piranha question

[mj_lover]

hi all, quick question. I bought 3 piranhas at that fish store, they have have black spots on the top half, and are silver. just curious to what type of piranha these are, as it wasn't specified. there also very young maybe an inch or so in length. thanks in advance!

 

[scubadude]

can you send a pic, sounds exactly what my fish looked like when they were juvies, but most Ps start out silver. mine are red bellies. suprised that your fish store wasn't specific about it. i was wondering how big a tank you got for them. unless you are planning to move them to a bigger tank later i would recomend at least a 75 gal. i started with 3 fish in a 55 and it got crowded. if this is your first time with juvie RBPs there is some other things you should know as well.

oh BTW you might check out the predatory fish forum. lots of good info there. i'm no expert but i've had the things for over 5 yrs now and i have learned a lot. feel free to ask any more P specific questions.

Watch your fingers!

 

[mj_lover]

thanks for the quick response! i'll try to get pictures, assuming the didgi cam works. I also read the piranha thread, really nice, thanks for the directions.

another quick question though, one of the p's started swimming around the top of the tank like a scolded dog, and is now dead...i've never seen this before, any clues?

 

[MrBungle]

what's the tank size, water params, and feeding?

 

[mj_lover]

right now there in a 10 gal, quarantine, and they will be moved to a 55g shortly, feeding is 2x per day, flaky, bloodworm's, and freeze dried shrimp. temp is 80 degrees. gonna have to get the others checked. i'm confused, as the other 2 seem fine, eating well, etc.

 

[vinceschilke]

fish swimming @ top

right now there in a 10 gal, quarantine, and they will be moved to a 55g shortly, feeding is 2x per day, flaky, bloodworm's, and freeze dried shrimp. temp is 80 degrees. gonna have to get the others checked. i'm confused, as the other 2 seem fine, eating well, etc.

does the tank have good aeration? look closely and check if there are tiny air bubbles in the water, if not get a good pump.

 

[JWright]

Tiny bubbles suspended in the water doesn't necessarily indicate aeration.

You can have more than sufficient aeration without breaking the surface fo the water at all. All you need to do is make sure the water from the bottom is being rotated to the top and vice versa. Oxygen moves through the surface of the water without a problem.

An air pump creates a lifting current in the water that helps rotate the surface and bottom water around. The fact that it puts little bubbles in the water is only a means to an end. They don't put oxygen in the water, they just "lift" the water around them so it gets to the surface.

~JW

 

[silver dollars]

It sounds to me like they are black diamonds. The 55G will be too small for the pirhanans, once they're full grown.