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How large is the piranha? My suggestion would be to get something that is significantly bigger than him, but in a 50 gallon tank that's going to be a problem if the piranha is more than 6" long...

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I'm pretty sure that piranhas are schooling fish like most Characins, so a group of piranhas would be better for your fish. Also, they would theoretically occupy each other, and not go after tankmates as much. I'm not 100% positive as to whether the previous statement is correct, but I am 100% positive that piranhas really should be kept in schools.

Also, a bigger tank is needed. Piranhas grow pretty large (over 25 cm, depending on the species), and are intolerant of other fish in small spaces. Tank size is probably part of the problem here. If you do get a school of piranhas as suggested, you will need a much larger tank to keep them in. Otherwise, I recommend just returning your fish.

Last edited by sirbooks at 26-Dec-2004 16:28

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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."

It depends on the species... Some of them are just so aggressive that it is just not logical to keep them in groups unless you have a public aquarium-sized tank. I think in the wild, however, all species are schoolers.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

not all piranhas r shoalers many r solo fish and with respect to the vast number of speicies of piranhas most r fruit eaters
ive had great success keeping even rbp solo with award winning colours n finage
some fish r jsut mean n will eat plecos others wont my single rbp eats plecos my shoal of 6 jsut shaves the tail n dorsal fin but thats it

Brybenn's right. Several species of pirhanas are solo swimmers---especially the vegetarian species.

most species in the serrasalmus genus of piranha must be kept solitary, e.g.- s. rhombeus(black piranha), s. manuelli, s. brandtii. the four species in the pygocentrus genus can be shoaled.
in the wild most species of piranha arent very territorially aggressive. but in home aquaria they tend to become a bit more territorial. this piranha of urs has decided that its tank is for it alone. so i wouldnt add anymore plecos if i were u. even a very large one is probably going to get bit up pretty bad. adding two more piranha would might help tho. itll be to busy keeping the other piranha in line to worry about ur pleco.

i have a Piranha in a 50gal tank all by himself with some plants and places for him to hide in but he has eaten every different alge eater i have bought and i was wondering what type it is if any that he will not eat or will atleast save for when he has nothing else.

there is plenty of food for him to get yet he still eats them

thank you in advance for you help