# Do Piranhas like Water Current



## sell682

I was wondering, Are Piranhas use to swimming in a constant strong current? Also is there such thing as too much current since there is no such thing as over filtration. Input is greatly appreciated.


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## 2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY

the more filteration the bette..but you dont want to over kill it tho.

In the wild there is a lot of current...piranha love current for them to swim, active, eat more and more oxygen for them. In the raining season, bad water go away and new water come...piranha love clean water, that why it importand to do water change.


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## mlwoods007

sell682 said:


> I was wondering, Are Piranhas use to swimming in a constant strong current? Also is there such thing as too much current since there is no such thing as over filtration. Input is greatly appreciated.


good question cuz i was wondering the same thing. I've heard yes and no.


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## sell682

So does that mean I should always leave my powerhead on? If Piranhas are use to constant current why do people turn their powerheads off at night?


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## 2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY

sell682 said:


> So does that mean I should always leave my powerhead on? If Piranhas are use to constant current why do people turn their powerheads off at night?


i dont know about other...but i kept mine on 24/7....my light i keep on at night time only and i turn it off during the day. If you got good filteration..you really dont need powerhead. powerhead it just more oxygen and more current.


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## moron

In the wild most of the piranhas in the serraselmus genus swim and I suppose "like" current. this is due to the fact that they are adapted to swim in current in there natural envirnment


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## SangreRoja

I always leave mine on its exersice for them but mine loves the bubbles.


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## bob351

no power heads for me i just got insane filtration







powerfull jets to almost like a f*cking jacuzzi for my rhom but he loves it and attacked the output i will try to get some pics of them with teeth scratches in them :laugh:


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## assclown

dont overdue filtration, why?
the more you filter, the better, just as long as your bio filtration is in line........

i have 4 powerheads running, 2 are 800gph and the others are 660's plus i have
and ocean clear with a 1000gph pump, plus XP1 and 2, you can never have too
much filtration.

currant will keep your guys health and strong, i keep mine on 24/7 as well,
plus more currant will stir up polutants in the water to be caught in the filters.
and help reduce algea from attatching on your tank and decore. (some algea
i should point out)


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## RAZOR_TOOTH

I agree with Assclown.

I think the more filtration you have the better off the tank will be. 
I my 125 I have a Massive wet/dry with a large mag drive pump, 2 ac110s, 1 emp 400, xp3, 2 large power heads and an 18x uv..

As for current flow, my Ps seem to love it. Once and while Ill catch a few of them actually swimming right in front of the returns.. But I think you should leave at least one calm area with very little current so they can rest.

R.T.


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## badman

i keep hearing about pumps and other suck items why are they so good? i have 2 maxijet 1200s and an Xp3 in my tank is that not good enough to keep my 11" rhom happy???


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## Coldfire

The question about filtration has been answered already.

About flow: Piranhas like current; however, you need to make sure there are dead spots for them to rest. If the entire tank is packed with current it can actually cause stress on the fish. Make sure there are dead spots, or "breakers" (e.g. driftwood, rocks, etc..) to create lower flow areas.

Also, try to mimic their natural current. Meaning, make sure the flow is lanier in lieu of random current coming from all directions.

Badman,
What do you mean by: "pumps and other suck items"


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## Rough996

Agree with Assclown. I have 1 xp4, 2 emp 400's and 2 large powerheads, with one on each side of a 6' long 125g. The powerheads are setup to create circular current around the walls of the tank with dead spots near the center. You can see the P's go in and out of the current and once in it, they stay for a bit and seem to want the exercise from it.


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## sell682

I do not quite understand "Coldfire's" explanation to mimicking their natural current. Does that mean the powerhead nozzle should be pointed to the opposite side of the tank?


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## Coldfire

Yes, you are correct. Place the PH on one side of the tank, and have it pushing water to the opposite side. You do not want to have PH's on both sides of the tank converging in the center.


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## sell682

Do you think if the nozzel was tilted down or up it would add any more current to the tank or should it be pointing straight?


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## Coldfire

Either way would work. If you have it pointed up, you will get more surface aggregation

FYI, I have mine about mid-tank so the current flow through the center of the tank.


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## weerhom

I agree. In the wild a fish will go out in current-y waters for a while. Then it will find a nice calm place to sit next to a broken down tree in the water etc. Most of the rhoms I caught were in very calm waters. I like surface aggravation in my fish tanks though. No matter what you try to do, it going to be hard to duplicate their natural environment because the amazon river system is the most complex system in the entire world. How about this. In the wild the fish will move to shallower waters in the dusk to early morning. At mid noon he dives to a depths of about 5-6 feet. How you gonna duplicate this now? What kind of currents are in 2 ft depth compared to 5-6 foot depths? My point is here there is no correct way to put the powerheads. Any way you put them the fish will get used to it. He will have to. He is stuck in a puddle of water for your enjoyment.


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## badman

"stuck in a puddle of water for your enjoyment"







its kinda sad but its SO TRUE


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## fliptasciouz

2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY said:


> So does that mean I should always leave my powerhead on? If Piranhas are use to constant current why do people turn their powerheads off at night?


i dont know about other...but i kept mine on 24/7....my light i keep on at night time only and i turn it off during the day. If you got good filteration..you really dont need powerhead. powerhead it just more oxygen and more current.








[/quote]

I think its best to turn the lights off at night so their colours fade (which is a sign of hibernation) piranhas need to rest especially the rough day they've been through for example chasing owners finger and freaking out while a massive hand scrubing the wall of their tank etc.


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## assclown

here is a real crude "drawing" of how i have mine set up, there are some dead 
spots in the tank due to wood and rocks, but they love the currant

the top PH's are aimed to the center top and the bottom PH's are aimed to the center
bottom as well, the returns just add more aggitation for the top


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## sell682

Thanks for the picture visualization it was greatly appreciated. Attached is my setup.

*P.S.* Assclown do me a favor and do not try to inspire to be a famous Artist, I can tell you it wont work..HaHaHa..Jking.


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## assclown

sell682 said:


> Thanks for the picture visualization it was greatly appreciated. Attached is my setup.
> 
> *P.S.* Assclown do me a favor and do not try to inspire to be a famous Artist, I can tell you it wont work..HaHaHa..Jking.



















looks fine to me, i would use more of a gph at the bottom to stir up uneatten food and add
a smaller one at the top to aggitate the water, add a air pump to the top PH

otherwise looks good!


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