Piranhas Forum banner
1 - 11 of 11 Posts

· Registered
Joined
·
7 Posts
Discussion Starter · #1 ·
hello to everyone!I have two reds (nearly 3inchs each one)in a 33 gallon tank about 4 months now with an biological internal filter (recently i changed its original powerhead with a stronger 600 litres per hour)and a bottom filter powered with another powerhead (600litres per hour) all from hydor.I know that 33 gallons are few for two reds but how long can i keep them in this tank?The man who sold them to me from the pet shop told me for life!because fish grow according the space you give them.Can this happen?And if yes which will it be their final size?thanks
 

· Registered
Joined
·
18,153 Posts
First of all welcome to PFury


Fish don't grow to fit in their tank: their growth may become stunted, meaning that it will stay smaller, but it's a very bad condition for a fish to be in - could easily result in death over time.
So fish growing according to the space you give them is a myth.

For now, your tank should be enough. How long they can stay in your 33g depends on the tank's dimensions: if it's only 10" deep, you obviously can't keep a 7 or 8 inch piranha in there, let alone two.
Redbellies grow fast, reaching 5-7" in their first year, so they'll outgrow their current tank quite fast.
For life, I'd get at least a 40x18x18" tank, which provides enough room to swim around freely and to turn around (and freak out) properly. Reds can grow to at least 12" in length, so full-grown they're pretty big fish that need a tank to match.

If you get a somewhat larger tank, at least 48x18x18" in size, you could add one or two more Redbellies, which in general is a good thing to do: Reds are territorial fish that establish a pecking order. That means sooner or later one fish will become the alpha, the dominant fish. To make sure he's seen as the boss, he might start picking on the submissive fish, and when you only have two Reds, the submissive one will get the full beating (with severe injuries or even death as possible end-result). When you have 3 or more Reds, the agression is spread amongst more fish, which increases the chances of survival for the less dominant fish.
 

· Danse Macabre!
Joined
·
9,834 Posts
You can do two fish just fine but that tank is slightly on the small side. It will probably work until they get about 6 inches but the only way to really tell is to watch them yourself. If they start getting really nippy with each other you'll want to get them into a bigger tank before they start tearing chunks out of each other's flanks. A 40 gallon breeder (36 x 18) would make a nice tank for life for those two assuming they get along fairly peacefully. If they're particularly aggressive you might need to go even bigger than that.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,498 Posts
he is wrong.p's grow no matter how much space they have.I would say you can keep them till they get to 5".I had 2 that where 4.5"and decided to sell them because they were getting to big for my little 33 gallon.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
7 Posts
Discussion Starter · #5 ·
Thank you for your advices!it is the first time i keep piranhas and i really do not know many things.You see my father is an aquarist for about 30 years now,when times where difficult for this hobby and the equipment-knowledge was too expensive and limited especcially in our country (greece).As you understand this is our first ''meeting'' with these wonderful fish and your site was the cause to order them.Judazzzz you are right my friend my tank is 12'' deep.I do not know for how long they will be ok but i really try to provide them the best conditions.From my little experience one is my conclusion.You cannot predict 100% what will happen,they are unpredictable.I have them since they were babies about 2-3 cm and at that size they where quarelling more than now!In fact i had 3 but the two eat the one(that one was a friend's of mine and we planned to move it to his new tank) alive at the size of less than 1inch!(1 minute after i fed them!)Then they were quarelling for the wooden decor.I bought another one and placed it at the other corner of the tank.The result?Both are now hide in the new wooden cave without quarrelling at all!and not giving a sh..t for the other, they were previously quarrelling!I do not know for how long this ''happy situation'' will continue but if things get worse i will definately take measures(possible sell them),because prices for new tanks in my country are a ''little'' bit higher than US for example.Forgive me if i am mistaken but in greece a new and equipped JEWEL 33 gallons tank without base has about 250-280 euros and we all know that 250 euros will not be the only money needed for the total equipment.....(including powerheads,undergravel filter,etc.?)Imagine the 400 litres tank i want....You can say why not buying a second hand tank? 1) There are little of them which are of second hand quality 2)the're being seriously expensive.Thanks again for your advices and sorry if I get you tired with my long talk.We'll talk again sooner or later
 

· Danse Macabre!
Joined
·
9,834 Posts
alkis_83 said:
Thank you for your advices!it is the first time i keep piranhas and i really do not know many things.You see my father is an aquarist for about 30 years now,when times where difficult for this hobby and the equipment-knowledge was too expensive and limited especcially in our country (greece).As you understand this is our first ''meeting'' with these wonderful fish and your site was the cause to order them.Judazzzz you are right my friend my tank is 12'' deep.I do not know for how long they will be ok but i really try to provide them the best conditions.From my little experience one is my conclusion.You cannot predict 100% what will happen,they are unpredictable.I have them since they were babies about 2-3 cm and at that size they where quarelling more than now!In fact i had 3 but the two eat the one(that one was a friend's of mine and we planned to move it to his new tank) alive at the size of less than 1inch!(1 minute after i fed them!)Then they were quarelling for the wooden decor.I bought another one and placed it at the other corner of the tank.The result?Both are now hide in the new wooden cave without quarrelling at all!and not giving a sh..t for the other, they were previously quarrelling!I do not know for how long this ''happy situation'' will continue but if things get worse i will definately take measures(possible sell them),because prices for new tanks in my country are a ''little'' bit higher than US for example.Forgive me if i am mistaken but in greece a new and equipped JEWEL 33 gallons tank without base has about 250-280 euros and we all know that 250 euros will not be the only money needed for the total equipment.....(including powerheads,undergravel filter,etc.?)Imagine the 400 litres tank i want....You can say why not buying a second hand tank? 1) There are little of them which are of second hand quality 2)the're being seriously expensive.Thanks again for your advices and sorry if I get you tired with my long talk.We'll talk again sooner or later

[snapback]856974[/snapback]​
Those prices truly are insane, I think for someone in your situation it makes even more sense to build your own tank out of plywood with a front viewing window. It doesn't look too different and several members on this site have actually built them themselves.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_...d_aquarium3.php

There's a starter article to give you the basic idea
 

· Registered
Joined
·
7 Posts
Discussion Starter · #10 ·
toooo hot my friend!!!! he he!!!!! that's why most aquarists in my country buy an aquarium for life!!the one i have now (33 gallons from mtb) i bought it with its base and the internal filter(although i had to buy another powerhead because the original was extrmely small 300L per hour) at the unbelivable (for my country price i do not know for you) of 100 euros.And this because the biggest supermarket of our country ordered thousands of them and sell them at the cost price!!!!!Since then evert greek family has at least one MTB 33 gallons tank!!!!The funniest of the story was that when i bought it i saw a person taking round 6 or 7 of them!I told to my self ''what the f..k is he doing?where is he going to place them??And when i asked him he said to me that he was a pet-shop owner and that he was going to resell them i order to gain profit!!!!!He!! he!! amazing????Immortal greek intelligent!!!! thanks elTwitcho for the site adress.From a quick look i believe it worths time and try.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
7 Posts
Discussion Starter · #11 ·
toooo hot my friend!!!! he he!!!!! that's why most aquarists in my country buy an aquarium for life!!the one i have now (33 gallons from mtb) i bought it with its base and the internal filter(although i had to buy another powerhead because the original was extrmely small 300L per hour) at the unbelivable (for my country price i do not know for you) of 100 euros.And this because the biggest supermarket of our country ordered thousands of them and sell them at the cost price!!!!!Since then evert greek family has at least one MTB 33 gallons tank!!!!The funniest of the story was that when i bought it i saw a person taking round 6 or 7 of them!I told to my self ''what the f..k is he doing?where is he going to place them??And when i asked him he said to me that he was a pet-shop owner and that he was going to resell them i order to gain profit!!!!!He!! he!! amazing????Immortal greek intelligent!!!! thanks elTwitcho for the site adress.From a quick look i believe it worths time and try.
 
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top