View Full Version : Red Bellies
Hey, I need to move two red belly piranhas into a 55 g for about a month or two because I need to repair their other tank. They are adults, about 16in each. Do you think I am going to make out alright? The territoriality should not be an issue as they have lived together without even a minor inicident for about 2 years already- I have heard of people keeping pairs of oscars in 55 gallons for life, but this hsould only be temporary. Any advice/personal experience would be really appreciated. Thanks. (And no, geographer, serving them to my friends for dinner is not a possible solution here);)
Or has anyone kept large fish successfully in a 55 and if so what type
SimonWoodstock
11-02-2003, 8:39 PM
i would think that would be very cramped...but hey, if its all you got...its better than not putting them in anything for a month!
You could try getting a couple big plastic containers to put them in temp. if the 55 is too small.
Hey I am sorry they are not each 16 inches, they are a combined 16 (7 and 9)
SimonWoodstock
11-02-2003, 9:03 PM
oh, thats a different story...i was wondering if red bellies got that long... there should not be a prob putting them in there i dont think, if they do try to kill each other, you can always put a divider in there just to keep em alive until you other tank is fixed.
btw, what size is your other tank.
dwf73
11-03-2003, 11:30 PM
Their usual tank is 180g. I started out with a full shoal, then a few of the smaller fish were getting bruised up pretty badly so I reduced the group to the 4 smallest fish. They got along great suprisingly, but I sold two of them and now only two remain. I plan to keep them both, and although the 55 gallon looks to be temporary as of now, I may consider for a more long-term stay since they do not require an exclusive 180 gallon tank at this point. I have to say that in all my experience this is very strange because the two piranhas do not quarrel at all, which I have never seen before, especially after so long a time together. So do you think if the agression is negligible the 55 gallon is suitable for a more long term use?
SimonWoodstock
11-04-2003, 12:04 AM
If they seem happy and have plenty of room, why not? I don't know too much about piranhas, though. Just observe them while you repair your large tank, and if they seem to be healthy leave them in. You can always put them back in your 180 if they are too cramped.
Then again, my friend had 2 red bellies in a 55g. He said they were fine until they got larger. Then they would fight until one eventually died and just had one in it.
If they do start to fight while your 180 is under repairs, I would keep one in the 55 and get a big plastic thing from wal-mart or a dollar store and keep the other in it. All while working on your 180 as quickly as you can.
Keep us up to date on how they are acting.