[tyourkie66]

do i need air bubbles in my tank? also is it better to get rid of my oscar, catfish, and 2 rbps to get about 8 small reds? i have a 55g tank. how long wil 8 reds be able to live in it? should i get less, like 6? is it goood to have driftwood or are big rocks better, live plants or plastic plants? is it safe to feed them gold fish all the time? please help me.

 

[123]

your oscar and catfish will probolly get eaten.And if u want 6 to 8 red bellys you wil need amuch bigger tank 20gal per fish.but 6 rbs could live in a 55 gall tank for mabey 5 months if you go with dime size.if u dont want to get another tank for a while id ethier get 3 rb or a rhom they grow really slow.

 

[Judazzz]

8 baby reds will be fine in a 55g for a while, but eventually you'll need to upgrade (at least 120 gallons, imo). The moment when you have to upgrade depends on how ell your reds will get along, with it would be necessary within 8 months, but probaly a lot earlier.

I don't know what kind of catfish you have, but some species do pretty good with piranha's (like pleco's and raphael cats). I suggest to get rid of the oscar, though. And if you get small reds, also remove the 2 larger ones you already have.

As for the tank set-up: just aquascape it the way you like it, as long as you provide a couple of hiding places. And it's always better to get live plants (since they contribute to your tank's health, unlike fake ones...). Air bubbles are not necessary, but some piranha's actually enjoy floating in the bubble curtain. It also breaks the water surface, which results in extra gas exchange (CO2 in the water replaced by oxygen), but an internal filter or powerhead which creates surface agitation does the same trick.

I hope this helps :smile:

 

[Innes]

8 baby reds will be fine in a 55g for a while, but eventually you'll need to upgrade (at least 120 gallons, imo). The moment when you have to upgrade depends on how ell your reds will get along, with it would be necessary within 8 months, but probaly a lot earlier.

I don't know what kind of catfish you have, but some species do pretty good with piranha's (like pleco's and raphael cats). I suggest to get rid of the oscar, though. And if you get small reds, also remove the 2 larger ones you already have.

As for the tank set-up: just aquascape it the way you like it, as long as you provide a couple of hiding places. And it's always better to get live plants (since they contribute to your tank's health, unlike fake ones...). Air bubbles are not necessary, but some piranha's actually enjoy floating in the bubble curtain. It also breaks the water surface, which results in extra gas exchange (CO2 in the water replaced by oxygen), but an internal filter or powerhead which creates surface agitation does the same trick.

I hope this helps :smile:

What he said - good post Judazzz

 

[Judazzz]

8 baby reds will be fine in a 55g for a while, but eventually you'll need to upgrade (at least 120 gallons, imo). The moment when you have to upgrade depends on how ell your reds will get along, with it would be necessary within 8 months, but probaly a lot earlier.

I don't know what kind of catfish you have, but some species do pretty good with piranha's (like pleco's and raphael cats). I suggest to get rid of the oscar, though. And if you get small reds, also remove the 2 larger ones you already have.

As for the tank set-up: just aquascape it the way you like it, as long as you provide a couple of hiding places. And it's always better to get live plants (since they contribute to your tank's health, unlike fake ones...). Air bubbles are not necessary, but some piranha's actually enjoy floating in the bubble curtain. It also breaks the water surface, which results in extra gas exchange (CO2 in the water replaced by oxygen), but an internal filter or powerhead which creates surface agitation does the same trick.

I hope this helps :smile:

What he said - good post Judazzz

Thanks: I did my best for it :smile:

 

[sccavee]

Most people on this board have driftwood in their tanks. I have a couple of pieces in each tank. Makes the tank look more natural. I have a 55G tank with 3 RBPs. I bought the 3 in early Jan at maybe 2". They are now pushing 5". 8 will not last very long in a 55G tank. You are better off to get 4 and as they get bigger you may have to sell one depending on how they are reacting to each other.

 

[piranha 13]

Most people on this board have driftwood in their tanks. I have a couple of pieces in each tank. Makes the tank look more natural. I have a 55G tank with 3 RBPs. I bought the 3 in early Jan at maybe 2". They are now pushing 5". 8 will not last very long in a 55G tank. You are better off to get 4 and as they get bigger you may have to sell one depending on how they are reacting to each other.

3" in two months!

........i got mine in august at 2 inches and they're only 4" now

..what am I doing wrong?

 

[RhomZilla]

8 baby reds will be fine in a 55g for a while, but eventually you'll need to upgrade (at least 120 gallons, imo). The moment when you have to upgrade depends on how ell your reds will get along, with it would be necessary within 8 months, but probaly a lot earlier.

I don't know what kind of catfish you have, but some species do pretty good with piranha's (like pleco's and raphael cats). I suggest to get rid of the oscar, though. And if you get small reds, also remove the 2 larger ones you already have.

As for the tank set-up: just aquascape it the way you like it, as long as you provide a couple of hiding places. And it's always better to get live plants (since they contribute to your tank's health, unlike fake ones...). Air bubbles are not necessary, but some piranha's actually enjoy floating in the bubble curtain. It also breaks the water surface, which results in extra gas exchange (CO2 in the water replaced by oxygen), but an internal filter or powerhead which creates surface agitation does the same trick.

I hope this helps :smile:

See.. with folks like Judazzz, theres never an extra space to put my 2 cents in. Good shizzel!!!

:applauding smilie:

 

[sccavee]

Most people on this board have driftwood in their tanks. I have a couple of pieces in each tank. Makes the tank look more natural. I have a 55G tank with 3 RBPs. I bought the 3 in early Jan at maybe 2". They are now pushing 5". 8 will not last very long in a 55G tank. You are better off to get 4 and as they get bigger you may have to sell one depending on how they are reacting to each other.

3" in two months!

........i got mine in august at 2 inches and they're only 4" now

..what am I doing wrong?

Mine just seem to keep growing :biggrin: . One thing I do is 30% water changes about every 4 days and with that I clean the gravel so my water is generally in pretty good shape. I only feed once a day and I mix the diet up pretty well. Other then that not sure.

 

[GARGOYLE]

Go with 5 baby reds for your 55.

p13 I havent heard of that slow a growth rate for reds. Maybe there just slow. hehe. When mine were babies, they were growing about an inch and a half a month, give or take a lil. Then they slowed at 5-6 inches.

 

[Raptor]

Sometimes your p's will take a bite out of plants, and plastic does not digest. So real is the way to go.

 

[SnowCichlid.]

Well I personally wouldnt put 8 reds in a 55, what everyone else has suggested will work fine.

Live plants are always good to have in the tank. Gives them a sense of security and also will look alot better in my opinion.

I would use driftwood and rocks in the tank, both are fine to have... you dont have to go excesive with the rocks for these fish as compared to what some cichlids would prefer however.

As for the other fish keeping in the tnak I would remove the oscar becasue they can get very big like 14"+ and a shoal of P's and that in a 55G would be very if not imposible to pull of for a permanet home.

As for feeding and the feeder fish you should check out the thread I made in the TUTORIAL section

 

[SnowCichlid.]

... Just in case you get lost trying to find the thread i suggested, I am going to give you the link
CLICK HERE
...this should save you some time.
I also suggest you read it to. It will give you a good heads up on the basics you will need to know, It is very simple to read and follow, ask any questions if needed :

:

 

[tyourkie66]

thanks.........htat was very helpful.

 

[pcrose]

Your oscar and pleco will probably get eaten if they are smaller than your p's but if they are bigger, redbellies do not mind them. It all depends on how much you feed your p's. AS for how many in a tank I am not good with those kinda estimates yet.