# growing out a manny



## primetime3wise (Sep 28, 2003)

i was wondering if you guys feel that pristine water conditions are needed in order to put size on a manny as quickly as possible?

on opefe, it says it prefers a ph of around 6, or even lower. now, would one need to replicate its natural water conditions more precisely than most piranhas? or would that be more of a concern only if one wanted to grow one out?

my concern is that my tap water in my tanks have a ph of around 7.6. these are some tough questions and there is not a ton of info out there about whether the species would be fine if the water was just remaining constant, like most p's, or how big of a concern it is to provide the fish with as pristine water as possible.

generally speaking, what's the best way to provide consistently acidic water, in may case? some driftwood and peat moss in the filters? would chemicals be necessary to adjust it to the degree i would want to? i don't have much experience with adjusting water, as all the p's i have had over the years seem to acclimate fine to my water.


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## Tensa (Jul 28, 2008)

driftwood will solve your ph questions and yes pristine water, decent flow and no stress is the only way to get a giant manny.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

I would more worry about nitrates nirites and ammonia then the ph. The best thing for filtration would be something like a sump. If you feed plenty any keep toxins pretty much at zero it should grow pretty good. Like im sure youve heard tons, a steady ph is better then a fluxuating one so its more stress full if you keep trying to lower it then it is to just let it be.

I would provide excelent filration as well as a decent amount of current and high quality food for max growth


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## Guest (Jan 12, 2009)

I've never owned a Manny and I don't know if they require more acidic conditions than other piranhas.
All of the other piranha I have kept or have seen others keep seem to adapt well to water in the pH 7 range.

In my experience, to maximize fish growth, you need clean water (lots of partial water changes) and a variety of high-quality food.

Other people have said that adding a powerhead will excercise the fish and give it better growth. I always thought this was nonsense until I watched a documentry on fish-farming on television and saw that they used a giant powerhead to create a current in the farm tanks so the fish would grow bigger and faster. I guess there's something to that theory.


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## primetime3wise (Sep 28, 2003)

all the piranhas i've kept over the years did do fine in my water with a ph around 7.6...i'm wondering if mannys are any different, since from the research i did they seem to be more sensitive to water conditions than most, if not all, other piranhas. that's just my question...if they are any different. i would suspect an adult one would do ok in my water.


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

sean-820 said:


> *I would more worry about nitrates nirites and ammonia* then the ph. The best thing for filtration would be something like a sump. If you feed plenty any keep toxins pretty much at zero it should grow pretty good. Like im sure youve heard tons, a steady ph is better then a fluxuating one so its more stress full if you keep trying to lower it then it is to just let it be.
> 
> I would provide excelent filration as well as a decent amount of current and high quality food for max growth


Precisely. Keep Everything LOW and do water changes as often as you can. If possible run a drip system in your tank to keep everything fresh. I have a manny man and I do at least two larger water changes a week and 2 smaller water changes ( just a few minutes with the python) since i cant do the drip system just yet. You will see great growth and colour. I have not put in a powerhead though. None of my ps have ever enjoyed a power head.


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

AS fan said:


> driftwood will solve your ph questions and yes pristine water, decent flow and no stress is the only way to get a giant manny.


driftwood will not do much if anything for ph, the best thing for lowering it is by treating your tap water with peat in another container. although i would not mess with it, stable is better than flactuating. you can also try R/O water mixed with tap 50/50, R/O is about 6.4 ph so it would lower your tap a bit. but make sure you dont only use R/O it has no minerals in it and no buffering capabilities, and do everything gradually if you decide to do anything.


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## lo4life (Aug 12, 2008)

Speaking of the manny Trigg hows that guy doin?? I have done alot of research myself on Mannys. They are one of the baddest P's. I WISH I could get one but with what my work schedule will go to I cant chance getting one and going thru a loss of a fish. Everyone on this thread so far as raised some pretty good points. Im so confused. lol One would think that they could adjust to the PH and thrive as long as its within reason.


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

Add some plants also to absorb the nitrates. My planted tank consistently shows 0 nitrates. I am a firm believer in live plants now! Keep up on the water changes or make your own drip systeei


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