# Piranha acting weird....



## routman21 (Jun 23, 2007)

Hey guys, i have 4 rbp's roughly 5 inches in a 55 gallon, and i noticed one of my piranhas acting weird. this is the second straight day but one of my piranhas has been at the top right of my tank facing the wall. he has been eating, but just wondering whats goin on with him/her? when i go to the tank and tap the tank he will move, but will return to the spot when not bothered. he has a purplish tint to him and im told thats a sign of them breeding. is this normal behavior?


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## dschoter05 (Oct 14, 2008)

routman21 said:


> Hey guys, i have 4 rbp's roughly 5 inches in a 55 gallon, and i noticed one of my piranhas acting weird. this is the second straight day but one of my piranhas has been at the top right of my tank facing the wall. he has been eating, but just wondering whats goin on with him/her? when i go to the tank and tap the tank he will move, but will return to the spot when not bothered. he has a purplish tint to him and im told thats a sign of them breeding. is this normal behavior?


Any chance you could take a video. Yes the purplish color is a sign of breeding but being in the top of the tank isnt.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

My experience when a P is doing that its a death sentence. it means he is not fitting into the group. soon the rest will take him out. 
I would take him out of the tank or upgrade to a larger tank with more space for them.


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

Yeah if you do not want to lose him to cannabilism, take him out or divide him from the group and treat him. He probably is sick or weak. I would dose some salt as treatment. I have had to do this a few times with a red I used to have. He will get eaten if you leave him go.


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## Ibanez247 (Nov 9, 2006)

I have two smaller pygos in my tank and both of them tend to stay at either side of the tank. I wouldnt jump to the conclusion its going to get eaten. It has color and is eating so sounds healthy unless its gasping for air at the top of the water. In that case yes remove him. Sounds like thats his spot in the tank. Four 5" pygos in a 55 is pushing it to your going to want to upgrade soon. I dont suggest tapping on the glass either. You can spook your fish and send them smashing into the galss or tank decor.


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## routman21 (Jun 23, 2007)

Nick G said:


> My experience when a P is doing that its a death sentence. it means he is not fitting into the group. soon the rest will take him out.
> I would take him out of the tank or upgrade to a larger tank with more space for them.


i would believe this assessment, but i have to say that he is my biggest P and before moving to that spot, was the king of the tank. you can visibly see his teeth more than any of my P's. i really dont think he is in any type of danger, just thought this was a sign of something that i should be aware of. ill keep u guys updated.

I know the tanks overcrowded, but i am a college student with no $$ to upgrade....

as for someone who says not to hit the tank, i rarely do....i do it just to make sure hes alive lol. but i must say when they are aggressive toward each other, a little tap on the tank settles them down real fast. i know my tank is probably more aggressive than the rest of yours but unfortunately these are the things i have to do to make sure they all stay alive.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Nick G said:


> My experience when a P is doing that its a death sentence. it means he is not fitting into the group. soon the rest will take him out.
> I would take him out of the tank or upgrade to a larger tank with more space for them.


That's what I think too


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## vincecarder (Feb 1, 2006)

Take him out of the tank. I've had rejected group members and really you have no choice unless you want to risk him dying. First put him in a solo tank, see if he still behaves the same way (might be sick). If he's fine you can try putting him back in the group, sell him, keep em solo. I had a Piraya that I took out because he was too aggressive with the group (would have killed them all) so sometimes you do need to move em out.


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

routman21 said:


> My experience when a P is doing that its a death sentence. it means he is not fitting into the group. soon the rest will take him out.
> I would take him out of the tank or upgrade to a larger tank with more space for them.


i would believe this assessment, but i have to say that he is my biggest P and before moving to that spot, was the king of the tank. you can visibly see his teeth more than any of my P's. i really dont think he is in any type of danger, just thought this was a sign of something that i should be aware of. ill keep u guys updated.

I know the tanks overcrowded, but i am a college student with no $$ to upgrade....

as for someone who says not to hit the tank, i rarely do....i do it just to make sure hes alive lol. but i must say when they are aggressive toward each other, a little tap on the tank settles them down real fast. i know my tank is probably more aggressive than the rest of yours but unfortunately these are the things i have to do to make sure they all stay alive.
[/quote]
well, its ur tank so im not going to tell u what to do. i was once in college too. 
As long as ur keeping on top of water conditions then you should be fine. 
Just one word of advice... its not always the biggest P that is spared agression. I have seen the biggest often get messed with first because the others get tired of being pushed around push back. the alpha of the tank is still nothing if the others decide he is food. I still would get rid of him if I were you. but thats just my opinion.
Good luck, keep us posted.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Wise words frome some good members and I 100% agree that you may as well take it out. If not for the above mentioned do it just to give the others more room, 3 p's in your tank would be better for them.


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## routman21 (Jun 23, 2007)

Thanks for the info guys, I thought I knew pretty much everything about my P's but apparently not!

But as of now, the tank isn't very aggressive, but I am thinking about taking one out and trying to sell him off anyways due to space. I really dont want to sell the P thats acting funny because he is my biggest, and best looking (this guys teeth are awesome and are way more visible than the rest) but we will see. Again, thanks for all the insightful information.


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## RedneckR0nin (Nov 5, 2008)

Since every one stated what I would have may I suggest maybe some therapy for your bud, sounds like mother issues to me as I'm sure we all have, maybe a script for Xannex and a little "alone" time just the two of you might calm thing down. Might have some relationship issues with you cause you forgot his birthday ya f*cking jerk!!!!!!!!!


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

^^^ I don't get that last one, but I'd take the other's advice and take him out. Ideally, you would upgrade your tank size, but I had 3 in a 125 gallon and suffered the same result in time = cannibalism. It sounds like the one up top wants out. lol... he knows they're coming for him and that's what he gets for being the bully early on.

There are some great deals on Craigslist for tanks occassionally. I'd keep my eyes on it to see if something pops up... I've even seen some decent free tanks for people that are moving and can't take it with them. (by-the-way, if anyone is in the DC area, I'm shopping for a 220-250 gallon tank for my rhom - hit me up if you have one and looking to deal).

Good luck!


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## RedneckR0nin (Nov 5, 2008)

Just being a smartass rough everything I could possibly suggest was beaten to punch but when reds do that your in trouble cause seperation for any prolonged time is dangerous and potetially leathal IME.


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

RedneckR0nin said:


> Just being a smartass rough everything I could possibly suggest was beaten to punch but when reds do that your in trouble cause seperation for any prolonged time is dangerous and potetially leathal IME.


I got it Ronin (the name of one of my favorite movies)... sorry, I'm slow some days. I can see your humor now. lol.

Routman, let us know when he's been taken out (by you or the shoal).


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## lderrau2 (Dec 12, 2007)

While I realize what it's like to be a broke student (I'm am one of the brokest lol) I think the only thing thats gonna solve you prob is a bigger tank. bottom line, in my opinion, a 55 gallon is simply not big enough for adult piranhas. If it is a space issue, it's only gonna get worse in time. Even if it is something other than tank size this time, there's only so long you can prolong this. Good luck, I hope you figure things out!!


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## ruger345 (Jul 8, 2006)

routman21 said:


> Thanks for the info guys, I thought I knew pretty much everything about my P's but apparently not!
> 
> But as of now, the tank isn't very aggressive, but I am thinking about taking one out and trying to sell him off anyways due to space. I really dont want to sell the P thats acting funny because he is my biggest, and best looking (this guys teeth are awesome and are way more visible than the rest) but we will see. Again, thanks for all the insightful information.


i would change the decor around and see what happens then. If he's gasping then you know treatment is needed. Gasping, maybe not enough oxygen in the water. Good luck!


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