Is a red belly piranha good in a 40 gallon long tank?

I was just wondering after I cycle my tank I just got I was wondering since they are legal would I be a nice fit in my tank. I f it is a nice fit would 2 be too much. I like pirrahnas and think they are beautiful fish but would two bab y red belly pirrahnas be too much or will 1 be too much please help?

 

greg remember I told you it should be ok in it but two would be to much and they would most likely fight since they like to be in groups of six or more

 

oh ok but I really want two. my dad went to this place by my moms work and found 40 baby red belly pirrahnas for $7.99 each. He said they are anywhere from the size of a nickel to the size of a dime.

 

but they grow 8-12 inches long and fairly high too

 

I know but the tank is 16 ft high and shouldent it be big enough I mean 1 does no grow 20 inches or more. I know it might be dirty but I can always by an extra filter and I would do frequent water changes and I would my vacom my gravel a lot

 

16 ft high 40 gallon tank? **** **** **** **** ****!!!?

I'm assuming you meant inches or what?

 

yes I meant inches I'm srry but is that good

 

Well - they'd be fine... for now. Depending on how big they get, though, you may need to look for somewhere to put them if they do end up getting too large.

Two foot-long fish in a 40 gallon might be a bit cramped.

 

they get anywhere form 8-12 inches will they be a good fiut

 

Like I said - they may end up cramped if they get to be full sized.

 

but other than that you think they will be good if they are like 8 inches

 

Honestly, I think you should get just one to be safe.

 

ok

 

they can live in 30 gallons and are sometimes kept in smaller tanks... 40 should be fine for 2.

 

no they can't live in 30 gallons in good health and two in a 40 there would be fighting most likely and you would have to get another filter greg and you don't have money for that right now

 

yes they can if you have a reason why not please say it but this site itself says they can!

 

a pirahana in a 30 would work but not for optimal conditions think of it this way put yourself in the tank and think about it you won't have much room to turn around and not much room to swim back and forth and you would have to have excellent filteration and gravel vacuum a lot

its an opinion more than anything else and the way I think of if a fish is too big I put myself in his/her position

 

Because they get to be almost a foot long. Most 10 gallon tanks aren't even a foot wide. Most 30 gallon tanks are hardly a foot wide! That and they'll be very cramped - just because they're kept a certain way doesn't mean they should be kept that way.

 

thank you marc pirhanas can get a foot long most 30s are a foot deep that's not much room to turn around

 

30 gallons are fine for pirahnas and a 40 gallon moreover... they do not grow that quickly and I doubt the pirahnas he buys will ever reach a full 12 inches. They will do just fine in a 40 gallon. I'm not sure why you are so worried about filtration although they eat rich expensive foods they aren't that intense polluters.

 

Jon, how would you like it if you were crammed into a space where you brushed the sides whenever you turned around? Especially if the tank is decorated - it's going to be a tight fit regardless of whether or not they get to be a foot long.

And as for waste... pirahnas are messy eaters - just because they only make the normal amount of uh.. 'waste' doesn't mean that's the only way to dirty the water.

 

hello they like LIVE food and they do not eat everything so they leave a lot of waste around so you need to have good filteration to keep good water quality and yes they do grow quickkly most red bellies grow from dime size to 4-6 inches in just 3-4 months

I believe it is time to admit defeat Jon this debate seems to have been won

basically its go fit all your belongins in your bathroom and don't clean it for a month and see how you like it

 

My neighbor has had pirahnas for almost a year and they are only 4 inches long. He keeps 2 in a 29 gallon and they are comfortable... trust me they have no problems turning around... I'm willing to be my life his pirhanas will never get 12 inches and furthermore they won't get even to 8 in the first year or two.

They may eat live food and leave some of it but if he only has 2 pirahnas in a 40 gallon that's only 10-20 inches of fish when they get large. That wouldnt even be close to the amount that would justify another filter.

why would I admit defeat you know nothign you just see the potential and assume that his tiny pirahnas are going to be cramped...

 

do you know all the information in his pirhanas maybe there not the same type my friend is going to get maybe he doesn't do things right and maybe they are physically growing to there tank but there internal organs are sitll gowing and eventually they will die because of this this happens a lot with goldfish

lets wait for gunnie and butterfly to cast there votes on what they believe would work in the meantime I need to get my hw done and I will try to be back on later

chao everybody

 

he has redbellied pirahnas and I would seriously doubt their insides are growing whilst there exteriors are staying the same because they seem very active and happy.

 

Jon, you don't need to argue over anything and everything. I really have to say that you read something off of a website and automatically assume that it's going to be a fact no matter what.

Your neighbor may have had them for a year - but they were probably an inch or two when he bought them - if you grew from 4x your original size in a year, that'd be a HUGE growth spurt.

Buying fish is a commitment to the well-being of the fish and it is a long-term one at that. If you're going to get fish you have to plan ahead.

 

I'm not the one that started this arguement I just said that the redbellied pirahnas would do well in a 40 which I believe they would. Someone tried to rebuke my opinion which is what started the arguement.

From the sounds of it the pirahnas that he is looking at are tiny. Even if they grew to be 4-5 inches in the first year they would still be fine in the tank. There is no way they would grow over 6-7 inches in the first year and they would be fine in that tank up to 7-8". I'm not trying to argue every little thing but you are trying to tell me that I am wrong and your only justification is that in the very unlikely even that they actually attain a length of 10"+ they would be cramped.

I may have read something off of a website but I actually do research. I have talked to a friend about his previously and have looked into pirahnas. I am confident they would be fine in this tank.

While it is good to plan ahead you don't have to plan for the extremely unlikely... There is a higher probabilty that he will get a new larger tank than the fish will grow out of his. In the worst case scenario he would have to get rid of 1.

Also your arguement that if the pirahna would grow to 12" it wouldnt be able to turn around would not work very well because he is getting a pirahana regardless, 2 wouldnt change the fact that a 12" pirahna can't turn around in his tank. I seriously doubt 2 small red-bellied pirahnas would be cramped in this tank however the final decision belongs to neither of us. Hopefully Whatsafish7 will do his own research and establish his own opinions. He is the only one whom's opinion actually counts when it comes down to it.

 

The thing is that anything posted here will influence his opinion - anything that could potentially persuade him to do something that would be bad in the long run isn't something good.

I'm posting information which they should be wary of - they can get too big for the tank.

You really can't assume that they will be buying a new tank just because their two piranhas are too big. Not everyone can afford a new tank.

 

yes but you can't assume the pirrahna will grow to world-record size... I'm just saying all likelyhood there is a greater probabilty that he will get a larger tank than there is that the pirrahna will outgrow its tank in the first place.

 

he just got a tank and won't be getting a new tank soon and you have to consider if they will fight a lot too not every fish is the same and most fish aren't done growing in one year

 

I believe the 2 pirahnas would not fight very much as I have never heard of them fighting amongst themselves excessively...

for the last time I know hes not getting a new tank soon I was just saying that there is a higher probability that by the time the fish outgrow the tank he will have a larger tank than them outgrowing the tank at all...

There is almost no chance of them outgrowing the tank... the probability that in the few years in which this rare situation would need to occur there is a slight chance of him getting a larger tank which probably has a greater probability of happening than the fish outgrowing the tank in the first place...

I know the fish aren't done growing in a year but I doubt that they will ever outgrow this tank...

 

I believe the 2 pirahnas would not fight very much as I have never heard of them fighting amongst themselves excessively...

Unlike you two

 

lol ^,^ its not fair its a 2 on 1 someone please join my side.

 

Yeesh--

Emma is right (even though she says it in an indirect way, lol ) Arguing the whole time is not helping this person who originally posted make a decision any easier. But we can agree (for the most part) to use caution.

To whatsafish7: Perhaps you could just add one pirahna in at the beginning, just to be safe. But also, Even though these fishes may not grow to full length, they also very well MAY, and have been known to. SO just keep an eye out and be able to determine how much space your fish has to himself. Be Honest with yourself. When and IF you feel like the fish is getting to be too big for the current tank you have, it is the wisest decision to provide a larger more permanent home for the little big guy

I'm sure if you went with you instincts and extreme caution (as I am sure Pirahna's are quite the distinctive fish) I'm sure your Pirahna will do just fine

Good Luck!

 

good advice.. though I still stick to my opinion

 

EmpPleco the diplomat, I like the way you summed it up.

 

lol thanks I was just trying to make everyone happy so I had to watch what I said to not cause another debate lol

and try to give good advice all the same time lol

 

Everything I've read said so far tells me that the tank is too small for the fish. It may be okay for 1 piranha, but they do better in a group. They are quite skiddish, and 1 piranha in that tank would probably look like an empty tank because he would be hiding all the time. Since the red belly can reach a foot or more in length, it's just mean to have a fish that large in that size tank, but then you should always plan for the adult size fish for the size of your tank instead of betting on getting a larger tank later. A lot of things can happen between now and then, and you end up with a fish that is too large for his tank. They also do best when in a heavily planted tank with lots of hiding places. This adds to the maintenance of the tank. I could go on and on, but most of this stuff has been already said and I agree with it. But then this is just my opinion, and advice here should be taken as just that.

 

thank you everybody for you're advice. I think I'm going to do what EMpleco said(I hope that is spelled right) first I'm going to get 1 if he is active happy and not growing rapidly I might get another one after a little bit. I will do anything I can to make sure the pirahnaor 2 is doing fine. if I have to get another filter ill save up and get one. I will vacoum gravel and have a lot of plants for the pirrahna to hide in and if he likes it maybe ill get anotherone who knows

 

Sounds good.. Just pay CLOSE attention to their size and behavior.