Question:how many red bellied piranas can i put into a 20 gallon tank with a couple of plants and a heater and a underqater filter and a couple of hiding places
Answers:
Ditto to a few others. I have kept and bred red bellies and in a 20 gallon, you would fairly quickly end up with one fish. And a very cramped and unhappy fish at that. You need a much larger tank to properly house piranha.
MM
The ratio is 1 fish per gallon.
4piranas 5 gallon equal 1 fish
With a fish of that type and the rate it grows at the most I would put in would be 1. They grow fast and get big. Consider sometime down the road you will have to get a larger tank.
In that small of a tank, it doesn't matter because in a few months, you'll only have one. They get big and they need room. When they get cramped, they turn on each other.
I would say 2, if that is their permanent tank they get 12 inches, and i dont think a 20g tank will be big enough for them. If you are going to upgrade to something like 75g then get about 6, they do better in schools.
none after a few months. they are schooling fish and do best in groups.
The space for fish works off on the water surface area, 1inch of fish per 12sq inch's of surface, this is a rule and not written in stone as with good filtration it can be increased or if the fish is particularly messy decreased.
However has as been pointed out these are lively fish and really do need more room than normal, if you keep them in a shoal of less than 6, then as has been suggested they will nip at each other until one is crippled, he'll then be consumed ans so on.
My first attempt at keeping these was in a 48"x18"x18" about thirty years ago, I had six and within the year ended up with one 6" fish the rest having been consumed, my second attempt was with a 72"x18"x24" this was more successful and there was no fatality's in the shoal of 10 until they started to pair up, at which point I was forced to sell them.
So in answer you could get away with maybe 2 fish however you will probably end up with just one within a very short period of time.
AJ
none they school probebly kept best in groups of six so with your tank there arent enought gallons for them to be happy in so get a bigger tank or do whatever you want
With that small of a tank, you can only fit one. And I suggest that you get a better power filter, because an undergravel filter won't clean out the suspended mess in the tank.
~ZTM
you need a bigger tank to fit two
You could put 2 in the tank.I think you could put 3 in a tank..Then whenthey start getting to big for the tank you beed to get like a 50gallon.good luck
ILF
you would want about 1 or 2 in a 20 g b/c they do get pretty big if you want more fish get about a 50 g that would be the best tank size for a red belly piranha.
More Questions & Answers...