about the penguin 350 biowheels
[/quote]

Yeah. It looks exactly like the two filters I have here. But apparently it's not. Haha. I'm not on a computer, I'm on my sidekick, so, the 2.5" screen makes it harder to read tiny writing as opposed to your 19" lcd screen or whatever you're working with.

Not being argumentative, just saying it looks a lot like the two crappers I have running on my 55. Maybe they stole the general idea from Penguin. Who knows?

You win.








[/quote]

a regent 30-60 is a penguin 350 without the biowheels. marineland manufactures the Regent aquatech line of filters.

That filter is fine, get some new pads for it and clean it up real well, usually a green scotchbrite pad and some water will take off the crusty stuff.
[/quote]

So. Then. We're both right.


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## Nevermind (Aug 16, 2007)

Haha yeah,m i guess so, and you were right on the 19"lcd


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## Chapz (Jul 9, 2007)

Dont forget to update the pics with the finished product. It cant get any worse than when u got it.


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## Christopher666 (Nov 1, 2007)

Nevermind said:


> Haha yeah,m i guess so, and you were right on the 19"lcd










of course I was. You're lucky to have a 19" lcd. Haha.

That tank is gross, Nick... Snack Attack is lucky to have gotten away from that grime.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

ok guys, here are some pics so to update. (kinda rushed cus i cant find the charger, and the camera is about to die, so they arent the best)
i am about to clean that filter, with the pellets in it.
His initial eagerness to eat has kinda subsided, so i have just been trying everything for about 15 min.
He did eat a scallop last night, so i guess thats cool.
Is having such a pronounced ribcage just a result of his obesity?

I am patient

















































Let me know what you guys think
he is still not out of the woods, a work in progress if you will.


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

I can't believe he made it that far. I love my RBs. Good job Nick!!! Keep doing what you are doing.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

thanks man.
Glad i got him out of that old place. He is lovin the water changes and lack of filth.
Try as i might, i just cant rid the tank of all the algea, but eventually i will.


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## RBPFan (Dec 1, 2003)

Great rescue he looks 100% different. Before i would say that bi*ch was feeding him crack but now he's got great color. Good Work!


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## Nevermind (Aug 16, 2007)

Just goes to show hardy these fish are, if they can put up with living in their own filth for 3 years. His color looks even more amazing in those new pictures. He was a good find


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## Chapz (Jul 9, 2007)

Looks really Good. Just a add a few decors and the rbp is set to go.


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## scotty (Oct 3, 2007)

Nick g said:


> View attachment 157742
> 
> this is the only pic i have.
> It looks good in here... but im not 100 percent sure that its this fish i am getting.
> ...


three inches wide holy crap thats almost as wide as a 2x4
but thats one wickedly cool looking fish i think hes freakin awesome!! haha!! SCORE
post some pics


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## pirayaman (Nov 3, 2007)

hey when you clean that filter just use the tank water from a water change


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## Leasure1 (Jul 24, 2006)

I don't know why you guys are saying that fish is obease, because it is no way near being even healthy enough to have fat reserves, so obeseity is out of the question. I think it's stomach sags like that due to skelital problems or internal damge from stunted growth.

good job by the way bringing it back to health. I bet the little dude loves clean water

And I don't belive that 3" wide is fat for a 14" pygo. If you are talking about rb32's fish....his fish are more like 5" wide on a 13" fish


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## Nevermind (Aug 16, 2007)

Leasure1 said:


> *I don't know why you guys are saying that fish is obease, because it is no way near being even healthy enough to have fat reserves*, so obeseity is out of the question. I think it's stomach sags like that due to skelital problems or internal damge from stunted growth.
> 
> good job by the way bringing it back to health. I bet the little dude loves clean water
> 
> And I don't belive that 3" wide is fat for a 14" pygo. If you are talking about rb32's fish....his fish are more like 5" wide on a 13" fish


So at least I'm not the only one who didnt think it was obese


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## bigd00d00 (May 20, 2007)

That fish doesnt look too bad considering the fact that the previous owner treated it like crap. I had a similar incident with the 3 RBs i picked up from a friend. It was sitting in the garage when the temperature outside was close to 45 deg and it did not have heater..and uneaten molded chunks of hotdog were everywhere


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

well, maybe its not obese.. i just figured it was because of the weird body shape. 
Not experienced with piranha that arent healthy. oh, and that 3" wide thing was not at all true. he is maybe an inch and a half wide, tops.

he still wont eat. Im about to try shrimp though for the first time, and im going to stuff pellets in it.
Just to see. I have a few new pics but they suck. ill try to get some good ones tonight, he might be my favorite... not sure yet... but check out my other guy, who is my next biggest.


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## Nevermind (Aug 16, 2007)

How long do you leave the food in before you pull it out?


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

nice job rescuing him man ..


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

Nevermind said:


> nice job rescuing him man ..


thanks man


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## Nevermind (Aug 16, 2007)

I usually leave food in overnight, or while I am at work, they dont like to eat it as soon as it drops in, but there is rarely any left when i get home, and if there is i scoop it out then.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

thats what i normally do as well, with my other fish.
But with this guy i am being really anal about water quality. I think that if i can keep the water tight, he will start growing again. So i want him to eat, but not at the expense of pristine water params.


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## Nevermind (Aug 16, 2007)

Yeah, he will figure it out when he starts to get really hungry


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

exactly.

/has gfs photographer brother taking pics now.
soon to post.


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## scotty (Oct 3, 2007)

Nick g said:


> well, maybe its not obese.. i just figured it was because of the weird body shape.
> Not experienced with piranha that arent healthy. oh, and that 3" wide thing was not at all true. he is maybe an inch and a half wide, tops.
> 
> he still wont eat. Im about to try shrimp though for the first time, and im going to stuff pellets in it.
> ...


nice fish what is he about 4-4.5 inches


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

check him out. What do you guys think?








what is that darkness behind his gill?


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## StryfeMP (Apr 26, 2007)

honestly, he looks really thin, underweight, malnourished and stunted. if he's as old as 2 years or so, he really shouldn't have his juvenile spots anymore, but then again that's what happens when a fish is mistreated and has to live in crapped out water and fed crap foods. a few of the fish I have now I had gotten from someone who fed them beef jerky, hot dogs, and gold fish only once a week for their whole lives. I payed him good money just so he'd give them to me, they were in as bad shape as your rescued fish is now. But after giving them a larger tank, cleaner water, and a healthy varied diet, they bounced back, gained the weight they should have had and are now healthy. Props goes out to you for rescuing the little guy. Just give him some patience and the best possible water params and care you could give him, and he'll bounce back for sure. Good luck with him, he looks bad, but he doesn't look like he's going to die anytime soon, he's got a lot of time ahead of him.

To add onto my previous post, I believe his belly looks so big is because the upper part of his body is incredibly thin. As he gains weight, you'll notice that it wasn't so big after all.


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## IVIorgan2 (Jul 19, 2006)

If I were you I'd really think about getting some prazi-pro. Since it was eating goldfish for a couple years it might have internal parasites that could be taking away some nourishment from the foods youre feeding that guy. Just a thought. Also I agree that he looks very thin maybe try adding some salmon in with his diet not to much though.

Great job so far.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

StryfeMP said:


> If I were you I'd really think about getting some prazi-pro. Since it was eating goldfish for a couple years it might have internal parasites that could be taking away some nourishment from the foods youre feeding that guy. Just a thought. Also I agree that he looks very thin maybe try adding some salmon in with his diet not to much though.
> 
> Great job so far.


thanks man. good call, ill get some tomorrow.


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## Ihavebigpiranha (Aug 19, 2004)

I would treat him for possible internal parasite first off, maybe slack back on the water changes if the nitrates aren't high.

think of it as a hospital tank, dim the light way way down or leave it off and he should be more active, possibly add a small powerhead to give him some current to swim in.

some salt and a warmer temp ~80 for a while.

I wouldn't worry about him eating for a couple weeks, wait til he's hungry (hunting the tank for food) he does look like might have some parasite from the lack of muscle structure along the dorsal sides, his top should be nice and rounded over not a pointy ridge like he's got. That may be also just from a lack of current for exercise too though but I'd treat for parasites anyway just to be sure.

you may be giving him too much attention with the big changes and whatnot, if he's shy and freaks out when you come around maybe cover the tank for a while too.

I would just do normal tank maintenance schedule which will be fine I think as it will be much better than what he's been used to.

I've had the best luck gettin my fish to take JumboMin floating sticks, mine all eat it as it hits the water.

Good luck with him I hope he gets healthy and filled out quick for you.


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## Leasure1 (Jul 24, 2006)

Ihavebigpiranha said:


> *I would treat him for possible internal parasite first off,* maybe slack back on the water changes if the nitrates aren't high.
> 
> think of it as a hospital tank, dim the light way way down or leave it off and he should be more active, possibly add a small powerhead to give him some current to swim in.
> 
> ...


I was going to say the exact same thing. Looks like a belly full of parasites to me. I would treat him with prazipro for 3 weeks to see if he shits anything out. During this process, I would try to use a bare bottom tank no deco, and put sponges over filter intakes, powerheads, etc, just to make sure that if he does sh*t something out, you see it. Although prazi doesn't work with all internals, it should cure anything that a captive bred red has been exposed to. Levimisol(sp) is also a med used for pigs, that can be dosed for aquariums that treat a certain type of parasite, forget the name. Odds are slim for this though.

Try it.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

damn, alright guys. I never have dealt with parasites before. 
Hope its not really bad. i will pick up some prazipro and do what you guys are saying.
Will he sh*t a lot? and will it be really weird.... noticible anyway...
once he sh*ts whatever may be in there out, is there the chance of it re-infecting him?

he does gasp a lot come to think of it. when i first noticed him gasping, it was at the bottom of the tank.... so i added the airpump. i didnt think too much of it, and i havent spent much time watching him since i put the air pump in there. i will tonight though.


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## Leasure1 (Jul 24, 2006)

You may be over reacting on the gasping thing. Has really othing to do with anything provided you have a filter creating surface tension, an air pump, etc. As long as conditions are good, the "gasping" is most likely normal behavior for this fish.

Be VERY careful when dosing with prazi. Cloute is also an extremly good med. No, it won't make him sh*t alot, and cannot get reinfected unless you discontinue treatment before you have killed all stages of life from egg to adult, which the 3 week treatment, dosed as the bottles requires, should kick everything in the butt.

Only reason for keeping bare tank, etc, is to see IF anything does come out of him. It would be nice to know either way.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

ok true. Im guessing i can get it at any lfs?

Yeah, i was just saying about the gasping to see if it may change the symptoms. i added the air pump cus the penguin filter doesnt create much surface agitation. and seeing him gasp reminded me of that.

thanks for the help man, i will clear the tank when i get out of work, and keep the lights off, and dose as the prazipro as it says to.... will keep this thread updated.


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## Leasure1 (Jul 24, 2006)

if oxygen levels were a problem in the tank, the fish would be breathing extremly hard and constant, not to mention it would be going to the top water and creating it's own surface tension by thrashing the top water, and grabing mouth full of air trying to stay alive. I would say his breathing is normal, and you were just worried over nothing

Good luck with the prazi....not everyone carries it.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

yeah i just went to petco, then a local lpetstore.
neither had it.
(was trying to avoid my lfs cus they all have their heads up their asses)

the people at petco actually thought that i WANTED to give my fish parasites.








he was like "why do you want that stuff?"
i said to treat internal parasites
and after a minute or two with a glazed look in his eye, he said "why do you want to give your piranha parasites? do you want it to die?"








so i smiled. and looked myself, to no avail.

/tail btw legs
/goes to lfs


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## Leasure1 (Jul 24, 2006)

not surprised in the least bit.

Order from doctor foster smith


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

found it!


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

ok, so i dosed the tank with the prezipro... waited for a shrimp to thaw.
put it in, pulled up a chair.
and he KILLED it.






















thanks guys.
the bottle only says to use it for a week.
but you guys think three weeks?

it also says remove the carbon from the filter, should i leave this out for the duration of the treatment?
(the whole week-three weeks)

what can i expect to see from using this stuff on the short term?


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## IVIorgan2 (Jul 19, 2006)

yes take the carbon out while your treating your fish. Get new pads and put them in when your done with the prazi.


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## StryfeMP (Apr 26, 2007)

i'm glad to hear that he's eating. i'm not sure how well he's going to take to pellets if he's never really been exposed to it at all during his lifetime; that might take some starvation methods to get him to eat pellets. If that's your main goal though, get him nice and healthy first before trying to ween him onto pellets. I agree with what everyones saying about the parasites and it's good that you're treating him for it now, just make sure you don't overdose.

As the fish that I rescued before, it took them only a few months to gain weight and recover almost fully from their malnutritioned state. But because they were treated like that for so long, their growth has defniately been stunted. It's like ethiopian kids, they're real skinny because of the lack of food right, but if you were to take that kid and feed him regularly, he'll gain weight and health in no time, but then again if you feed the kid too much he'll die from all the food. lol. it's late, so please excuse my ill concieved example. bad bad example. I'm going to sleep. Keep up with the fish and just be patient with it, you'll see the him slowly getting better. As for the water changes, just do normal maintenance, he's rolling solo in that tank so nitrates shouldn't be building up that quickly to need a 50% water change every other day, I'd say do a 25% water every 3-4 days. But now that you're treating with meds, just follow the directions. I'm going to sleep.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

ok cool, thanks guys.
i saw the connection. hahaha
yeah, i was only doing water changes like that for the first few days, to get the tank rid of everything that i couldnt clean out. i cleaned the filter THOROUGHLY, but there was still a whole bunch of sh*t left over in there.
But yeah, im just going to do like you said, every 4 days like 30-40% with my other tanks. 
I have kept the tank at around 82-84, is that too high?

and whats the correct dose of salt for salting the tank. i read a tsp per gallon. that seems like an aweful lot, is that true? (sea salt works right?, i checked and theres no sugar or anything else in it)


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

i use sea salt.. works fine


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

So after a dose of prazi pro, every other day salting of the tank, and much love and water changes, here is an update. He is still barely eating, but i think he is coming around.










































what do you guys think?


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## Nevermind (Aug 16, 2007)

I think is color is amazing, thats one nice fish you got there


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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

man he already looks way better.

I would have adviced a little differently, but things seem to be working out ok. Is he eating good now? I would have feed him goldfish sense he wasn't eating and thats what he's used to. Get his weight back, then change his diet, then medicate. But all is well that ends well.

And I hope you didn't clean the filter tooo good because he doesn't look like he can handle a cycle. Also I would check the little propeller in there because its probably got all hair and sh*t wrapped around it by now. in the one picture of it running, it didn't look like it was pumping much water. If you get the propeller free of debris it should start pumping faster.

this fish will probably never get huge, but it will only be alive because of your actions. So that should make you feel good. piranha are good at rebounding from terrible shape, so he should be a great looking fish in no time. Your doing a good thing giving him a life worth living


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

id add some prazi pro for parisites

you could try something like Garlic Gaurd to make him want to eat


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

He looks like a different fish to what he was when you first got him, his colours have come through and is looking alot happier.......................

Hopefully he will start eating properly soon, but it might take a while and there is no way in hell this fish is obese, he is seriously under weight and malnurished..........and deformed by stunted growth and terrible conditions...........

Congratz and well done nick, your a gent for taking him in and your doing a good job, lets hope he pulls through...

dez


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

thanks guys, he is a cool lfish.

yeah, i cleaned the exterior of the filter like crazy. and just rinsed the media with tank water from another tank. thats probably a good call about the impellar though. i will check it out








i only feel bad cus his tank is in my room and i dont think he gets enough human contact, im trying to figure a way to bring him into my living room with the other fishies.

fattening him up with goldies probably would have been easier. But i didnt want to stunt his growth any further than it has already been stunted (if it even mattered at this point, im not sure).
but he is coming around. I drop a shrimp in there, and sit and wait like 15 minutes, and he usually takes a bite. then i leavee, and most of it is gone like an hour later. soon, i know he will be comfortably enough to eat like a champ.

i hope yourr wrong about him getting bigger. time will tll i guess. (i have a feeling that you may be right.)


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

nice updates nick.. keep tring to feed him and maybe offer different things besides shrimp


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

looking good, keep it up.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

ICEE said:


> looking good, keep it up.


thanks guys.









GOOD CALL. Its funny, in the one hour or so since i wrote that he isnt eating, i dropped a piece of tilapia in, instead of shrimp, and he took it down before i could get my chair.









cant wait til he becomes whatever it is he is going to become!


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

He is going to be a beautiful redbelly. Good job.

Sorry if it was already posted and I missed it but do you know where this girl got this fish from?


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

Tango374 said:


> He is going to be a beautiful redbelly. Good job.
> 
> Sorry if it was already posted and I missed it but do you know where this girl got this fish from?


no idea.
i dont think she would remember if i asked. 
she was well stupid..


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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

I'm sure he will get bigger. I'm just saying he probably wont ever get "huge". I'm not really believing this girl about his age. She says 3 mabey 5 years, I dont really know, kinda thing. That fish looks like a 6 month old. With the shitty conditions, mabey a year. How long is it? Like someone else pointed out, he still has his spots, which tells you he's not 3 years old. You likely got him early in his life and he might not be to rediculously stunted.

long story short, I think he'll still grow quite a bit now that he is in good hands. But I have 4, 6inch, one year old, reds in a 55 gallon, so what do I know? ANSWER= I need a bigger tank. hehehe

Im gonna guess why he was so skinny, yet way bulged stomach. It was because she felt bad about anyone seeing what her fish became, because of her starving it. So she decided to get rid of it, but first gave it a fat meal, hoping the person taking it wouldn't beat her for fish abuse.


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

buit if he hasnt been fed properly he could be seriously stunted.......................it happens and the fish does look very deformed compared to a normal red


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## Nevermind (Aug 16, 2007)

MonkeyBum said:


> buit if he hasnt been fed properly he could be seriously stunted.......................it happens and the fish does look very deformed compared to a normal red


It doesnt look deformed to me...


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

honest......................................... compared to other reds you think it looks normal, maye its my drunk vision


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## Chapz (Jul 9, 2007)

Nick, Snack attack must have taken a bite out of the previous owner and like that meat better. Give it a try and put ur hand in the tank. heheheheh JOKE!!!!!!

Great job u've done with snack attack. In due time, it will do just fine. Medication must have helped.


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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

theres nothing deformed about the fish. he will gain weight and look like any other red imo. He looks messed up because he is skin an bones. He's already bulked up in the couple weeks he's had him. I've seen worse come back. He'll be fine eventually

in 2 months he will give an updade of a perfect red. As long as he keeps pampering him, and giving the attention he's been missing.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

thanks guys. yeah.. see that girl said 3 years, then she said maybe five, but just from talkign to her, i got the impression that lack of fish keeping knowledge wasnt the only area that she wasnt too brite. 
She told me a story that i have held back from on here for whatever reason. She said one time snack attack (then killer..) jumped out of the tank onto this chicks moms bed. who freaked, and kicked him into the closet where he sat for 4-5 minutes before the girl could come in and put him back in the tank. which she did with a BROOM, AND DUST BIN!!!!
it made me so mad i almost screamed. Poor guy musta been freaking something serious. 
He still is pretty crazy, last week he tried to bite me when i was scooping food out of the tank.
My initial thinking that he was obese was, as has been said, wrong, but the area behind his ribs when i got him was like, a quarter of the width it is now.

i will keep this thread updated every so often with pics and meds that i am giving him!


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## pirayaman (Nov 3, 2007)

ok looks like a normal red belly to me he was fed 
just a dirty tank

if the conditions were that bad the fish would be dead

does any body know if nitrates can evaporate cause if they can and this chick just kept adding water the fish was not even kept in dirty water as the evap in a tank that small would be hugh


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## dorianc204 (Mar 12, 2007)

hey man i just read ur whole thread... great job man







like honestly thats alot of work for just one fish i was hooked when i started to read. lol i would love to see sum more pics of his condition!!!! you should get him a buddy like a pleco for sum company lol and nice hidding spots in his tank... but i jsut gotta say congrats and ur hard work paid off and i bet that lil guy is thankin you and wants you to go back to tha old owners house chop her fingers off and feed em to him lol


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

dorianc204 said:


> hey man i just read ur whole thread... great job man
> 
> 
> 
> ...


thanks a lot man. yeah, this weekend going to dose his tank with prazi one more time, then next weekend, im going to decorate his tank and stuff. 
i just want to keep it so its easy to clean... hence, there is only one lava rock in there now, just for him to hide. He hates when i clean the tank, and is VERY agressive to me when i clean it. I have had to improvise a lot of ways to keep my hands out of the tank.
but everyone on here has been great, and he is beginning to be all that he can be, so to speak.
(im pretty sure he has grown about an inch and a half since i have had him... for such an old fish, that seems highly unusual. but hey, these animals continually amaze me.

ill see if i have more old pics, im sure i didnt post them all.


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## chomp chomp (Oct 28, 2003)

nice job with him Nick! If he is still is not eating very much, you may want to try some frozen krill. I have never owned a P that will not eat it.

good luck with him!


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

thats great, i hope his improvement will continue


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

chomp chomp said:


> thats great, i hope his improvement will continue


thanks guys, i hope so too.


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## Chapz (Jul 9, 2007)

Nick, Maybe snack attack wants u to pet him first before you clean the tank. 
Give it try.

Anyways, post the updated pics since your always changing the decor. 
Always good to see the new look.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

so its been a while, and i figured an update was in order.
snack attack moved from his solo tank to my 55 community tank, to my new 75 with some other guys

this was in my 55







and this is his 75 gallon home until if i get something bigger when i move this summer





















this was during feeding, its not the best, but he is the one in the middle (who had eated first)







let me know what you guys think


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## Crazewiteboi (Feb 4, 2008)

Wow, great job on saving that fish. He looks awesome!


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

Crazewiteboi said:


> Wow, great job on saving that fish. He looks awesome!


thanks man, i am proud of how he turned around
i think his growth is permanently stunted, but who knows.


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## StryfeMP (Apr 26, 2007)

Job well done friend. I don't think he is permanently stunted, I believe in time he will grow some more but definitely not to his full potential. My very first fish that I still have now were stunted but now they've grown quite a bit since I started really taking good care of them. Again, good job.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

StryfeMP said:


> Job well done friend. I don't think he is permanently stunted, I believe in time he will grow some more but definitely not to his full potential. My very first fish that I still have now were stunted but now they've grown quite a bit since I started really taking good care of them. Again, good job.


thanks man!
i hope your right, its good to know that he still has potential.
its hard to measure him, but now that he is in the 75, i think he will be more apt to grow, as you say. 
i just dont have much experience with keeping fish that werent kept well. or with older piranhas. my next biggest guy, benjamin franklin (in one of the pics with the flash on) is like 6 or 7 months old, and is about a half an inch shorter than he is. and he is 3 years old.
but again, thanks for the compliments, i hope he grows big.


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## anthonycaf (Oct 4, 2006)

nice job sir


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

anthonycaf said:


> nice job sir


thanks man


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## -NBKK- (Jun 22, 2007)

Totally revived, Nice work. He is looking mean with those colours. Whats his attitude like ? he aggressive or passive ?


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

-NBKK- said:


> Totally revived, Nice work. He is looking mean with those colours. Whats his attitude like ? he aggressive or passive ?


thanks!
he has calmed down a TINY bit in the past week, being in the community tank. (and by calmed down, i mean, im no longer afraid for my hand when its in the tank)
but he is hands down the leader of the tank.
when he was solo, he was so awesome, i just felt bad for him being in that 30 gal tall tank, thats the only reason i took him out of it.
funny story:

when i was preparing to move him into the 55, out of his 30, i had my girl helping me. she didnt want to get too messy, but she wanted to help, so i gave her this rod i had for his tank thats bent at the bottom into a hook, to take the deco out of the tank. (i admit, i was a little afraid to go in that tank because he didnt at all like my arm in the tank, but i did when i had to)
so im in the other room, preparing the 55, and taking the reds out of that one, so as to put them all back in together. 
all the sudden, i hear a splash, and my girl scream so loud, that i was afraid my neighbors were going to call the cops. 
so i run into the room fully expecting snack attack to be like wriggling on her forearm.
but he was in the tank.
she said she had just like 2 of her fingers in the water holding the rod thing and the second she took her eyes off him, he was coming out of the water, and just barely missed her hand.
i was laughing so hard, once i saw she was fine.

needless to say, she wont go near his tank anymore. but he is nuts dude, its great.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

Figure after almost a year it was time for an update. His eye got a little fucked up this summer cus a friend was caring for him and he doesnt know about keeping fish, but all in all he is still growing, slowly but growing none the less, and his eye is getting much better. 





















what you guys think?


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

he looks great.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

I got to say, this is a nice ending to what could have been a rough story..

Great job, and thanks for posting!


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## brianhellno (Jun 16, 2008)

He looks great! I can't believe how much of a difference proper care makes when taking care of a fish. The difference from now and the first pics is amazing! Great work, I'm glad you ended up with this fish.


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## Ibanez247 (Nov 9, 2006)

Nice job saving snack attack lol. I like that name. I remember when you first posted this. Hes come along great. Probably a lot happier now that he has some other reds to hang with. They just seem a lot more relaxed when they are in numbers. Just curious. What are going to upgrade to when you move? We'll need another update then too.


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## Moondemon (Dec 9, 2006)

I just went through this whole thread.. This natt looks wayyyyyyy better than a year ago. In fact, it doesn,t seem to be the same fish !!

Good job !!!


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

fishguy1313 said:


> I just went through this whole thread.. This natt looks wayyyyyyy better than a year ago. In fact, it doesn,t seem to be the same fish !!
> 
> Good job !!!


thanks fellas. yeah he has come a long way, i forgot how bad he was until i dug up this thread and looked at the old pictures! 
but really i owe it to everyone on this site, without your guys help, i would never have been able to get this guy out of the woods. 
Ibanez, im not sure about an upgrade, I moved and he is in the 75 now with 2 other reds, and they are comfortable... i may upgrade my rhoms tank but these guys are probably set in there for life. 
Whats funny is a few times I saw snack attack doing the mating dance with the smallest red in there, which would be kinda cool. I guess once they are ready to mate you know they are comfortable. 
again all the comments are much appreciated and again thanks for all the help


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## Chapz (Jul 9, 2007)

Nick G said:


> I just went through this whole thread.. This natt looks wayyyyyyy better than a year ago. In fact, it doesn,t seem to be the same fish !!
> 
> Good job !!!


thanks fellas. yeah he has come a long way, i forgot how bad he was until i dug up this thread and looked at the old pictures! 
but really i owe it to everyone on this site, without your guys help, i would never have been able to get this guy out of the woods. 
Ibanez, im not sure about an upgrade, I moved and he is in the 75 now with 2 other reds, and they are comfortable... i may upgrade my rhoms tank but these guys are probably set in there for life. 
Whats funny is a few times I saw snack attack doing the mating dance with the smallest red in there, which would be kinda cool. I guess once they are ready to mate you know they are comfortable. 
again all the comments are much appreciated and again thanks for all the help








[/quote]

Snack attack looks awesome. You too care of him real well. 
Great job bud.
when are you gonna pet him?


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

haha, come on over man, ill let you try first!


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Great job, he looks awesome now


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## Malawi- (Oct 21, 2008)

I havent been following this, but I saw the first pics of the shitty tank and your updates. Big difference. Great job on helping the piranha and bringing back his colors and health. That tank was a disaster. Gob well done.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

thanks guys.

he is a cool fish, the leader of the tank.


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

just goes to show how tough these guys are. Good job nick man


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## Tyrone5797 (Aug 25, 2007)

Again i've not followed the thread but it looks like you've done a fantastic job Nick. Congrats my dude


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

THANKS FELLAS!


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## Wide_Eyed_Wanderer (Aug 22, 2006)

Also just read the whole thread right now. He looks 50000234234234 times better. its like one of those animal shelter dog stories before and after but except with a piranha


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

bump
need help again guys:
http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.ph...p;#entry2329512


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## Us And Them (Dec 4, 2008)

Congrats on saving that Red... It looks a little off... But none the less
its been in a small tank with no water changes for 3 years...

Laws need to be imended...
Neglect a Dog and EVERYONE GOES CRAZY..
Neglect a Fish and Nobody Gives a f*ck.

Maybe if we start Selling Dog Meat Like Fish in the Supermarket
before people get the point.


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## Guest (Feb 7, 2009)

I get that your angry about the conditions this fish was kept in as am I, but I think you have gone a little to far. Fish are sold as food, just like cows. Those are different situations as to what has happened here. I agree once an animal regardless of species has become a "pet" animal cruelty laws should apply.

Nick you have done a fantastic job of giving this fish another chance at a happy healhy life. I hope he pulls through this next battle.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

ksls said:


> I get that your angry about the conditions this fish was kept in as am I, but I think you have gone a little to far. Fish are sold as food, just like cows. Those are different situations as to what has happened here. I agree once an animal regardless of species has become a "pet" animal cruelty laws should apply.
> 
> Nick you have done a fantastic job of giving this fish another chance at a happy healhy life. I hope he pulls through this next battle.


thanks ksls.

he didnt pull through
















im going to post more pics in here tomorrow (once im not drunk and angry about it)
he almost pulled out of the corner twice. once i guess was good enough.
im glad he isnt suffering anymore.
i will miss him.


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## khmerboiRED (Jul 15, 2008)

Damn man, great job on the rescue. I hope things work out and he comes out to be a MONSTER!!







Should get him at least a 55g IMO and keep him solo just so he feels special.:laugh:


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## NakedSavage (Apr 9, 2008)

Man that sucks.... but u did rescue him once and gave him a great life, im sure he wouldnt have made it as long as he did if you wouldnt have saved him like u did.

sorry for your loss.


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## ronzz (Oct 26, 2004)

R I P it f*ckin sucks wen sh*t like this happens least u tryed


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## blbig50 (Jan 1, 2009)

Sorry about the loss man, but look at how good of a life you gave him. Job well done!


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