Piraya Piranha Tank Size

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

So I am considering getting a single Piraya Piranha and wanted to know the minimum size I could keep an adult full grown in. I have been asking here on the forums and people say all different things. I hear they can get to 16" and in some cases even more. I will be moving in a year or more so this tank will be being moved eventually to an apartment. I know bigger is better but I only have so much real estate. So I am wondering if I could get opinions on what size you guys use for your adults to kind of get an idea on what the majority of people are doing. I've heard some people say 125 gallons and I've heard others say 180 gallons. The idea of a 180 gallon scares me as I will be moving it into an apartment but I guess if they need it, they need it.

 

[Blakewater]

What floor of the apartment will you be moving to? I live in an apartment as well and was able to "finagle" my way into getting a 325 in with their okay. I live on the first floor though with a concrete foundation. As per your question, Piraya need a 180. Theyre a very active fish and need the exercise! But on the plus side a happier fish means a larger and more beautiful fish for you to show off and gawk over. Sometimes its hard to imagine a fish thats 16" needing a 180 but when you see a 16" Piraya in person with their deep bodies and muscular build you'd think even a 180 is small for them. I've actually seen one that got 18.5" too; they some chonky bois. But you'll basically own a living paper shredder

 

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

What floor of the apartment will you be moving to? I live in an apartment as well and was able to "finagle" my way into getting a 325 in with their okay. I live on the first floor though with a concrete foundation. As per your question, Piraya need a 180. Theyre a very active fish and need the exercise! But on the plus side a happier fish means a larger and more beautiful fish for you to show off and gawk over. Sometimes its hard to imagine a fish thats 16" needing a 180 but when you see a 16" Piraya in person with their deep bodies and muscular build you'd think even a 180 is small for them. I've actually seen one that got 18.5" too; they some chonky bois. But you'll basically own a living paper shredder

I'm not sure yet what floor I will be moving onto. It will be whatever is available.

And so if I buy a baby, (I'm not actually sure where I can pick one of these up) what size tank would I start with? A 65? Won't he be needing a 125 by the time he's a year old? The 125 would last him a few years after that but eventually I would then have to put him in a 180.

 

[Blakewater]

A baby would be okay in a 75 for a bit but they really need that swimming space. My biggest suggestion to you is wait until you move and know what floor you live on before committing to a fish that needs such a heavy tank. Coming from a Carpenter, broken floor joists and massive water damage are two veeeeeeery expensive cans of worms. If you can I would request a 1st floor apartment, most multi story buildings are built on a concrete slab. Pirayas are hard to get rid of if you can't house it as well, not a lot of people can commit their "big" tank to a single wet pet.

 

[Blakewater]

A baby would be okay in a 75 for a bit but they really need that swimming space. My biggest suggestion to you is wait until you move and know what floor you live on before committing to a fish that needs such a heavy tank. Coming from a Carpenter, broken floor joists and massive water damage are two veeeeeeery expensive cans of worms. If you can I would request a 1st floor apartment, most multi story buildings are built on a concrete slab. Pirayas are hard to get rid of if you can't house it as well, not a lot of people can commit their "big" tank to a single wet pet.

Also, if they dont want to take your request. Tell them you have knee problems

 

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

A baby would be okay in a 75 for a bit but they really need that swimming space. My biggest suggestion to you is wait until you move and know what floor you live on before committing to a fish that needs such a heavy tank. Coming from a Carpenter, broken floor joists and massive water damage are two veeeeeeery expensive cans of worms. If you can I would request a 1st floor apartment, most multi story buildings are built on a concrete slab. Pirayas are hard to get rid of if you can't house it as well, not a lot of people can commit their "big" tank to a single wet pet.

Could a baby start in something as big as a 125?

And that's something I will definitely look into. The 1st floor I mean.

 

[Blakewater]

Could a baby start in something as big as a 125?

And that's something I will definitely look into. The 1st floor I mean.

A 125 would be much better, and if you were on a second or third floor you could probably keep a 125 no matter what assuming you could figure out which walls were load bearing and ran the tank across the joists. Joists are set every 2 ft most of the time so you could get it over 4 to really distribute the weight. You could also get away with only filling it 75% of the way full. You could even get a custom aquarium made with a larger footprint and lesser height to distribute weight like a 96Lx24Wx16H" which is actually only 160 gallons. Which would not only lower the weight from the water but also the enclosure weight due to thinner material being lighter. also it would spread the weight out even further among 5 joists bringing it to 32 gallons of water weight on each joist which is the equivalent of a 125s weight distribution over 4. You could also go with acrylic to make it even lighter and order an aluminum stand if you really wanted to go nuts.

 

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

A 125 would be much better, and if you were on a second or third floor you could probably keep a 125 no matter what assuming you could figure out which walls were load bearing and ran the tank across the joists. Joists are set every 2 ft most of the time so you could get it over 4 to really distribute the weight. You could also get away with only filling it 75% of the way full. You could even get a custom aquarium made with a larger footprint and lesser height to distribute weight like a 96Lx24Wx16H" which is actually only 160 gallons. Which would not only lower the weight from the water but also the enclosure weight due to thinner material being lighter. also it would spread the weight out even further among 5 joists bringing it to 32 gallons of water weight on each joist which is the equivalent of a 125s weight distribution over 4. You could also go with acrylic to make it even lighter and order an aluminum stand if you really wanted to go nuts.

This is extremely helpful, thank you so much.

How long do you think a 125 would last for a Piraya? Could I just plop a baby in a 125 or should I go smaller at first? That would mean three tank changes as in 65(?), 125, 180.

And is the 96Lx24Wx16H 160 gallon the same footprint as a 180? So if I had that custom made it would be pretty much the same as a 160 to the fish?

 

[Blakewater]

This is extremely helpful, thank you so much.

How long do you think a 125 would last for a Piraya? Could I just plop a baby in a 125 or should I go smaller at first? That would mean three tank changes as in 65(?), 125, 180.

And is the 96Lx24Wx16H 160 gallon the same footprint as a 180? So if I had that custom made it would be pretty much the same as a 160 to the fish?

Bigger is always better. Bigger means faster growth and a healthier fish. It also means less work for you as the water params won't swing back and fourth. But in my opinion, one of the biggest reasons is money. Setting up tanks is expensive, ESPECIALLY big tanks. I spent over $2,000 [not including the tank or stand] getting everything to make my 325 gallon an amazing tank and that wasn't even with expensive lighting or gear; I mainly built everything myself.. including the filter. I'd say just buy a big tank now and save yourself the trouble down the road. Even if you resold the tanks after switching up you'd be losing a ton of money, tanks do not hold their value. Ex: my 325g new costs $3,000 + shipping.. I bought it and a stand slightly used for $600 + Gas money to go pick it up. Id even say, whether money is an issue or not, larger tanks are WAAAAAAAAAAY more fun to look at and to aquascape. You'd also need to do fewer water changes and tank maintenance after the initial set up. But in the end it all boils down to the happiness of the fish and if you have the ability to give something you might very well keep for 10+ years the biggest happiest home you can, then why not?

 

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

Bigger is always better. Bigger means faster growth and a healthier fish. It also means less work for you as the water params won't swing back and fourth. But in my opinion, one of the biggest reasons is money. Setting up tanks is expensive, ESPECIALLY big tanks. I spent over $2,000 [not including the tank or stand] getting everything to make my 325 gallon an amazing tank and that wasn't even with expensive lighting or gear; I mainly built everything myself.. including the filter. I'd say just buy a big tank now and save yourself the trouble down the road. Even if you resold the tanks after switching up you'd be losing a ton of money, tanks do not hold their value. Ex: my 325g new costs $3,000 + shipping.. I bought it and a stand slightly used for $600 + Gas money to go pick it up. Id even say, whether money is an issue or not, larger tanks are WAAAAAAAAAAY more fun to look at and to aquascape. You'd also need to do fewer water changes and tank maintenance after the initial set up. But in the end it all boils down to the happiness of the fish and if you have the ability to give something you might very well keep for 10+ years the biggest happiest home you can, then why not?

So I could start a baby in a 125 gallon and if he looks like he needs less space I could always use a separator.

And is the 96Lx24Wx16H 160 gallon the same footprint as a 180? So if I had that custom made it would be pretty much the same as a 160 to the fish?