Please HELP my piranha!!

[ELForbes]

I have a red-bellied piranha who is at least 17 years old. I recently changed the filter to a Fluval (I originally had a Whisper), after which the levels went berserk. I finally got them stabilized, and he's been doing well since (about 3 months).

Suddenly, last week, I noticed he was acting funny- he kept facing upward, toward the water surface but not AT the surface. Levels were slightly off again, so fixed that (sounds like it may have been due to a hidden dead crayfish ).

However, he's back to looking at the surface, and his bottom lip looks swollen. In fact, I can no longer see his teeth... I'm not sure if that's due to the swelling or if he lost them. If the latter, is that normal?

I'm seriously panicking, and the place I usually go for help is closed today.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[dr exum]

maybe put the old filter back and run in conjunction with new filter until it’s established-

test water with API - grab some prime to make water safe (have to dose every day)

post water param

 

[tlindsey]

I have a red-bellied piranha who is at least 17 years old. I recently changed the filter to a Fluval (I originally had a Whisper), after which the levels went berserk. I finally got them stabilized, and he's been doing well since (about 3 months).

Suddenly, last week, I noticed he was acting funny- he kept facing upward, toward the water surface but not AT the surface. Levels were slightly off again, so fixed that (sounds like it may have been due to a hidden dead crayfish ).

However, he's back to looking at the surface, and his bottom lip looks swollen. In fact, I can no longer see his teeth... I'm not sure if that's due to the swelling or if he lost them. If the latter, is that normal?

I'm seriously panicking, and the place I usually go for help is closed today.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!!View attachment 1454680
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Agree with dr exum

 

[Deadeye]

I agree, get the old filter back, test water, do a water change.
Piranhas are fighters, they don’t give up easily.

 

[Cich Mind]

Hey E ELForbes ,

I am no expert on RBP's but 17 years old is quite old. Do you think it might be old age causing this problem. This is just purely a guess as I don't know how long they are supposed to live. GL with your fish.

 

[Deadeye]

17 is old, many don’t make it that long, but piranhas have been seen into their 20s and even 30s.

 

[Cich Mind]

Wow Deadeye ,

I had no clue RBP's could live that long. Is that lifespan similar to American cichlids I wonder?

 

[Deadeye]

I think so. Average for most fish is still in the 10-15 year range. Piranhas also fall there, but 25 ish is possible. I’m pretty sure pacus can go even longer.
Good care is the key to long lives. Most American cichlids you can expect 10-20 years depending on species. Someone on here was posting about a 14 year old Midas, and it looked as good as Jex’s fish Casper (who is only 3). I wouldn’t be surprised if it had at least another 10 years. I’ve even read about 40+ year old clownfish.
Essentially, expect 10-15 years for most mid size aquarium fish that are properly cared for, and double it under perfect conditions.

 

[deeda]

Also see if you can get a clearer picture of his mouth area if you can as you mentioned his bottom lip seemed swelled up.

 

[nzafi]

Sort out your water parameters. It’s probably the cause. Also, make sure you check your ph and no stray voltage. I lost my rhom at 17 years old due to stray voltage that I caught too late.