Rasing Piranah's

Well, piranhas are deffinitely illegal in Florida and red devils get way too big for a 20 gallon tank. The only cichlids I can think of that have quite a bit of presonality and will fit in a 20 gallon are a single convict or a single firemouth (but that would still be pushing it).

-Chelle

 

Convicts are still pretty cool, i didnt mean i was againts feeders i was just buggin u my fish would probaly be scared of a feeder :?

 

theres people who breed convicts to feed their piranhas lol convicts are like agressive feeders

 

Honestly, I think you are sick and sadistic.. go get a counsellor :?

 

bad idea

sorry for the long post, but worth reading i hope. to be totally honest, piranhas are probably not the fish for you. any animal you purchase is a LIFELONG committment, and by the time you finish school, your fish will have grown immensely in size and living requirements. i have had redbellies for the past 4 years (actually they were supposed to be my boyfriend's but I seem to be the one always caring for them.) after 3 years in a 55 gallon we had to move them to a 125. the tank was almost $400. the stand was only about $150 because i built it. it was a LOT of work. expect to pay as much for a stand as you do for the tank of this size. we bought a fluval filter for $150, which promptly broke, and had to buy another fluval, plus an aquaclear 500 for about $80. youre going to pay at least $60 for gravel. figure another i dont know...$50 for a python vacuum. $8 each for baby fry, $50 to $100 for palm sized fish. expect to vacuum the tank EVERY WEEK. Expect to feed at least $10 worth of feeders every 5 days or so, or expect to replace your piranha when they eat each other. honestly the thrill of watching them eat is pretty lame- they usually won't eat in front of you, unless its really dark, and when they do you better not blink or youll miss it. watch the discovery channel if you want to see nature's violence. We moved apartments (as you will do in college) and it was a NIGHTMARE to catch the little bastards, then keep them separately until the tank could be emptied, transported, refilled, and cycled properly. oh yeah, recently ive been spending about $40 a month on chemicals because we're having an ammonia problem. you need to buy a water quality test kit too. and heater (~$45?) and an air pump ($90). now that the fish are much larger and their tank is twice the size, i dont want to even think of moving. These fish are VERY EXPENSIVE, VERY HIGH MAINTENANCE, and pretty boring- EXTREMELY skittish. however they are beautiful, and extremely hardy. im speaking from a lot of experience. these fish are better to wait to have until you have your own place that you plan on staying in for quite some time. They will undoubtedly cost way more than you will calculate. pm me if you want any more info.

 

Re: bad idea

Those are some VERY good points. I'd like to add something, though. You would be MUCH better off breeding your own feeders. Store bought feeders carry all kinds of diseases. So you can add another $100 - $200 for the set up to breed your own feeders.

-Chelle

 

yeah convicts are clean feeders if u breed them urself lots of people do that.....instead of getting feeder goldfish

 

raising feeders

please advise on raising own feeders?
i had a bunch of goldfish in a 20 gallon for a while- not sure what conditions to provide to get them to breed? bigger tank? water temp? ph? i would be interested in raising convicts maybe instead. any words of advice? these suckers are damn expensive to feed, not tomention im at the fish store 2x a week. this is all provided they survive the current black mold bloom we have been cursed with (detailed on another thread). im almost hoping they dont.

 

Re: raising feeders

20 gallons is way too small to get goldfish to breed (and really not big enough for a goldfish to live in either).

If you want to breed convicts, I suggest getting a 30 - 40 gallon tank for the adults. Just put a male & female in there and chances are they'll breed. You can either let the parents raise them (some may get eaten) or when they're free swimming transfer them to the 20 gallon and feed them crushed up flake food.

-Chelle

 

Re: bad idea

Excellent post! Finally a piranha owner speaks the truth Wonderful to hear it