could a school of red bellied piranhas live in a 55 gallon tank

I got a new 55 gallon tank a while ago its already to get fish in it, I was just wondering if I could keep a small school of red bellied piranhas in my new tank and am I gong to need to put in like a circulation pump to add current or will they be fine without it.

 

No, they need a bigger tank.

 

how big of a tank would I need and would a school of six be enough to make a school or should I go with more

 

Yes red bellied piranhas can live in a school together, in the wild they often live in schools of 20-30, when in a tank it is recommended to keep them in a school of at least 4. Just remember to follow the general rule of 1 inch of fish per gallon when deciding how many piranhas to add to your tank. Please be aware that you should use caution when adding the fish to your tank as they are very dangerous and unfriendly.

Now for the water current, red bellies require an average current in the tank so as long as the water is cycling properly they should be fine without extra equipment

 

and where can I get red bellied piranhas

thank you keagan

 

. Just remember to follow the general rule of 1 inch of fish per gallon when deciding how many piranhas to add to your tank.

The inch per gal rule is junk to be honest



-Cacret, proud owner of a happy and peaceful betta.

 

You should have at least a 75 gallon for them with a ton of filtration. They are very messy eaters. You also should keep the tank planted, or fake plants will work too. They are skittish fish, and like to have some cover.

As far as where to get them, if they are not available locally, you can find them online. Check to make sure they are legal where you live.

Also, if a 55 is what you have to work with, Wimple piranha stay a bit smaller than red bellies. Wimple are not a true piranha, but have the same look to them.

 

You should have at least a 75 gallon for them with a ton of filtration. They are very messy eaters. You also should keep the tank planted, or fake plants will work too. They are skittish fish, and like to have some cover.

As far as where to get them, if they are not available locally, you can find them online. Check to make sure they are legal where you live.

Also, if a 55 is what you have to work with, Wimple piranha stay a bit smaller than red bellies. Wimple are not a true piranha, but have the same look to them.

thank you

 

There's your answer from BDpups. Cacret is right, the inch per gallon rule is junk.

Indeed, the inch per gallon rule isn't reliable for anything...... well, maybe shrimp, but you could exceed that and not be overstocked, lol.

 

Wimple Piranhas are "true" Piranhas.

The inch per gallon rule is designed for small fish. It doesn't work for big fish.

Red Piranhas are a shoaling species, so should be kept in groups of 6+. Seeing as they grow over a foot long, an absolute minimum of 200 gallons.

Are you sure you want Piranhas? They are extremely shy, and will spend their time either hiding or standing still. They are extremely boring fish to keep.

 

Maybe u should take it from someone more experienced then me.

 

Wimple Piranhas are "true" Piranhas.

The inch per gallon rule is designed for small fish. It doesn't work for big fish.

The one inch doesn't apply to small fish either.

A quick google search will show you that Wimple are not considered true piranha.

And a 200 gallon tank would be great for a school of them, but is much bigger than is what is needed for 4 or 5.

 

I don't think the inch per gallon rule has ever applied accurately to anything. I think it's better to take into account their size, swimming behavior, eating behavior, schools etc.

 

The one inch doesn't apply to small fish either.

A quick google search will show you that Wimple are not considered true piranha.

And a 200 gallon tank would be great for a school of them, but is much bigger than is what is needed for 4 or 5.

The term 'true Piranha' moves around a lot. It used to mean all serrasalmids except the dollars and pacu. Now it probably means only the strict carnivores? It's a bit arbitrary.

The inch per gallon rule actually works very well as a baseline for small fish.

You're right, you don't need 200 gallons for 4 or 5, or 3 or 2 or 1. But I don't call 4 fish a shoal, and neither do piranhas. Start with 4 and you'll probably end up with less than 4. The more the better. Even 6 isn't enough, but it's safer than 4.

 

The inch per gallon rule actually works very well as a baseline for small fish.

Well, maybe not for danios.......and tetras.....


-Cacret, proud owner of a happy and peaceful betta.

 

Well, maybe not for danios.......and tetras.....


-Cacret, proud owner of a happy and peaceful betta.

In what way doesn't it work? For small shoaling fish like danios and tetras its quite a low figure. For "fish soup" (the average "community" tank) it can be a bit of a high figure because of the personal space requirements of different species, but for small shoaling fish like danios and tetras its a good starting point.

It does only work for small fish about an inch long in most cases. With bigger fish it's too much, and in big tanks it's not much at all.

NB - I'm thinking UK gallons, not US.

 

Oh ok. I understand now


-Cacret, proud owner of a happy and peaceful betta.

 

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/piranha-caresheet.11508/

https://www.fishlore.com/Articles/PiranhaKeeping.htm

Your thread has been moved to Characins/Piranha section of the forum.

Thanks!

Ken

 

The term 'true Piranha' moves around a lot. It used to mean all serrasalmids except the dollars and pacu. Now it probably means only the strict carnivores? It's a bit arbitrary.

The inch per gallon rule actually works very well as a baseline for small fish.

You're right, you don't need 200 gallons for 4 or 5, or 3 or 2 or 1. But I don't call 4 fish a shoal, and neither do piranhas. Start with 4 and you'll probably end up with less than 4. The more the better. Even 6 isn't enough, but it's safer than 4.

How long have you kept piranha? Do you keep true piranha, or wimple?

 

I don't keep any now. I have kept Wimples, and a couple of others.