# tank



## tyourkie66 (Mar 13, 2003)

for reds to breed is a 55g tank sufficent?

and is there anything i can do to "get them in the mood"

and what do most people do wtih their babies? ......sell them to lfs? if so how much for about 150 of them that are dime size?


----------



## LouiCypher (Mar 10, 2003)

Don't know.. I can say that every time i've heard of it happening, it has been in a 125g tank.


----------



## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Reds have spawned in a 55 gallon tank, but obviously, the larger the tank, the more chance you have...

For more info on breeding reds and raising fry, check out NIKE's post in this same forum, called rbp's.


----------



## Neoplasia (Feb 16, 2003)

Jud is correct, there have been spawns in 55 gallon tanks (I've personally spoken to one lucky person, though can't for the life of me remember his name now). They are few and far between, but possible. That's a pretty good topic he posted, some good tips.


----------



## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

Beforehand you have to get lucky with a pair. A 55 gal wouldn't be sufficient and is too cramped up for any of them to even want to mate. Best way is to have them in a bigger tank to pair off.. once they breed for the first time, they will surely do it again.. then thats when you should leave the pair in a 55 gal.


----------



## tyourkie66 (Mar 13, 2003)

RhomZilla said:


> Beforehand you have to get lucky with a pair. A 55 gal wouldn't be sufficient and is too cramped up for any of them to even want to mate. Best way is to have them in a bigger tank to pair off.. once they breed for the first time, they will surely do it again.. then thats when you should leave the pair in a 55 gal.


 even if i only ahve 3 reds in my 55g, they wont pair off?

im pretty sure that one of them is a feamale.

do you think that that since there is only four fish in my 55g that they will breeed?


----------



## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

tyourkie66 said:


> even if i only ahve 3 reds in my 55g, they wont pair off?
> 
> im pretty sure that one of them is a feamale.
> 
> do you think that that since there is only four fish in my 55g that they will breeed?


 First: how can you see one of yours is a female: I don't want to argue, I'm just wondering :smile:

Wheter your fish will breed depends wheter the fish find the tank conditions suitable to breed. If they are right, you have a sexually mature pair, and they are used being together, your fish might breed as well.
It's just that you can never say on forehand wheter they'll do it or not: it's entirely up to them. All you can do is trying try some tricks to stimulate them to get it off, but there's no guarantee. See the link posted earlier in this thread: it contains a number of tips and useful info...


----------



## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

Judazzz said:


> First: how can you see one of yours is a female: I don't want to argue, I'm just wondering :smile:
> 
> Wheter your fish will breed depends wheter the fish find the tank conditions suitable to breed. If they are right, you have a sexually mature pair, and they are used being together, your fish might breed as well.
> It's just that you can never say on forehand wheter they'll do it or not: it's entirely up to them. All you can do is trying try some tricks to stimulate them to get it off, but there's no guarantee. See the link posted earlier in this thread: it contains a number of tips and useful info...


----------



## tyourkie66 (Mar 13, 2003)

i was guessing because i read something on another site that said when young the females are less agressive and go to get their foood after the males. that they dont fight and when fightin occurs they usally stay away.

if this is wrong then i read some false info.


----------



## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

tyourkie66 said:


> i was guessing because i read something on another site that said when young the females are less agressive and go to get their foood after the males. that they dont fight and when fightin occurs they usally stay away.
> 
> if this is wrong then i read some false info.


 I think I have an idea which site that was.... :







:

I don't want to act like I know it all, but the general concensus on sexing piranha's is that, with a few exceptions, they aren't sexually dimorphic, which means that you can't tell wheter a piranha is male or female just by looking at it.....

And don't worry about reading false information: this site is all about learning, and correcting and discussing the many false statements about piranha's, found on the internet.


----------



## Neoplasia (Feb 16, 2003)

P. nattereri is not sexually dimorphic (cannot visually tell), nor can you tell by agression at any age. One being more or less agressive is much more likely to be due to that fish's personall behavior tendancies. I have yet to see any credible reports to give such a claim any sort of validity.

Now to the more pressing question: will they pair off. That is totally up to them, the best that you can do is provide the best environment you possibly can. If they get frisky then you will know for sure, but until (if) they do well that's too bad I guess. Like I said before, breeding has occured in a 55 gallon tank on some occasions. Obviously your chances of having males and females that will want to breed is much lower than in a larger tank with more fish, but maybe that should encourage you all the more. IMO getting them to breed in a 55 speaks a lot for the owner and the conditions that are maintained.


----------

