Questionable Piranha Tank-mates
- Thread starter Joshy
- Start date
In my lengthy experience in the piranha world, I have experimented with the below fish with varying success.
This experiment involved Natts and Caribe in the 5 to 6 inch range in a 180 gallon tank not heavily stocked. Shoals ranged from 3 to 8 at a time. I wouldnt try keeping piranhas with other fish in anything like a 55 or 75 gallon as the fish have no room to escape.
I have a smaller tank now in a new place so I just have my two breeding wild reds weighing in at roughly 11 inches.
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Exodon Paradoxus: (Short Term). Scale eaters. They are very active and can be vicious to their own kind and other fish. Unfortunately since they are scale eater, they can do some damage to your piranhas if you are wary of your piranhas getting nipped. Eventually though the piranhas get peeved and catch and kill them. The do have spunk.
Common Pleco: Short Term. At a foot, it was significantly larger. Active at night and push around other fish when scavenging. Stand their ground which makes them noticed by an aggitated pygo. It was able to hold its ground until one day I saw it upside down with chunks ripped out of its face. Push come to shove the piranhas got tired of its crap.
Jaguar Cichlid: No shot. To headstrong a fish. Got killed off easily as it liked to flare its gills at piranhas yawning with razor sharp teeth. Around 6 incher.
Tiger Oscar: One mean ass tiger oscar I got from someone who kept this badass 14 incher in a 55gallon tank. He was quite a bruiser and was able to hold his ground with the piranhas. Bear in mind this was one tough oscar, not the usual placid oscar that fights only when needed. Now and than he got his tail bit up. Shocklingly, he survived but I had to get rid of this fish because it couldn't co-exist with another fish I had with the piranha at the same time......My favorite fish with piranhas.
Red Belly Pacu: Able to blend in well with the shoal and even muched on feeders, this pacu was quite entertaining. Sure it grew to a whopping two feet and was the size of a plate, which made it stick out from the rest of its shoaling piranha brethren. Since it didnt lock jaws or try to go head to head with a piranha it wasnt in danger of losing a jaw like the jaguar or oscar. It would bull rush with its body and pound a piranha. Whenever it would get its fin nipped it would seek out the culprit and give him a massive ram. Eventually they all just got along fine and the shoal even stood up to an oscar I had in that was picking on him.
I had to get rid of him only because I was moving.
I would like to still try Silver Dollars or Red Hooks but the cost is prohibitve and as I said, I dont have a large tank anymore.
Hope this helps.
This experiment involved Natts and Caribe in the 5 to 6 inch range in a 180 gallon tank not heavily stocked. Shoals ranged from 3 to 8 at a time. I wouldnt try keeping piranhas with other fish in anything like a 55 or 75 gallon as the fish have no room to escape.
I have a smaller tank now in a new place so I just have my two breeding wild reds weighing in at roughly 11 inches.
___________________________________________________________
Exodon Paradoxus: (Short Term). Scale eaters. They are very active and can be vicious to their own kind and other fish. Unfortunately since they are scale eater, they can do some damage to your piranhas if you are wary of your piranhas getting nipped. Eventually though the piranhas get peeved and catch and kill them. The do have spunk.
Common Pleco: Short Term. At a foot, it was significantly larger. Active at night and push around other fish when scavenging. Stand their ground which makes them noticed by an aggitated pygo. It was able to hold its ground until one day I saw it upside down with chunks ripped out of its face. Push come to shove the piranhas got tired of its crap.
Jaguar Cichlid: No shot. To headstrong a fish. Got killed off easily as it liked to flare its gills at piranhas yawning with razor sharp teeth. Around 6 incher.
Tiger Oscar: One mean ass tiger oscar I got from someone who kept this badass 14 incher in a 55gallon tank. He was quite a bruiser and was able to hold his ground with the piranhas. Bear in mind this was one tough oscar, not the usual placid oscar that fights only when needed. Now and than he got his tail bit up. Shocklingly, he survived but I had to get rid of this fish because it couldn't co-exist with another fish I had with the piranha at the same time......My favorite fish with piranhas.
Red Belly Pacu: Able to blend in well with the shoal and even muched on feeders, this pacu was quite entertaining. Sure it grew to a whopping two feet and was the size of a plate, which made it stick out from the rest of its shoaling piranha brethren. Since it didnt lock jaws or try to go head to head with a piranha it wasnt in danger of losing a jaw like the jaguar or oscar. It would bull rush with its body and pound a piranha. Whenever it would get its fin nipped it would seek out the culprit and give him a massive ram. Eventually they all just got along fine and the shoal even stood up to an oscar I had in that was picking on him.
I had to get rid of him only because I was moving.
I would like to still try Silver Dollars or Red Hooks but the cost is prohibitve and as I said, I dont have a large tank anymore.
Hope this helps.
You could probably keep a 6 or 7 inch Green Sunfish with Piranha.
Green Sunfish are tough.
Green Sunfish are tough.
