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| FAQ's about Piranha keeping |
| Cycling your tank: Cycling your tank before "ploping" the piranha in is a necessary step to ensure that all the beneficial bacteria is present. To properly cycle the tank you need to fill the tank with water and have some feeders in there for about 3-4 weeks. To speed up tank cycling you can add gravel from an established tank, use a filter from an established tank or/and use water from an established tank. Water conditions: The recommended pH is 6-7.5. Do not stress if your pH is not there. Piranhas are hardy fish and can tolerate lower or higher pH as long as the pH stays stable. Fluctuations in the pH is something to be avoided at all cost. The water temperature should ideally be between 78-82F (25.6-27.8 deg.C). A 10% water change should be done once a week. Piranhas like slow moving water. So easy on the powerheads! Tank setup: Piranhas grow big and fast. Some reach sizes up to 2 feet. Make sure your tank is large enough to accomodate them. 15gallon per piranha will do for a year or so, but you will need to upgrade or they will outgrow the tank. Piranhas are skittish fish and need plenty of room to hide when frightened. Put some rocks, plants (live or plastic), driftwood, etc. Gravel is necessary for the beneficial bacteria growth. Sand or other media can be used also. It is preferable to get the long tanks over the tall tanks because oxygenation of the water is better in the long tanks and piranhas are bottom dwellers. Accessories: It is good to invest in a good heater that will keep the temperature constant. The wattage needed is 3 watt/gallon. There are many filters out there. It is up to your budget and tank size to decide which filter to get. Make sure the filter capacity (gallons per hour) is 6 times your tank size. For example; for a 50g tank you need a filter capacity of 300gph (p.s. 1 gallon = 3.79 liters). Breeding: When eggs are detected in your piranha tank. 1. Leave eggs in tank for 3 days, or until it looks like the mass of eggs (amber) start wiggling like Jello. This indicates they have hatched and are wagging their tails. Then, with a "python" type gravel cleaner siphon off the little fry. 2. (Before the fish hatch) Take 10 gallons out of your tank and fill your small tank. 3. If you can use the filter from your large tank for the smaller fry tank. 4. Make sure you match the water temps between tanks 5. Get some baby brine shrimp 6. When the little guys start "hopping" add a small amount of baby brine shrimp. I think I put in a teaspoon of the shrimp over the P's and let it disperse and settle around their spot. 7. Watch for any of the fish dying off or fungus growing on the brine shrimp 8. If this happens change 1/3 the water and add new from your large established tank. Then add an anti fungus medication at 1/4 normal strength. 9. As the P's get larger, move to adult brine shrimp and then onto baby guppies and then goldfish and then the small pets. Lol. good luck Possible Tank Mates: Plecos, Oscars, Cichlids (???), Exodon (Bucktooth Tetra), crayfish and oh yes... rocks. (NOTE: the success of any fish surviving with a school or solitaire piranha is like getting lucky with a woman you just met... Its up to her! ) Feeding: Feeders of any kind, raw beef (less fat the better), raw shrimp, fish fillet, basically any thing that used to swim and raw. NO chicken because it is really bad for your water. More info. to come If someone can see something I forgot to mention , please email me and write a brief note. thanks |
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