'pirranah care'

pirranah care

Tania VanNorman (208.96.84.48) -

I just bought my son 2 pirranah's, but I tried to find some info on the net about their care, and to be honest, there isn't much. What temp should the tank be, what special care does these incredible fish need? Any info would greatly be appreciated. God bless!!

Comment #1 endora (24.45.126.104) -

Have you tried contacting the pet store you bought them from? They should have someone on staff that could help you. Did you do a google search on them?

Comment #2 Wolfgang from Dog Pound -

I never thought of keeping piranha as a pet. I just have images of the 1978 movie. But finding information about caring for them really wasn't hard.

Comment #3 marcus g (69.136.141.52) -

do anyone know the proper tank size for one piranha to live for it's whole life.If anyone know hit me back

Comment #4 luke martell (72.141.164.228) -

i believe your tank should be 80 degrees and should be maintained between 76 and 85 keeping your tank to cold will affect there amune system and keeping it to hot will affect there nerve system so keeping it in a happy median is ideal. i currently have 5 red belly piranhas in a 33 gallon tank ans it seems to be good i think there is a formula to figure out how much room u need.2 gallons per inch of piranah and a min of 20 gallons. your should also check your ph i read that it should be between 6.0 and 7.5.

Comment #5 Jessie Eglinton (76.9.162.213) -

I'm about to get a piranah and I need some info on caring for it.

Comment #6 Gina (70.243.181.39) -

Do you know for sure that you have real pirranah? There is another fish out there that is very similar in looks and diet, the name has slipped my mind at the moment. I was a wildlfe breeder for years and know that in most states real pirranah are illegal. I don't care if you keep them, we had some real ones and some of the others also. We feed smaller fish and dog food with high protein.

My son had a dove that landed on the tank and the fish jumped up and grabbed his tail feathers. Luckily that is all he got.

Most fish will not out grow their containers, however these will. We had a 40 gallon to begin with but we had several fish. It's not like on the movies, they don't strip the meat from your hands if you stick it in there. They are kind of cool for awhile.

I think it's neat to get close to nature and teach our kids about it. Nothing better than up close and personal I always say. Just be prepared to find some one to take them when the new wears off. They make for a dirty tank.

Comment #7 keith (71.173.56.6) -

i have a red belly piranah and it keeps loosing its red its not even like a year old is somthing wrong whith it

Comment #8 bratt (207.200.116.137) -

here is a bit of info i found in one of my aquarium books.

family:charcidae

max size: is 11 3/4 "

origin: south america guyana to la plata river system

sexing: males have gold sheen with red throut and belly;females aremore yellow

breeding: egg scatterers

fry: must be sorted by size and separated to avoid cannibalism

water: warm soft water to medium-hard ph 5.5-7.5;dh to 20

temperature: 75-81 f

hope this helps

Comment #9 GH (71.7.108.99) -

For a piranha to be perfectly healthy and happy you need quite a large tank for the whole span of their life. 20 gallons minimum when they are juvenile and probably about 35 gallons minimum, some species more, when they are adults. Be careful about feeding them gold fish since many feeder fish are kept in poor conditions and could bring disease to the tank. Keep the water warm, about 75-83 degrees, PH average to low, and supply plants, rocks etc. for cover. They do not like alot of light, but if you must use a tank light try softer dimmer bulbs and cover for them to shade from. They are very rough on live plants as they swim through them and nibble on them. Floating plants are great as they create natural shadow from the light.

Frozen cubes, frozen fish fillets, any type of worms, fish flakes, fruit and vegetables are enjoyable and good for them. If you must feed live anything make sure its quarantined and disease free when you bring it home to avoid infecting the tank.

Feed them before cleaning the tank, sticking your hands in, etc. and you should be fine. I have never been bitten.

Comment #10 tammymckeage (96.237.59.70) -

my son has two pet pararanahs and it looks like they are sick because their fins are curld and their bodys have a white glaze on their body.they also have a white fungus in their mouth.and they will not eat anything.what do you think I should do?

Comment #11 fallingstar from Michigan -

The name of the fish that look like piranhas is "Red-Bellied Pacu". They look almost exactly like piranhas, except the piranha has a bit more of an underbite. The one thing you should know about piranhas is that they CANNOT digest fatty foods, so it is really not a good idea to give them beef. The best thing to feed them is Cichlid pellets while they are young. Supplement them with goldfish sometimes. Feeding piranhas goldfish every day is like feeding a human strictly candy bars. It's good to feed them ghost shrimp. This will make their colors vibrant. Piranhas also like some veggies, but experiment with this. They will eat live plants in your tank. The best size tank to have is 75 gallons. Piranhas will grow up to 18" long. A 33 gallon tank is WAY TOO SMALL!! My ex-b/f had a piranha in a 29 gallon and he was about 7 inches long. Hannibal developed a lump on his lip from rubbing on the tank. It went away when I moved him to a bigger tank. As far as the fungal infection on your son's fish, Tammy, you should definitely get some medication and treat that tank! Get some fungal medication ASAP! They may have fin and tail rot, but it doesn't really sound like it if the fins are curled. The glaze on the scales and the stuff in their mouths sounds like fungus. I hope that everything turns out okay for your son's fish. They are wonderful creatures to watch. Unfortunately, I recently lost my piranha. The stupid heater malfunctioned and my little Lucifer got cooked. Lots of luck and Luv to all of you. Talk to you all soon!

Comment #12 fallingstar from Michigan -

Are piranhas DOGS? Please don't feed your piranhas dog food. There are lots of fish foods out there that you can feed your piranhas with protein, and not feed them DOG FOOD. As far as GH goes, i'm impressed. Cichlid pellets have LOTS OF PROTEIN. Please research animals before you get them. There is no reason to have these creatures if you can't take care of them properly. Would a human want to eat dog food?

Comment #13 emma (81.111.115.104) -

does pirranah fry float at top of the tank? i have 6 pirranahs in a 4ft tank and i woke up 2day to find this white stuff floating at top of tank, it looks like shared skin.. they havent been feed so ive roold that out??...

Comment #14 e-wop (68.84.7.26) -

whats good wit ya'll i just got 4 red belly's 1 has only 1 eye do you think it will ever come back.also they are about the size of a quarter and i have a jack demsey a lil bigger than them how long do you think the jack will last.and i am currently feeding them straight frozen blood worms what else can i feed them that young. hit me back!

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