[armac]

great thread, only one question, when Brian wrote his article for TFH his suggestion was to feed shelled shrimp, your advice is to keep the shell on, also probaly better to buy whole raw shrimp, since that would inclde their internal organs.

 

[Knifeman]

great thread, only one question, when Brian wrote his article for TFH his suggestion was to feed shelled shrimp, your advice is to keep the shell on, also probaly better to buy whole raw shrimp, since that would inclde their internal organs.

Yes, I am an advocate of leaving the shell on, because there is nutritional value in the shell. I liken it to the nutritional value that piranhas derive from fins, and we know that there must be a lot of nutrition in that since it is the main staple diet of most young piranha species until they become larger/more mature. However, you may have to vacuum the shells out of the gravel periodically, because smaller piranhas have a tendency to eat the meat out and leave the shells.

If you can find whole shrimp, please let me know where you find it. I have been trying to locate this, as well as whole smelt with the guts & fins still intact.

 

[armac]

If you can find whole shrimp, please let me know where you find it. I have been trying to locate this, as well as whole smelt with the guts & fins still intact.

I live near South Padre Island, we buy whole shrimp in any of our local stores, I do take the head off though, maybe when my p's get bigger I'll try them head and all

 

[Judazzz]

John, would you mind if I added this information as an article to the PFury Info Center?

Jonas, I don't mind at all.

And thus it happened....
Click me

 

[Rich_UK]

As for your question, you have chosen pygocentrus species which have a very large potential maximum growth. To be honest, if I were you I would hope that they don't get much larger in your 90 gallon tank than what they currently are. If they do, I can almost guarantee you some eventual territoriality aggression, which will inevitably lead to the death of one or more of your fish. I would recommend you get them in a 180, to allow enough space for them to grow and have a more comfortable buffer zone between each other.

If i can't keep 180 gallon would you suggest that i reduce the amount of pygos in my tank and if so what amount would be a good number to have?

Thans for any advice.

 

[Rich_UK]

sh*t i need to work out how to use the quote propely.
Sorry

 

[Knifeman]

If i can't keep 180 gallon would you suggest that i reduce the amount of pygos in my tank and if so what amount would be a good number to have?

Thans for any advice.

Rich, what are the dimensions of your tank?

 

[keyhamking]

superb post, thanks to individuals like yrself i'm learning more about my p's all the time.
nice one

 

[brizco]

well done with the info and i just got 4 new pygos and im gonna try the shrimp thing!

 

[Rigger]

great info , the whole give them a little less so they will hit harder and faster the next time works great. now when ever i feed they take all they can get steeling from one and other.....

 

[Xantarc]

thanks for the info bro

 

[Knifeman]

now when ever i feed they take all they can get steeling from one and other.....

Hey, I guess I should mention something about this. When I feed any food, I try to drop a large enough quanity of the food to make certain that every piranha in the tank has easy access to his own slightly larger than bite-sized meal, and he can then get several more of these meals if he is hungry enough. This is to try to avoid the fish trying to steal from one another, as many times that is how a piranha will become accidentally mortally wounded by another piranha. Although I really love the show that a shoal of piranha put on when shredding a large piece of meat or a big live meal, I have come to the place where I prefer my piranhas to remain as nip-free as possible, so I refrain from doing this whenever possible. I guess it comes down to personal preference.

 

[~AQUAMAN~]

man super smart. got to try this one

 

[redbellied1]

you rock man good post it is definantly pinned worthy

 

[keyhamking]

great post dude - í'm takin notes!

 

[JReezelle]

Wow great post alot of helpful info for me to try. Thanks for sharing some knowledge.

 

[MFS0413]

I liked you article it was very informative. I feed my RBP Tetramin Tropical flakes everyday. And live feeders once a week. I have 3 RBPs in a 35 gallon tank. Im going to get a 55 gallon pretty soon. They are about 4 months old. What do you recomend me to feed them. And is the flake food ive been feeding them health?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[sharpteeth]

gr8 tips thanks!

 

[Ashfury]

krill is excellent for colour an protein based food is good for growth

 

[joe_uk_87]

That is an excellent post, gave me some good ideas, thanks!