Red Bellied Piranha

Question
Hey Nathan,

my tank is doing well, im about ready to add the gouramis, i think the nitrigenb cycle is about stabalized. and my Otocinclus has cleared up my algea.

my question is for another tank. i was wondering if a single Red Bellied Piranha would be alright in a twenty gallon tank. will he outgrow this? i would prefer to get the adult sized tank from the beginning and not have to upgrade. and also, would frozen foods be ok? i would prefer not to use feeder fish, because of potential illness and seeing them devoured would sadden me. Are these generally difficult to keep by themselves? i know they are normally schooling fish, but it would require to big of a tank to give enough room for a proper school.

Thanks,
Mike

Answer
Hey Mike,

It's great to hear that your tank is doing well! Don't forget to get the Otos some algae wafer when algae isn't present in the tank.

A Red Belly Piranha will grow to an adult size of about 12". A single Piranha will require a tank of at least 50 gallons to live comfortably, while a small group of 3+ (recommended) will require a tank of no less than 75 gallons. You see, the Piranha is a highly aggressive fish and very active. it simply will NOT do well in a 20 gallon. A tank that small will not do anything positive for its health.

It's not a good idea to keep them by themselves.

In case you wanted to know, feeding foods like beef heart, frozen foods, and freeze-dried foods are actually better than feeder goldfish or minnows.

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!