joshthefisherman

im thinking about getting some red bellies i want something very aggressive but i also heard that rb's dont hold up to the expectations is this true any other advice about them would be great thanks

CPVFD325

Yes they are very aggressive! Some people dont agree with it, but you can find feeding videos on "youtube" I am not saying whether or not i agree with it because it will stir up a HUGE storm around here. I will say, I hope you are wanting them for the "right reasons".

Neville

I had some baby piranhas for some time, feeding them can be quite expensive, and they r messy but they r cool fish to have, try to feed them pellets and feed them live food occassionally.

Chief_waterchanger

What size tank do you plan on having for these guys?

And CPVFD325 is right, it does stir up a lot of emotions on this site when people keep fish just because they will fight alot. We on Fishlore love our animals and having a tank of fish just because they will fight a lot and put on a nice show is not what we are about.

Pirahna are schoolers, so you need 5-6 of them or more. You'll need a 75g tank for that, would be better the bigger you can go. The more line-of-sight breaking objects and hiding places you have the better off your fish would be, also.

joshthefisherman

no i just want a fish that will eat live foods and are active some ppl say they are ugly but personally i think they are good lookin fish

CPVFD325

Lots of fish eat live foods. Most actually. Technology has just allowed us the ease of "Fish food"


I too love the look of Piranhas, I bought a few of the red belly pacus. However, I didnt do my research before the purchase.....they get BIG. REALLY BIG. I took them back because I wouldnt be able to give them the 400 gallons they would eventually need. Pacus look EXACTLY like Piranhas except their bottom jaw doesnt stick out as far, and they are mainly herbivores.

I took my tank in a different direction and bought a tiger oscar and a jack dempsey. They will eat feeder fish when they get bigger, but they will still need other forms of nutrition.

I hear Piranhas are VERY dirty and a big chore to keep up with. I also hear the feeding bill can become rather large.....

....keeping water clean and clear can be a chore without fish tearing apart a frog or mouse.

....I guess you have to think about all aspects of it before you make the purchase. Make sure you look down the road also. You did make the right decision by coming here and doing some homework before making a purchase.

robbieb

Although they are impressive to watch when eating in groups, they are easily scared and often hide. If you are looking for an aggressive fish, don't opt for piranha's. You may want to look into various cichlids like the red devil or Jack Dempsey. These fish are highly aggressive and do not hide nearly as much.

If you want piranha's for their robustness, looks, and social interactions within their shoal, go for it. They are very interesting fish that develop a sort of ranking system with each other. They definitely work as a team. I just recently purchased 6 red bellies myself and I enjoy watching them swim together and eat. When I was a teenager, I loved watching my red devil because he would attack everything and anything.