Questionable Piranha Tank-mates

[ballinouttacntrol]

so.... going back to the original post "questionable tank MATES".... I'd like to have a couple cleaners... Shrimp, armoured catfish, pleco's, snails.... Whats the recommendation for this?

FYI... i only have 5-3in RBP's and some plants (Argentinian Sword... some sort of grass and another plant) in a 55gal.

The original post already answered that...and then there's 11 pages and 3 years worth of posts from other people sharing their experience.

 

[connor651]

sorry... I thought there would be a more direct answer. I ended up getting a common pleco. the piranhas will, when scared, actually go and hide wherever the pleco is. They don't seem to mind him. They sure rip apart the goldfish though, and take bites out of each others fin some times.

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

sorry... I thought there would be a more direct answer. I ended up getting a common pleco. the piranhas will, when scared, actually go and hide wherever the pleco is. They don't seem to mind him. They sure rip apart the goldfish though, and take bites out of each others fin some times.

good luck, my original pleco lasted 6 months before they broke the thermometer and i found it a floater, i've had no luck introducing a new one as they eat them as soon as lights out

p.s. sorry if my previous post came off rude

 

[connor651]

its all good, i understand that some questions get asked too much... lol

Sorry about your pleco, my rpb's don't even care for him, esp since the tank upgrade. then again, they havent touched their food in a week or so.

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

its all good, i understand that some questions get asked too much... lol

Sorry about your pleco, my rpb's don't even care for him, esp since the tank upgrade. then again, they havent touched their food in a week or so.

hahaha, most of the stickys are here because they're commonly asked questions, so you found the right area.

ah no worries about the pleco. it was cool while it lasted. in all honesty, i've had to do less maintenance without him there anyways. the poop output isn't worth what it was bringing to the tank.

 

[Judge Holden]

it's natural to have an attachment to any type of animal you keep as a pet. Shrimp keepers might feel the same way you feel about oscars. Goldfish owners don't feel the same way some people feel about tossing rosey reds or gold fish in their tank for feeders. Rat keepers look down upon snake owners etc etc. There's a ton of examples. Truth is, ANY fish anyone finds affordable or easily accessible can be a feeder.

Here's another example: some people like dogs. Others like staging dog fights. Just because people in the first group feel attached to that particular animal doesn't mean it's wrong to fight them. Heck, dogs do it in the wild, so what's the big deal? And some cultures EAT them.

Do you agree or not? This is the exact same argument you're using. Relativism gives us no means of drawing a distinction between civilization and barbarism. Little by little, practices that were once popular are recognized as being beneath us as human beings (cockfighting and bear-baiting, for example).

no need to paint piranhas owners as bad guys because you love oscars.

Heh. Piranha owners don't need my help. YouTube works wonders. By the same reasoning, there's no need to criticize Michael Vick simply because I love dogs.

Funny, this is completely unpersuasive.

 

[rullygars]

dont try mix piranhas with any tankmates!!!
please!!!
dont take any reason such as like"they just cheap" or "just for experiment"!!!
piranhas tank just for species tank only....!
please just take alook this for appreciates life....
if all of you want to add other fish,please,buy a new tank for them!!!
just imagine that you put your self on a room with full of starving tiger,naked and unarmed!!!
once more time i sugested,APPRECIATES life!
sorry if my english is screw up!!


19 red bellies piranhas(6")
1 atactosteus spatula(20")
1 tiger shovelnose(25")
4 green terror(6")
1 gymnarchus niloticus(15")
1 frontosa cichlid(8")
2 channa micropeltes(20")
1 wallago lerii(10")
1 phractocephalus hemiolopterus(25")
1 black pacu(20")
2 clarias gariepinus(30")
1 american festae(8")
2 indo pasific tarpon(6")
1 indo datnioides(5")
1 channa stiata(20")
1 parachromis managuense(10")
1 midas cichlid(6")
1 brazil turtle(10")
4 common pleco(10")

 

[Rubygirl77]

Goldfish are not bred for health and can be disastrous to feed...your better off getting something on sale in the 'keeper' section or just feeding frozen.

 

[crazyfishguy]

Plecostomus (Common)
One of the most common seen fish with piranhas from juveniles right up to adults. These are often successful due to the following:

-Grows to good large sizes. 12 inches being common.
-Their body is bulky, protected and heavily armoured. Often too hard for a stray bite to penetrate.
-They are fairly inactive. Hence they do not draw much attention to themselves.
-They will often hold their ground and normally defend themselves. Often using their heads as battering-rams, and their tails as whips.
-Commons are easy to come by and fairly cheap to replace if mishaps do occur down the line. Most people hand large plecos back to the LFS once they outgrow their tank.

They are often seen as algae patrol and a ditcher for aggression. The common pleco keeps the bottom of the tank in movement while the piranhas patrol above.


Tetras (Small and Fast)
These are more common in large adult piranha (especially Serrasalmus species) tanks. And are successful because:

-Their small size means large piranhas will not bother giving chase for something so small.
-Their constant darting speed also means piranhas will not give chase.
-Being shoaling fish means there are plenty of eyes and sensors to track the piranhas.
-Tetras are very common, and very cheap, hence easily replaced if they are occasionally picked off in small numbers from the shoal.

Their fast movements with bright colours often add attraction to the piranha tank. While their small size makes piranhas look much bigger and more ‘king’ like. They serve as an added attraction, ditcher (to be chased), and help pick up small food pieces from the mess piranhas make while eating.


Pacu
They have been seen to work with Pygocentrus species tanks on occasions. This sometimes works out to be successful because:

-In the wild both pacu and piranha shoal together while young.
-Pacus look very much alike Pygo Piranhas, and are very good at imitating their behaviour to fit in.
-When attacked pacus do not swim in the opposite direction with their back end to the piranha (preferred form of attack for piranhas). Instead they defend themselves head on.

Always worth a shot at trying, however for the space a pacu takes up, it is normally preferred to just purchase more piranhas for the shoal.


Oscars
They have been seen not to only exist with Pygocentrus species but lead the attack on any food the shoal would be interested in. They can work out to be successful because:

-They are very aggressive fish with a bold character.
-Oscars never run away from attacks but face them head on in a full charge.
-In the wild Oscars have been seen defending and fending off shoals of attacking piranhas.
-Oscars are relatively cheap and grow fast, so can easily be replaced if mishaps occur.

Although they may survive with piranhas, they will rarely become part of the shoal.


Peacock Bass
They are one of the lesser experimented with fish, but I have seen the cohabitation with my own eyes. They are sometimes successful because:

-Pbass are again a very aggressive and bold fish that is used-to a structure and hierarchy.
-They are fast when they need to be, very strong swimmers and very aggressive swimmers.
-And has an equally aggressive feeding habit, chasing down food.
- In fact Pbass used to be put into water-holes in South America where piranhas were, to attack or eat the piranhas so farmers’ cattle would be safe when drinking.

However Peacock bass are arguably too expensive and too pretty to be sacrificed in such experiments where there is no certainty.


Invertebrates (Snails & Shrimps)
If all else fails, snails and shrimp are often helpful in cleaning the tank as they are cheating the ‘tank mate game’. This is because:

-The small size means they are barely noticeable.
-The effort to eat one does not gain the piranha much as they are hardly a worth while meal.
-Snails will obviously combat algae while shrimp will tackle the uneaten food particles.

Being that inverts are so cheap and easy to come by, even if a few go missing due to aggressive piranhas looking for a kill, it just means you have offered an alternative food source.

can u keep smaller red bellys in with a large one

 

[Talon]

I currently have blue crayfish living with my red belly. They dont pay too much attention to him. He actually seems more interested in eating the piranhas too be honest.