# Feeding my RBP!!!



## Paytheplayer (Dec 14, 2007)

Hey all, this is my first post. I just found this site and finally I have a place to ask my questions. Ive already done some research on the site and got some basic ideas. I've had 3 RBP for a little over a month now. They're all growing at different rates, one is about 3.5, the second is about 3 and the third is about 1. They live with 1 pleco, and 3 mystery snails. I have ONLY fed them live goldfish ever since I had them, but now am finding out that it's horrible. I've seen that I should give them bloodworms, but do I give them live ones, or storebought packaged? Same as frozen shrimp...do I drop it in there while its frozen, or must I thaw it first.

Sorry if I sound like an idiot, but this is all new to me and as you can see I barely know anything, Im trying to learn as quickly as I can. Any suggestions or comments will help. Thanks guys.


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## notaverage (Sep 10, 2005)

Pay attention...there are a lot of knowledgable ppl here. Use the search function at the top right to search for you answers.

Bed time for me...
thaw out anything frozen first. go light of red meats and try cichlid pellets.


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## dalyhawk (Apr 30, 2007)

Paytheplayer said:


> Hey all, this is my first post. I just found this site and finally I have a place to ask my questions. Ive already done some research on the site and got some basic ideas. I've had 3 RBP for a little over a month now. They're all growing at different rates, one is about 3.5, the second is about 3 and the third is about 1. They live with 1 pleco, and 3 mystery snails. I have ONLY fed them live goldfish ever since I had them, but now am finding out that it's horrible. I've seen that I should give them bloodworms, but do I give them live ones, or storebought packaged? Same as frozen shrimp...do I drop it in there while its frozen, or must I thaw it first.
> 
> Sorry if I sound like an idiot, but this is all new to me and as you can see I barely know anything, Im trying to learn as quickly as I can. Any suggestions or comments will help. Thanks guys.


No worries partner, welcome to the site! People are more than happy to give advice on here... First off, how big is your tank that they're in right now? Thaw out anything frozen before you feed them. Here are the recommended foods to feed your fish:

white fish (tilapia's cheap and good for them)
mussels
squid
krill
shrimp
cichlid pellets
bloodworms
beefheart

avoid anthing that is:

oily (oily fish like salmon)
goldfish
processed food
etc..

Don't worry man, i fed my piranhas goldfish and rosey reds for the longest time, they're lacking in color b/c of it and i bet it stunted their growth a little bit, but now they're starting to show some good red and turning darker.


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## Paytheplayer (Dec 14, 2007)

dalyhawk said:


> Hey all, this is my first post. I just found this site and finally I have a place to ask my questions. Ive already done some research on the site and got some basic ideas. I've had 3 RBP for a little over a month now. They're all growing at different rates, one is about 3.5, the second is about 3 and the third is about 1. They live with 1 pleco, and 3 mystery snails. I have ONLY fed them live goldfish ever since I had them, but now am finding out that it's horrible. I've seen that I should give them bloodworms, but do I give them live ones, or storebought packaged? Same as frozen shrimp...do I drop it in there while its frozen, or must I thaw it first.
> 
> Sorry if I sound like an idiot, but this is all new to me and as you can see I barely know anything, Im trying to learn as quickly as I can. Any suggestions or comments will help. Thanks guys.


No worries partner, welcome to the site! People are more than happy to give advice on here... First off, how big is your tank that they're in right now? Thaw out anything frozen before you feed them. Here are the recommended foods to feed your fish:

white fish (tilapia's cheap and good for them)
mussels
squid
krill
shrimp
cichlid pellets
bloodworms
beefheart

avoid anthing that is:

oily (oily fish like salmon)
goldfish
processed food
etc..

Don't worry man, i fed my piranhas goldfish and rosey reds for the longest time, they're lacking in color b/c of it and i bet it stunted their growth a little bit, but now they're starting to show some good red and turning darker.
[/quote]

My tank right now is 55 Gallon. Its funny because Im so pissed at myself that I never found this site before. I looked at everybodies pics and it puts the looks of my tank to shame. To start I got red gravel, which turned out to be pink once underwater. I like everyone's natural look, and mine looks so fake. But yeah, my only fear with feeding them frozen foods and flakes and such, is that they'll lose aggression. Is that possible? And where would I find these foods? Like which ones do they sell at my Pet store, or which ones are found at grocery stores? Thanks


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## dalyhawk (Apr 30, 2007)

> My tank right now is 55 Gallon. Its funny because Im so pissed at myself that I never found this site before. I looked at everybodies pics and it puts the looks of my tank to shame. To start I got red gravel, which turned out to be pink once underwater. I like everyone's natural look, and mine looks so fake. But yeah, my only fear with feeding them frozen foods and flakes and such, is that they'll lose aggression. Is that possible? And where would I find these foods? Like which ones do they sell at my Pet store, or which ones are found at grocery stores? Thanks


Keep it up with the questions... you'll learn a lot.

You could probably get away with 3 RBPs in a 55 gallon but around 20 gallons per fish is what most people agree on for pygos. Right now, you're at around 18 gal. per fish. Which is why i say you could prolly get away with it, just keep 'em well fed.









as far as tank setups go, its all about preference. If time and 50 bucks isnt a big deal, then switch the gravel to another color (i have white), throw some plants that would do okay with your light setup, get a few pieces of driftwood, and you're set. Your pet store will have all of this.



> white fish (tilapia's cheap and good for them)
> mussels
> squid
> krill
> ...


tilapia - grocery store
mussels - a "better quality" grocery store (2 of the dillons in lawrence dont have them but the hyvee does... dunno why)
squid - never fed my P's squid... so i dunno, i just know people who live closer to the coast have better access to it
krill - same thing... never fed it - pretty sure you can order both squid and krill online
shrimp - grocery store... cheaper frozen than fresh from the counter
cichlid pellets - usually called cichlid gold - pet store
boodworms - outdoor stores - geared towards fishing and hunting is where i've found them
beefheart - grocery store, behind the butcher counter... my grocery stores don't carry it on a normal basis, but if i want it, they'll order it for me. I've heard only to give your Ps beefheart a couple times a month or so


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## Paytheplayer (Dec 14, 2007)

Keep it up with the questions... you'll learn a lot.

You could probably get away with 3 RBPs in a 55 gallon but around 20 gallons per fish is what most people agree on for pygos. Right now, you're at around 18 gal. per fish. Which is why i say you could prolly get away with it, just keep 'em well fed.









as far as tank setups go, its all about preference. If time and 50 bucks isnt a big deal, then switch the gravel to another color (i have white), throw some plants that would do okay with your light setup, get a few pieces of driftwood, and you're set. Your pet store will have all of this.

tilapia - grocery store
mussels - a "better quality" grocery store (2 of the dillons in lawrence dont have them but the hyvee does... dunno why)
squid - never fed my P's squid... so i dunno, i just know people who live closer to the coast have better access to it
krill - same thing... never fed it - pretty sure you can order both squid and krill online
shrimp - grocery store... cheaper frozen than fresh from the counter
cichlid pellets - usually called cichlid gold - pet store
boodworms - outdoor stores - geared towards fishing and hunting is where i've found them
beefheart - grocery store, behind the butcher counter... my grocery stores don't carry it on a normal basis, but if i want it, they'll order it for me. I've heard only to give your Ps beefheart a couple times a month or so
[/quote]
Thanks so much man honestly its been normal for a month, now all of a sudden, I did research because my smallest one seems to be the same size he was when I got him, and the other 2 grew about 2-3 inches in that month. So I did research and realized I didnt know anything. Im already about to buy a whole bunch of new things, and slowly cut back on their goldfish diet. Since I was doing about 3 small ones a day, ill probably go down to 2 a day for a few days, then 1 while mixing in the other foods mentioned, until I finally get to about 1 goldfish a month. Will once in a while live feedings decrease their aggression? I saw somewhere about water temp to about 82 also.


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## dalyhawk (Apr 30, 2007)

> Thanks so much man honestly its been normal for a month, now all of a sudden, I did research because my smallest one seems to be the same size he was when I got him, and the other 2 grew about 2-3 inches in that month. So I did research and realized I didnt know anything. Im already about to buy a whole bunch of new things, and slowly cut back on their goldfish diet. Since I was doing about 3 small ones a day, ill probably go down to 2 a day for a few days, then 1 while mixing in the other foods mentioned, until I finally get to about 1 goldfish a month. Will once in a while live feedings decrease their aggression? I saw somewhere about water temp to about 82 also.


Haha, no worries... i'd much rather be talking about piranhas then read for my final tomorrow that i can get a 52% on to keep a C in the class. Not too worried....

I would just say to hell with the goldfish immediately. I would starve my fish for a little longer than you usually feed them, and monitor the aggression towards the other piranhas.. So if you feed them 1-2 times a day, feed them once, but wait a little longer than you normally do. dont want to have a dead P. if they're hungry, they'll eat what you put in there pretty fast.

Here's a good reference that p-fury has on the site for general info...
http://www.piranha-fury.com/information/pr...?cat=p&id=2

I usually keep my tank around 80 degrees.. sometimes fluctuate it, to around 77- 78 degrees. the lower the temp (dont go below 75) the less aggressive your Ps are towards the other Ps, which prevents tail nips and outright killing aggression


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## Paytheplayer (Dec 14, 2007)

Thanks again, that link was very informative. The smallest of the 3, I dont think has grown since I got them, and maybe its due to the fact that it was s strictly goldfish diet. I was thinking, maybe its just a female or something and they grow a lot slower. The biggest one is now 3.5 to 4 inches, and the medium one is about 2.5 to 3. The smallest one seems to isolate himself a lot and stay away from the other 2, which is making me a bit nervous for when Im not around. So I try to keep them well fed to avoid him suddenly disappearing.


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## dalyhawk (Apr 30, 2007)

Paytheplayer said:


> Thanks again, that link was very informative. The smallest of the 3, I dont think has grown since I got them, and maybe its due to the fact that it was s strictly goldfish diet. I was thinking, maybe its just a female or something and they grow a lot slower. The biggest one is now 3.5 to 4 inches, and the medium one is about 2.5 to 3. The smallest one seems to isolate himself a lot and stay away from the other 2, which is making me a bit nervous for when Im not around. So I try to keep them well fed to avoid him suddenly disappearing.


I would definitely keep them well fed, or they'll figure out that the little guy is in fact the weak link, and chomp him up.. when they get a little older, they'll start to establish territories in the tank, and if that little guy is still considerably smaller than the other 2, then one morning you might find a dead little guy since the other 2 found out he's the runt of the group.


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## compton4x4 (Aug 5, 2007)

The goldfish have a lot of hormones in them, that stunt fish growth in P's. Plus goldfish are overcrowded in their tank's at LFS's and they carry bacteria and you dont want to bring that to your tank, which could be why some are smaller than the others. So like they said, get frozen food from the store. Don't worry about them losing their aggression, cuz that wont happen. Some fish are more interested in hunting live fish, and some are more interested in scavenging. P's aren't sharks, they are predators, but they are very skittish fish, and they all have a different personality. When I feed my Red's it's always the same one that attacks first.

If one, or all of them are hiding all the time, perhaps they dont feel like their tank is safe, try adding more hiding places, like some plants(swords add lots of overhead cover for them to hide under, or fake roots or rocks with tunnels and stuff. Another reason why they would be hiding a lot, could be that they arent active due to un-safe water perameters.

And about your Red/Pink substrate. It all is preference, however. The darker the substrate, the darker the colors will be on your P's not just because the tank will be darker, but they will actually develop darker colors. I would stay away from sand though. It's a little higher maintnence then gravel, and doesnt allow for as much space for bacteria to develop.

That's all learned from my own experience, some people may object to the substrate giving darker color, but I've had first hand experience with that, because I had to isolate one of my fish due to a fungus, and he was in a darker substrate tank, and when I put him back into my whitesand tank, he was much darker then the rest. Then after a week, he was back to the light color of the rest. Plus take my advice on staying away from sand. I thought it was nice, but it get's old after a while, harder to keep it clean.


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## compton4x4 (Aug 5, 2007)

I wouldnt worry about the small one getting picked on neccisarily. I had a "runt" that was actually the most aggressive, just depends on the fish. Keep their appitite up by keeping the temperature right. They are most hungry at 82 degrees, dont go over that, or they wont eat. Keep the temp right, and feed them the right food. If you put it in and they dont eat, take it out, and try later. If they start to eat, let them eat as much for about 5 minutes and then take it out.


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