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I have a 29usg tank and i was wondering if a piranha by itsself would be able to grow nicely in it without being stunted ? any suggestions about what i should do ?

If it turns out that the piranha ould get stunted or the tank is too small any suggestions on how i should stock it ? I could always get a bunch of fish impuslively but i would like some other opions . As of now there isnt a fish in the tank but its has been fully cycled without fish and i would like some ideas on what would look nice in it . I am about to get some dwarf hair grass and anacharis plants. I think im gonna also try some shrimp soo any info on them would help, I just need the basics like temp and ph b.c i dont like it when i have to read threw 5 paragrahs to get the basics.

any info on anything above will be very much appreicated

This really depends on the age of the fish, and what kind of fish you're keeping.

Pygocentrus cariba:

- Juveniles (< 3": ± 10 gallons per fish
- Sub-adults (3-6": 10-20 gallons per fish
- Adults (6" and more): 20+ gallons per fish

Pygocentrus nattereri

- Juveniles (< 3": 5-10 gallons per fish
- Sub-adults (3-6": 10-15 gallons per fish
- Adults (6" and above): 15+ gallons per fish

Pygocentrus piraya

- Juveniles (< 3": ± 10 gallons per fish
- Sub-adults (3-6": 10-20 gallons per fish
- Adults (6-12" and above): 20+ gallons per fish
- Full-grown fish (12" and above): at least 40 gallons per fish

Serrasalmus altuvei
Serrasalmus brandtii
Serrasalmus medinai
Serrasalmus spilopleura
Serrasalmus spilopleura CF

- Juveniles (< 3": ± 10-20 gallons
- Sub-adults (3-6": 20-50 gallons
- Adults (6" and more): 50+ gallons

Serrasalmus elongatus

- Juveniles (< 3": not available
- Sub-adults (3-6": 25-65 gallons
- Adults (6" and above): 65 gallons and above

Serrasalmus rhombeus

- Juveniles (< 3": 10-25 gallons
- Sub-adults (3-8": 25-55 gallons
- Adults (8-12": 55-90 gallons
- Full-grown fish (12" and above): 90 gallons and above

Serrasalmus manueli

- Juveniles (< 3": 10-25 gallons
- Sub-adults (3-8": 25-55 gallons
- Adults (8-12": 55-90 gallons
- Full-grown fish (12" and more): 90 gallons and above

umm right now im not sure what type i want.

a 29g. isnt sufficient for any type of piranha even by itself. you could by a small black piranha(serrasalmus rhombeus) and it would be fine for quite a while, due to their slow growth rate. but considering they grow to about 2ft. in the wild, youll obviously need a larger tank down the line. unfortunately with red belly piranha(pygocentrus nattereri) they usually get around 10-12in. in home aquaria. but they grow to 6in. VERY quickly. with as skittish as piranha are around people and the small dimensions of a 29g., ur just lookin to get tagged.

tiger 9 said it perfectly
i have 7 reds in a 180g altho they stand somewhat motionless most of the time when they get spooked they still manage to bang the tank ends

I thought red belly pirhanas were illegal pets in the US?

10G- 6 Zebra Danios, 1 Upside Down Catfish
20G- 1 Goldfish
72G(maybe95)- Need Stock suggestions

As juveniles, piranhas prefer to be in schools. This further makes 29g a small tank for them.

Actually, Piranhas of all species prefer to be in shoals throughout their lives, not just as juveniles. If anyone here is ever fortunate enough to visit the Amazon, then Piranhas will ALWAYS be encountered in shoals. BIG shoals at that. In some cases, a shoal can number a quarter of a million individuals. Put that into perspective, that's more individual fishes in one shoal than the population of Birmingham, Alabama (as of the 2000 Census here). That is a LOT of fishes in one shoal.

They will continue shoaling in numbers of this order thorughout their lives. However, the Amazon is big enough to accommodate such shoals. It IS, after all, a 4,000 mile long river - and the 500 mile stretch from the western coast of Brazil traversing inland is big enough to sail a Nimitz Class nuclear supercarrier on. You can accommodate a LOT of fishes in that much water.

All of this means that keeping Piranhas in an aquarium setup that even remotely approximates their wild condition involves a VERY large tank. Six adult 12 inch Piranhas will need at least 300 gallons to be truly happy, preferably more.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002