notice a bite or ragged tailfin

Question
QUESTION: just woundeing what products are best to use for ragged tails or a bit tail or just good 4 them i have 4 piranhas and i have been cleaning the tank real good for the past 2days so they r probly stressed right i put stress x in and it seem to help is that ok and what is the best foods fo them that arn't messy thanks jimmy  sry 4 all the question thank you so much tho

ANSWER: Hi Jimmy,
You could feed your piranhas crickets that you will find at your Pet Store.  Worms are also good for them, that you find in Bait shops.  Never feed them insects or worms that you find in your garden or on your lawn, as they may have pesticides in them, and that would kill your fish.  To clean the worms, you put them in a container with oats for one week, this will get rid of any earth they have in them.  
As they get older you can buy them fish bait at the bait shop.  They would be cheaper there than at a pet store.  Make sure they are not  the scented ones, ask for the regular.  Most Bait shops have Mackeral, Minnows, and squid.  These make great food for Piranhas.  Piranhas do not need live food.  This is a myth, and it is better to keep away from it.  Feeder fish have no nutritional value, and are sometimes full of disease.  It is better to stay away from live foods as we never know if it is sick, and what disease it could bring to our fish.
They should also have good quality flakes, pellets/sticks which contain vitamins.
Freeze dried foods are also good for them.  They are very high in protein, and vitamins.  Krill, Plankton, Bloodworms, daphnia, and  shrimp. Brine shrimp if they your pirhanas are small.
Meat, and shrimp that you find at the market are also good for them, but should be frozen and unfrozen before feeding them.  They must be frozen first because the freeze will kill any bacteria that is found in meat, fish or shrimp.  If the shrimp have heads or tails remove them before feeding this to your fish.
The Shrimp are good for them as they have calcium, and their shells are high in carotene which will bring out more colour on your fish.
They should have fish, and shrimp often, it should be the main part of their diet, as meat foods have fat, but are good for them to have now, and then.  Vary their diet, and feed them twice a day.  If they are still small you could feed them 3-4 times a day.
Never feed them packaged meats such as ham, turkey, hotdogs etc.  or fast foods such as hambergers, and fried chicken.
Vary their diet, keep their water clean, making sure it is free of ammonia, and nitrites, and you will have healthy fish.
You can also buy small test kits at you pet store to check for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.  These little test kits are always good to have.  Always do 25% water changes every week, and you should have no problem.
Coppersafe is very good for fungus, fin, and tail rot, velvet, and other diseases.  If your fish have fin, and tail rot, ragged fins, use coppersafe and Maracyn-two combined.  Treat them for 10 days with the Maracyn-two, and continue the treatment with coppersafe.  When doing water changes, add medication accordingly to the amount of water you have taken out.
If they have ick, I would treat with qucik cure.  This is also very good medication for ick.  The bottle says 2 days, but treat for 7 days to make sure you are rid of the parasite.
If they have cuts, or have been nipped, you could use Melafix.  Melafix is a natural medicine, and is good for cuts, open sores.
You could also add 1 teaspoon of diluted aquarium salt per 5 gallons of water to your tank.  The salt helps with stress, and parasites.
Piranhas will grow to be big fish, and big fish are messy, there is no way out of it, so feed them well, do your water changes, check for ammonia often, and you should have no problem with your fish.
Hope this helps.
Lynda

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QUESTION: Should i freeze my creekets and how can i stop itching and rubbing there got to b something and i need things avilible at walmart

Answer
Hi Jimmie,
If you cannot find crickets at a pet store, then don't feed him crickets that you find on the ground.  If you find crickets in stores, you do not freeze them.
There is a product at WalMart that is called "Ick-Away"  It says that it cures ick, and fungus.  I have never used this product so cannot comment on it.  They might have "Quick Cure" and if they do buy "Quick Cure"  and follow the instructions on the bottle.
If your fish are rubbing but do not do this all the time there is nothing to worry about, but if they keep rubbing, then you must find the problem.  Like I have told you before, it is not good to medicate fish if we can avoid it.
When you do water changes always remove 25% of the water using a water conditioner such as Stress Coat.  They have water conditioners at WalMart, and they are all good.  
I don't use the medication they sell at WalMart, so I cannot say for sure if they are good.  I think they also have a little bottle named "NOX" read what it says, it might also be good for ick.  Check out the medication they have, and if you see something for fungus, then it should cure fungus. but I cannot guarantee it as I never used them.  They may also have Melafix which is good for sores, cloudy eye, and fin & tail rot.  
Hope you find a solution to help them.
Lynda