Tank size mins for piranhas??

[Matteus]

Hi folks I just wanted to inquire about tank sizes for my own reference. I haven’t owned piranhas for 15 or so years now but am just thinking most of the info had previously is either untrue or outdated. Would like to know the reality more so than lfs info. Lol.

What I was told is a red belly needs 25 gal per fish but knowing they get to 12” that seems very small for a big fish.

Also I was told that s. Rhomb. Needs 100 gal per fish also seems quite small.

Look forward to hearing your responses. Thank you in advance.

 

[Atfownz]

Those are minimal reqs. Like you stated, if you think its small get a bigger one!

 

[Matteus]

Those are minimal reqs. Like you stated, if you think its small get a bigger one!

I was more looking to find out what the general consensus is within the piranha keeping community of what tank sizes should be rather than an ambiguous answer of get a bigger one if you want.

Any (helpful) responses would be great thanks

 

[Deadliestviper7]

What species you thinking of?

 

[nzafi]

It comes down to the piranha. Many people believe they are more comfortable in smaller tanks. Rhoms don’t grow beyond 12in in captivity. Mine stopped at about 10in after 17 years of ownership and he spent most of his life in 75g. If you get a 17in import I wouldn’t put it in anything less than a 240g frankly.

I’ve never kept reds but I honestly wouldn’t want to keep one in a tank smaller than 75g once’s it’s fully grown but I’m sure folks do smaller. 25g is definitely too small.

 

[Sacrifice03]

There's definitely not a gallon size per fish rule for Piranhas. It really all depends on the size of piranha that you're keeping and how many. As mentioned above. Some Serras would prefer a smaller tank. They may not feel secure in a really large tank.

Without knowing which species and their size it's a bit hard to give you a straight answer. Many juvie Serras can easily be housed in a 40b for some time because of their slow growth. With Pygos however I wouldn't really attempt to start a small group 6-10 in anything less than a 75g because they grow very quickly in the first year, then I would upgrade to at least a 125g or 180g if I still have 6-10 left.

 

[DOOB]

years ago I kept 5 adult red bellies in a 125. it was a beautiful tank and I have always had a thing for piranhas. now that I have the exodons, if I had that same tank today, I would forget all about the piranhas and throw 75 to 80 exodons in and plant it out nice. the bucktooths are 10 times the fish IMO

 

[Sacrifice03]

years ago I kept 5 adult red bellies in a 125. it was a beautiful tank and I have always had a thing for piranhas. now that I have the exodons, if I had that same tank today, I would forget all about the piranhas and throw 75 to 80 exodons in and plant it out nice. the bucktooths are 10 times the fish IMO

I've literally never heard anyone who was disappointed with Exos. I've been tempted many times to do a massive group of them, just never had a tank to pull the trigger on them.

 

[DOOB]

I've literally never heard anyone who was disappointed with Exos. I've been tempted many times to do a massive group of them, just never had a tank to pull the trigger on them.

dude the more of them you put together the better they do with these fellas!!! feeding time makes piranhas look boring really. now they don't cut fish in half with one bite, but they all attack at the same time and devour it!!! they even help each other out by holding the food in their mouth while the others rip and tear at it.

 

[Matteus]

Great responses. Thank you all. Interesting about rhom maxing at 1’. If I would have known that, many years ago I most likely would have had more of them.

Deadliestviper7 i was mostly thinking about the 2 I mentioned

I am definitely on board with the exodons. I look forward to doing one of these tanks maybe some time next year or so.