Piranha Tank

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greatwhiteshark

Registered Member
Feb 4, 2002
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Hello. I am posting the parameters of my piranha tank for those curious about these mysterious creatures. Pictures will be up shortly.

Anybody who is interested in the wonderful, and misunderstood world of these vicious fish of the Amazon is more than welcome to contact me. I would be more than happy to answer any questions about these fish including setting up and caring for them.

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Tank:

180 Gallons
72X24X24
All-Glass-Aquarium

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Stand:

Metal
On Top: 180 Gallon Tank
On Bottom: 20 Gallon Feeder Tank, Wet/Dry Sump, Eheim 2229 W/D Canister Filter

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Hood:

Glass Hinged Hood

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Lighting:

48 Inch Double Strip Light
Timer 10 Hrs Light/14 Hrs Dark

Keep bulbs partially covered because piranha prefer low lighting.
Would guess about .20 Watts per gallon gets through.

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Substrate:

River Rocks: Grey 150 Pounds

I saw an exhibit in a private aquarium which used solely grey river rocks in a large koi aquarium which looked terrific. The grey color also brings out the color in the piranha.

In terms of maintenance. The river rocks are much easier to syphon than gravel because of the large gaps and I can push the rocks out of the way. I clean almost all of the dirt and fish heads each week and can see all the dirt by looking underneath the tank if I miss a spot.

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Heating:

Kept at 82 Degrees for maximum metabolism and activity.

(2) Pro-Heat 350 LCD Digital Heater/Thermometer Titanium

placed in each corner of the tank near the powerheads for circulation and ideal heating. Will be put in sump, out of site when obtained. Upgraded to these titanium heaters recently that have digital read out of current tank temp and heater temperature on a LCD screen attached to heater. These are unbreakable to my Pacu, Pleco, and Piranhas.

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Decoration

(3) Tall Plastic Plants
(4) Small Plastic Plants (stuck on hood)
(1) Banana Plant LIVE
(1) Java Moss {on driftwood}
(1) Amazon Sword LIVE

The very large 2 foot plastic plants. Tank is very low light so all real plants besides a few kinds would die.

(3) Driftwood

One piece bought in store about 20 inches long. Another traded by a friend that is nice big piece. Last piece 14 inch and is floating on top with java moss hanging down. Still looking for a 4 foot plus vertical piece to replace rocks.
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Food:

100 Feeders a week
Catfish Chunks
Algae Wafers
Crayfish
Minnows
Each Other Sometimes.

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Filtration:

(2) Aquaclear 500 {with double sponges for each}
(1) Eheim 2229 W/D
(1) Emperor 400 {with cellpore cartridges}
(2) Aquaclear 802 Quickfilters

Soon to be purchasing a w/d sump to replace the emperor 400 for optimal biological filtration.
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Fish:

(3) Red Belly Piranha 8-9" P. Nattereri
(2) Cariba Piranha 8" P. Cariba
(1) Yellow King Piranha 9" P. Ternetzi
(1) Red Belly Pacu 13" P. Brachypomus
(1) Common Pleco 14"

All fish in my tank are wild caught in the Amazon. I will hopefully obtain a P. Piraya to complete my collection any day now...

Had exodon paradoxus as well but were picking on my pacu to much and was afraid when I added cariba, would get eaten, so they were moved to a separate 30 gallon setup by themself.
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Last edited:

lukas

Registered Member
Feb 22, 2010
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are catoprion mento considered to be "true" piranha or pirambebas? Are they legal in texas? I have tried contacting Texas Fish and Wildlife, but no response back from them.
 

lilim10

AC Members
Aug 7, 2008
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Chicago
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June
Piranhas huh? You might want to check out monsterfishkeepers.com, if you haven't already. Good job keeping those critters, wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of those teeth.
 

IceH2O

Bazinga
Nov 26, 2005
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Rock Hill,South Carolina
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