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yes i have 5 red bellies piranhas in my 60 gallon with good filteration( 900 gallon per hour) and i was wondering if i kept them well fed would they live.

i heard that piranhas grow to there enviorment, like if its a small tank they will only grow up to like 6 inches and not 12.

and right now they are only an 1" big. and they seem to be doing fine

"i heard that piranhas grow to there enviorment, like if its a small tank they will only grow up to like 6 inches and not 12."

Any fish kept in an environment that is too small to accomodate its body will stop growing. Its called stunting and it slowly kills your fish. I would be prepared to upgrade if you really want to care for these guys correctly.

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

u dont think that since there really small right now that they would get used of there enviorment tho

like my friend has a 55 gallon tank with a 1 long cat fish 2 full grown oscars 2 jack demplseys a 6 inche pleco and he had those for like 2 years and there healthy.


so u dont think they would last at all?

They would last, they would just be physically deformed. Kind of like a bonsai tree, except the organs tend to keep growing and the spin compacts. By the time the fish gets like this, it'll die.

I doubt that your fish will last more than a few years. They won't live out their normal lifespan in a tank that small, because (as explained above) the tank doesn't allow them enough space to grow. The fish don't adjust, they are actually harmed. It isn't quite the same as physically restricting something to grow to its natural size (as was and is done with some human body parts), but it still is unnatural and leads to an early death for the fish. You'll need to give the piranha a larger tank.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

"like my friend has a 55 gallon tank with a 1 long cat fish 2 full grown oscars 2 jack demplseys a 6 inche pleco and he had those for like 2 years and there healthy."

The fish you listed are pretty hardy and could survive in conditions like that for years(barring agression doesnt become a problem). Many fish are able to survive in horrible conditions for a period of time, however it doesnt mean they should.

Your friends tank worries me, the stocking is insane. Im surprised the cichleds havent ripped each other to shreds. I'd have the oscars removed immediately. One full grown oscar needs at least 75 gallons. Do you know what kind of catfish he has? There are a couple species commonly sold that hit 4'

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

If that "long catfish" is a Clarias batrachus Walking Catfish, they hit five feet in the wild. Many Pims exceed 3 feet, and among those the Red Tail Catfish isn't the only juggernaut - Paulicea lutkeni can reach seven feet, and the Piraiba can reach a whopping nine feet. Then of course there's the giant Pangasianodon gigas, though I doubt it's one of those because they're endangered in the wild. Which is just as well, because that's a fish that will hit 10 feet.

Big Cichlids, likewise, have large space demands, not only because of their physical size, but because of their strong territoriality. Oscars can reach 14 inches, and at that size need 75 gallons as a minimum just for one specimen, and preferably nearer 125 gallons. I wouldn't put Oscars in anything smaller than 150 gallons if I was going to keep anything else with them, and I'd be pretty careful about what I'd keep with them in case they decided to treat their companions as lunch.

Red Bellied Piranhas can reach 11 inches to my knowledge, and possibly more. Given that they're shoaling fishes, and should be in a group of 6 or more, six 11-inch fishes equals a minimum requirement of 150 gallons, and preferably nearer 200.


Last edited by Calilasseia at 27-Nov-2005 23:08

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002