# Overstocking RBs



## CHI (Apr 29, 2003)

i have a 55 g and was wondering wuts the most rbs neone has had in a 50-70g for life.. and how it turned out... also if possible how often they feed them


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## CHI (Apr 29, 2003)

also ...... if it was a bare tank or if it was decorated.... thanx


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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)

i hear people say 3 reds is maximum amount. but ive seen up to 10 five inch reds in a 60 gallon.


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## mechanic (Jan 11, 2003)

I've had 5 reds in a 55 for almost 2 years.
Never had any problems other than occasional fin nips.








I feed once a day every day.
Later
Eric


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## CHI (Apr 29, 2003)

how long did the 10 rbs stay in that tank?... i'm thinking about getting 10 or 12 right now... and i know its risky and unconventional but i've heard if ur gona overcrowd rbs u should really overcrowd them... this way the aggression is actually suppose to be lower.... does ne1 have personal experience with overcrowding rbs to this degree?.. if u do tell me plz.... i wana know how long this could last... if not for life.... and keep in mind i don't care if they don't grow to full size..... i just don't want deaths


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## DiXoN (Jan 31, 2003)

i would not overstock that size tank its too small.
overstocking is for tanks over 100g although i have 5 pygos in a 85g but not for long.
4 for a 55g max but when they get big you would have to lose one
dixon


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## micus (Jan 7, 2004)

i agree with dixon that tank is to small to be magorly overstocked. for 10-12 then i think a 90 would do for a year or two but then ud definetly need to upgrade to a 150 atleast. if u dont want deaths then dont do it i figure u can put 4-5 in there tops for 6- moths to a year depending on how big they are when u get them.


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## CHI (Apr 29, 2003)

ok how about this..... no more non supportive responses.. because i've heard all this crap before..... but also heard of ppl that have don't this .. not to mention been a witness to one..... my friend had a 55 tall and had 14 rbs in there for a year... no deaths no tail nipping... and they actually shoaled soo plz... only responses that are supportive plz.. ur killing my plans


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## Outie (Feb 19, 2003)

Your plans are fine in a sense, if you stock that 55 with a lot of p's just make sure they are small. What will definately happen in the future with 10-12 p's in a 55 gallon is simple eventually they will run out of room and start to take each other out, may get some body shots and perhaps even a couple of them will lose a eye. If you go upto the tank they may all freak out causing them to run into each other etc... it's just the width of the tank that sucks on a 55 gallon you will notice this more if you would start with like 3 x 11" piranhas then you can get an idea of why 10+ wouldn't work in such a tank. So i would say go for it, just buy your guys small...


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## ViBE (Jul 22, 2003)

CHI said:


> how long did the 10 rbs stay in that tank?... i'm thinking about getting 10 or 12 right now... and i know its risky and unconventional but i've heard if ur gona overcrowd rbs u should really overcrowd them... this way the aggression is actually suppose to be lower.... does ne1 have personal experience with overcrowding rbs to this degree?.. if u do tell me plz.... i wana know how long this could last... if not for life.... and keep in mind i don't care if they don't grow to full size..... i just don't want deaths


 take it from me friend. 10-12 rbps in a 55 is not enough. Im putting 10-12 in a 180 and IM scared that something might happen. And trust me, im one of the guys who like to over stock and not completely go with the 20 gal per fish rule. GOod luck with your decision.


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## ViBE (Jul 22, 2003)

CHI said:


> ok how about this..... no more non supportive responses.. because i've heard all this crap before..... but also heard of ppl that have don't this .. not to mention been a witness to one..... my friend had a 55 tall and had 14 rbs in there for a year... no deaths no tail nipping... and they actually shoaled soo plz... only responses that are supportive plz.. ur killing my plans


 I like the way you think.







Some people around here can get really prissy about the conditions of a piranha.


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## CHI (Apr 29, 2003)

what i'm hoping as a result of this super overcrowding is that the aggression level will actually go down because i've heard of this happening with many other animals.... also i'm sure that their growth will be stunted which will help them fit in their better.... i mean if they all stay 4-5 " their whole life... their wont' be a problem with room since the normal rule for stocking fish is 1 inch per gal

Piranhas just aren't fun unless u have ALOT!


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## MrRob (Oct 20, 2003)

CHI said:


> what i'm hoping as a result of this super overcrowding is that the aggression level will actually go down because i've heard of this happening with many other animals.... also i'm sure that their growth will be stunted which will help them fit in their better.... i mean if they all stay 4-5 " their whole life... their wont' be a problem with room since the normal rule for stocking fish is 1 inch per gal
> 
> Piranhas just aren't fun unless u have ALOT!


 whats the point of having piranhas if they're crowded & NON aggressive???????

I remeber seeing that post from they guy how had 10 in his 55. Didnt 2 of em get eaten all of the sudden?

anyways, I used to not understand everyone here aboput piranhas needing room. But as my 3 got bigger & were still in my 20 gal, I could see them get less active & knew they needed a 50gal!


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## camotekid (Sep 21, 2003)

you can go on with it and try, but having them stunted is like depriving them their right to grow in their natural form. And A LOT of piranhas means lotsa money and hardwork on your tank if you really want fun. Just like xenon says, "its a money sucking hobby."


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## soulfly (Aug 7, 2003)

CHI said:


> also i'm sure that their growth will be stunted which will help them fit in their better.... i mean if they all stay 4-5 " their whole life... their wont' be a problem with room since the normal rule for stocking fish is 1 inch per gal
> 
> Piranhas just aren't fun unless u have ALOT!


 They will not stop growing at 4-5". The fact that you want to stunt their growth in the first place is stupid.


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## amoor33 (Jan 21, 2004)

CHI said:


> ok how about this..... no more non supportive responses.. because i've heard all this crap before..... but also heard of ppl that have don't this .. not to mention been a witness to one..... my friend had a 55 tall and had 14 rbs in there for a year... no deaths no tail nipping... and they actually shoaled soo plz... only responses that are supportive plz.. ur killing my plans


 How can you originally ask for info especially how many and "how did they do in the tank" then want to hear what YOU want to hear...Just saying that sometimes what we want to do is not what we want to hear...so if your friend did it, why do you ask?







I think its good to hear the success stories as well as the not so successful cases so that you can decide...but sounds like you already made your mind up and are scared of hearing the worst cases?

Anyways, goodluck.


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## CHI (Apr 29, 2003)

first of all having a super overcrowded tank is suppose to lesson the aggression between the ps but does the opposite for food... they become more aggressive eaters because there is soo much more competition for food.

the only reason i hope it stunts their growth is because then they would have more space...

and as for me not wanting to hear the bad cases.. this is not true because all of u ppl who are telling me not to do it hasn't even tried it themselves and only know not to do it from listening to ppl in the forumn.... i'm not saying ppl in these forumns are not knowledgable i'm just looking for ppl who have tried this before. cause i know what i'm doing is dangerous and unconventional but that is y i'm looking for info


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

as long as the fish have room to swim you can overstock them. but you will need to do many waterchanges to keep nitrates down.

I have 9 pygo's in my 125, id say thats comfortable, but I feel I could get away with 14 if I did a water change every 2 days.


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## MrRob (Oct 20, 2003)

CHI said:


> first of all having a super overcrowded tank is suppose to lesson the aggression between the ps but does the opposite for food... they become more aggressive eaters because there is soo much more competition for food.
> 
> the only reason i hope it stunts their growth is because then they would have more space...
> 
> and as for me not wanting to hear the bad cases.. this is not true because all of u ppl who are telling me not to do it hasn't even tried it themselves and only know not to do it from listening to ppl in the forumn.... i'm not saying ppl in these forumns are not knowledgable i'm just looking for ppl who have tried this before. cause i know what i'm doing is dangerous and unconventional but that is y i'm looking for info


 so with your thoery, no one should listen to anyone else cause they havent tried it themselves? Sorry dude but I would rather take someones advice than be left with piranhas not growing to thier potential or even worse some dead piranhas.

& who told you overcrowding LESSONED aggression??? I tend to believe Pfury guys. In my short time here, I can really see there are lots of guys here who know thier stuff.....


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## CHI (Apr 29, 2003)

all i'm saying is that i'm willing to take the risk and i just want to know personnel experiences from ppl who have actually tried it..... AND yes i already know they won't grow to their max size and that i actually prefer that


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## DanJ (Dec 23, 2003)

look man, if you wanna put that many fish in your tank, your gonna be doing water changes as much as you take a sh*t. your getting all negative responses because 10 - 12 p's is way too many for 55 gal. go 8 max and your tank will still be killer...then you wont have to watch your tank conditions like a baby


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## CHI (Apr 29, 2003)

that will just encourage stunt growth which for me is good... yay.. i've noticed ps are very hardy.. also arowanas....i mean..... i have two filters so i'm normally that would be a good setup.


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## jovons (Jul 28, 2003)

hey, bro... i have 10 p's in my 60g tank... 3 (7-8") caribas, 6 (4-6.5") reds, and a 4" piraya... every one here who gave advices, they are true. i have this set up for about two months now, close to three. two 5" reds and one 5" tern (from b. scott) got eaten. WOW!!! huh?... that right there is about $150.

it's been stinky for the first month cuz i only did water changes once a week. and, i did twice a week with lots of filtration and still stinky. now, i'm doing three times a week and it's ok. i have 2 pinguine 330's with full of small ceramic rings in the media baskets and xp3 with 18 watt uv light hook up. and i'm planning of buying 2 emperor 400's to replace the penguine 330's cuz i think it's not enough still.

i have 2 rio 1100 and ac 802 pointing in one direction. 2 ac 302 and xp3 input in opposite. so each p is just swimming in place against the current, in doing this i manage stop them from eating each other, even though, i am still worried about my reds that it won't last cuz they're my caribas favorate fighting buddies. my piraya, however, has manage to stay away from caribas. he's in perfect condition, no fin nip or anything. i'm kinda amaze, but that's why they call it KING PIRANHA.

this set up is not forever, bro. it's just temps cuz i'm saving to get a bigger tank. planning of getting 135g (the smallest) to 240g. i'm hoping in a month or two. i'm also in the process of reducing my shoal... i'm thinking of 2-3 reds will be out for sale...

my advice for you, bro. DON'T DO IT. it's costly... but if you already made up your mind, no one really can stop you. GOOD LUCK!!! maybe you'll be succesful than i am.

oh! i spent more money on food cuz i feed them everyday to keep them also from eating each other...


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## CHI (Apr 29, 2003)

see the thing is i'm starting with 2 " babies and also that they are all rbs ... which makes them alot more susceptable to be overcrowded..... the fact that they will grow up togehter should help i'm also thinking about keeping a few exodons a dither


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## CHI (Apr 29, 2003)

did u have decor in ur tank?


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## jovons (Jul 28, 2003)

my tank is barely nothing... just gravel if you call it decor.

becareful though cuz if you put exodons with 2" rbp's as a dither, they might end up killing each other. exodons, as you already know, are mean little tetra. maybe put a different dither like giant danios or something... don't get a pacu cuz they will blend in and end eat all the food.

ten 2" rbp's in a 55g or 60g, i think, will be fine, but not forever. so it's pretty risky and expensive...

if you really want to do it, go for it... just always keep a close watch. good luck...


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## rb3 (Dec 31, 2003)

i have 6 rbp, got them about 2 mo ago. they where about 1 1/2-2in. now they are 3in. +. im sure eventually i will come home and there will be less. but for now there doing great and growing fast. oh yea, there in a 55gal.


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

DiXoN said:


> i would not overstock that size tank its too small.
> overstocking is for tanks over 100g


Im with Dixon.. Most overstocked tanks would start off with 80 gal or larger. Bigger tanks tend to be wider which would be suitable for overstocking Ps to a certain degree. Some might get away with overstocking 55 gals with no fights or even fin nippings. But stress would def play a factor with your Ps, as well as stunting growth. Also, water conditions with high ammonia and filteration concerns would def be the biggest problem having too many Ps in such a small space.



CHI said:


> my friend had a 55 tall and had 14 rbs in there for a year... no deaths no tail nipping... and they actually shoaled soo plz.


 I have a def feeling that those Ps of hers are more than stressed. First of all, a 55 TALL wouldn't be sufficient for 14 RBs. Ps require the swimming space for better living, not height. Plus a tall tank would usually have less oxygenated water in the bottom, which can lead to other problems undetected with Ps.


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## traumatic (Jan 29, 2003)

I've had a 125 w/ 14 pygos ranging from 4" cariba to 9" reds. The sight of the shoal is awesome though there isn't much room. I've moved all of them to my 190, now they are growing even faster. An old member here had 41 reds he grew out in a 240 and had to sell them cus they were all getting too big. Yours will all get bigger, and it's not a pretty sight to have wall to wall fish w/ stunted growth and shitty water conditions in a small ass tank like a 55. If you want to keep fish, try to give them the best that you can w/ out overstepping your boundaries.


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## akio525 (Sep 4, 2003)

If you do put that many in youll face anumber of different problems. First you wont have to really worry about stunted growth because as they grow bigger theyll probably kill each other off. Also with overstocked tanks you might run into a problem with not enough oxygen in the water. Last of all youre going to have to spend a lot of money on filtration since your tank is going to get dirty very quick and will require water changes very often. Ive kept 4 reds in a 65 gal until they were about 6" each and it was starting to get a little crowded so i had to get rid of them.


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Keep it safe...up to 3 in there (70g tank) "for life"...sure you don´t want 5 12" killers in a 55g (or 70g) and still growing







...!


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Mr. Hannibal said:


> Keep it safe...up to 3 in there (70g tank) "for life"...sure you don´t want 5 12" killers in a 55g (or 70g) and still growing
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I concurr....Any more than that you will be subjecting them to unwanted stress when they get bigger. And RB's get big fast.


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## Koops2121 (Nov 24, 2003)

I had 4 in a 40Gal until they were about 3.5". They fought all the time, now I have them in an 80Gal and they stick together and the only time they fight is when it's time to rally the troups and go kill some feeders.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

I believe what you are confronting is that fact that for the most part, people on this forum strive to keep their fish alive and give them the best possible living conditions. If that is a 20 gallon, they bet a small serra that can live in the space provided until they can get a larger tank. Most of the long time members on here have learned a thing or 2 about these fish by reading others experiences and having a few misshaps along the way and they are just trying to save you the problems you will experience.


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## DiXoN (Jan 31, 2003)

i actually dont mind people overstocking tanks but there is limits and i am not going of other peoples experiences here i was once not that clued up on piranha and have lost a few mostly when young i tell it like it is.
second thing is you want to stock a 55 with that many fish as you said growth may be stunted the fish will be stressed and the tank imo will look like crap 12 reds not moving all stuck in the same spot hour after hour day after day i think you get my point.
your going to do it anyway what the hell i just dont really care anymore its the second post like this this week why bother asking advise when your going to do what you want are you trying to piss people off
f*ck it i'm done
dixon


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## PsychoLes (Jan 8, 2004)

> i have a 55 g and was wondering wuts the most rbs neone has had in a 50-70g for life.. and how it turned out... also if possible how often they feed them










Go for it Brother! Report back the results. I too have a 55 gallon tank with 2 3" RBPs i've been wanting to buy 3 more! Send pix when you're set up also Mail me your results when its up and running. GOOD LUCK!









PsychoLes


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## Davoo (Jan 30, 2004)

Hey guys. I posted my question someplace else but this seems busy. My question is... can I keep 3 rbps in my 55 for life? I can settle for 1 or 2. I couldn't care less about how they attack I just like the way the bigger rbp's look.I know a 55 is narrow but is it too narrow for just 1-3 rbp's?


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

ive got 5 reds in my 55. they started out about an inch. now they're between 2 and 3 inches. just the very occasional fin-nip.

id say you should go for it man. get 5 max maybe tho. i mean, theres still a lot of space for them...but they're small now. but 5 RBPs can really f*ck up some stuff man. its pretty entertainign.

as they get bigger im gonna sell one off at a time. maybe even all at once.


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## xtreme_s10 (Mar 14, 2005)

I have 4 in my 55G and they are fine, 1 caribe and 3 reds all about 6-7", I think 4 is the max, it gives them just enough room for their territories. Water conditions stay at good levels, water doesn't stink and they are all strong and dont seem to be stressed at all. I can see though that in a few years they will need a bigger tank and Im planning to get a 220g for them when I get my new place.

10+ reds whould be ok for the first 6-10 months but i think once each of those reach the 4-6 inch mark you are going to start having some problems.

If you want to do it , go for it! Keep us posted.


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## SmokeHaze (May 2, 2005)

if you didnt want negative posts then dont ask for advice


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## SmokeHaze (May 2, 2005)

instead you shouldve asked for anyone who has had a positive experience with overcrowding


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

CHI said:


> that will just encourage stunt growth which for me is good... yay.. i've noticed ps are very hardy.. also arowanas....i mean..... i have two filters so i'm normally that would be a good setup.
> [snapback]332338[/snapback]​


A comment like that tells me you're not a true aquarist. I had 3 cariba in a 55 and once they hit 7" they would just sit one in each corner and one in the middle. Stunting their growth is painful to the fish. The bone structure still grows causing deformities. You need to re-think what you're doing. We're not bashing you, we're just sharing our years of experience with you.


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