# rbp growth



## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

ok i have a three inch rbp and i want it to grow to his full length
i was told that if i put him in a twenty gallon tank instead of his ten gallon that he is in now he will grow to be about 9 inches is that true?


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Yeah, I'd definitely put him in the 20 as opposed to the 10... 10 gallons is just too small for a red.
Make sure you have good filtration and keep up on your water changes religiously... (None of this 10-15% every 2 weeks stuff...)
Feed him well and you'll be okay.
It isn't ideal, but it should do.


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

your are not going to be able to keep a red bellie in a 20 for life,

they can get upwards of 10 inches or more, and the foot print of a 20 is way to small


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## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

ok i'm kind of new at this

for one i only feed him shrimp is that enough, i plan to put some feeder fish in also but i just got him on saturday. and what do u mean that it isn't ideal conditions what can i do better.


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## captinmo187 (Oct 19, 2003)

u can get him a bigger tank, mabey a 30g long, or bigger if possiable, just make sure he has places to hide and mabey a nice powerhead , u can also dim ur lights by wraping it in electical tape like a candy cane you want to keep as much stress off of him as possiable.
and then keep on ur water changes weekly if possiable.

also for food, shrip is good but u might want to mix up his diet a bit, beefheart, catfish fillets, sometimes feeder fish, or even a live catfish, u can sometime train them to eat pellet food which is good for them also, but its a challange sometimes to getem to eat it. pretty much try and keep him on a white meat diet, and occationaly u can givem some beefheart.


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## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

thanx

ok what is beefheart and where can i get it


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

dblackmore89 said:


> thanx
> 
> ok what is beefheart and where can i get it
> [snapback]1039201[/snapback]​


your lfs should have some or your local market


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## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

your lfs should have some or your local market
[snapback]1039208[/snapback]​[/quote]

ok what if i don't live near a fish store


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## captinmo187 (Oct 19, 2003)

do u live near a butcher? they gave me 3 large ziplock freezer bags full of 1" cubes of beefheart for around $20-$30

i wouldn't really worry about beefheart until that little guy is bigger, for now try and go to a nobhill or safeway some sort of market that sells fish, shrimp, and all that good white meat stuff.


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## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

ok thanx

also what if i put another rbp of the same size in the tank, would that be alright???


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## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

dblackmore89 said:


> ok thanx
> 
> also what if i put another rbp of the same size in the tank, would that be alright???
> 
> ...


3 fish together would be better then 2, but defenitely need a larger tank.


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## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

thanx do you think that a 30 gallon would be good enough for 3 rbps? and how much would it cost?


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## Mack (Oct 31, 2004)

You will need at least a 75gallon for 3 red bellies.


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## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

ok but how much will a 75 gallon cost me new??????


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## red&black (Feb 25, 2005)

captinmo187 said:


> u can get him a bigger tank, mabey a 30g long, or bigger if possiable, just make sure he has places to hide and mabey a nice powerhead , u can also dim ur lights by wraping it in electical tape like a candy cane you want to keep as much stress off of him as possiable.
> and then keep on ur water changes weekly if possiable.
> 
> also for food, shrip is good but u might want to mix up his diet a bit, beefheart, catfish fillets, sometimes feeder fish, or even a live catfish, u can sometime train them to eat pellet food which is good for them also, but its a challange sometimes to getem to eat it. pretty much try and keep him on a white meat diet, and occationaly u can givem some beefheart.
> [snapback]1038334[/snapback]​


also if you do feed deeders i would advise you to quarinteen them for about a week before feeding them to ur red. also "gut loading" the feeders will increase their nutritional value much more than normal. buy gut loading them i mean to feed them many different nutritional foods that ur piranaha woln't ususally eat (flakes, pellets, blood worms).


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## red&black (Feb 25, 2005)

dblackmore89 said:


> ok but how much will a 75 gallon cost me new??????
> 
> 
> 
> ...


125. just for the tank (around here at least)


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## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

ok.... what would be the best kind of feeder fish to buy, and how many of them?


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## red&black (Feb 25, 2005)

dblackmore89 said:


> ok.... what would be the best kind of feeder fish to buy, and how many of them?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


at 3 inches id suggest rosy reds, it makes them work a little for their food as opposed to a big goldfish which is slow and easy to catch.


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## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

[/quote]
at 3 inches id suggest rosy reds, it makes them work a little for their food as opposed to a big goldfish which is slow and easy to catch.
[snapback]1045522[/snapback]​[/quote]

alright and how much do they cost and how many should i get also can i get them at the local pet shop??


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## Mack (Oct 31, 2004)

Feeder fish need to be quarantined in a seperate tank (a little 10-gallon or whatever works just fine for this) for at least 2 weeks before feeding. Feeder tanks are filthy and filled with disease, and you don't want to give these diseases to your piranha(s).

At my LFS, feeders are $1/dozen.

Goldfish/rosy reds make very poor feeders. They have a hormone in them that inhibits your piranhas' growth. If you want to feed goldfish/rosy reds, use them only as an occasional TREAT.

Hope this helps.


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## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

ok what fish would u suggust then?


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

dblackmore89 said:


> ok what fish would u suggust then?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


As feeder fish? Go with Tetra's, small Cichlids or Livebearers (guppies, mollies, swordtails) - it may be a bit more pricey than goldfish or other standard feeders, but it's much better for your Piranha's health.

Other good food items are fish fillet, smelt, shrimp, krill, mussels, earth worms, pellets and flakes - diversity is the key to health, so try to find at least 3 or 4 different types of food you can feed your fish.


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## dblackmore89 (May 22, 2005)

thanx alot


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