# cleaning piranha tank?



## Jimmyjet92 (Feb 16, 2011)

hey, im going to be getting a couple redbelly piranhas here in a few weeks and im just wondering how you clean the tank with out getting your hand eatten? i really dont want to go to have to go get stitches
thanks


----------



## Ladayen (Jun 20, 2011)

Piranhas need to be in groups 6+ in a 125g+ tank. 

As to cleaning it.. it depends. The fish usually get used to your presence and stay away or ignore you. Some will always go strait for your fingers. It's best to do it shortly after feeding so they aren't so hungry but not too soon 

Certain signals can help as well, such as tapping on the glass means feeding where sticking the vacuum in and swirling it means cleaning.


----------



## Jimmyjet92 (Feb 16, 2011)

Ya iv got a 200 gallon tank, and I'm getting 5 to start with and am gonna add more later on. Iv done a ton of research on this so it shouldn't be too hard to keep em. What do you think if I just blocked half the tank and cleaned and them moved onto the next and then also how do you teach them what the signals mean?


----------



## Ladayen (Jun 20, 2011)

They learn the signals over time. Fish aren't completely stupid  I suppose you could try blocking off half the tank.. but you'd have to set your tank up so nothing is in the way of that.


----------



## Guest (Oct 13, 2011)

im the king when it come down to red belly  red belly r not as danger as ppl think they r, i put my hand in the tank all the time when cleaning that is. Also hand feed them without a finger lost... ask river monster guy he jump into a pool full of red belly. lol 

red r shy so get ready to train them to get use to ppl walking by the tank. A lot hiding spot will do... also a good filter will be need something like the FX5 will do but not really. 

i keep 2 fx5 on my red belly tank with 1 AC110 ... so good LUCK...


----------



## Jimmyjet92 (Feb 16, 2011)

ForMany said:


> im the king when it come down to red belly  red belly r not as danger as ppl think they r, i put my hand in the tank all the time when cleaning that is. Also hand feed them without a finger lost... ask river monster guy he jump into a pool full of red belly. lol
> 
> red r shy so get ready to train them to get use to ppl walking by the tank. A lot hiding spot will do... also a good filter will be need something like the FX5 will do but not really.
> 
> i keep 2 fx5 on my red belly tank with 1 AC110 ... so good LUCK...


lol thats funny cuz iv got exactly the filters you have, so should i have hiding spots or no? cuz iv seen both and both seem like they work. i just want to know your oppinion. ahhhh i am so excited to get these babys they look like so much fun


----------



## Jimmyjet92 (Feb 16, 2011)

Ladayen said:


> They learn the signals over time. Fish aren't completely stupid  I suppose you could try blocking off half the tank.. but you'd have to set your tank up so nothing is in the way of that.


ya i guess it would be hard to kinda configure it to work like that


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Just wear long rubber aquarium gloves and use long-handled implemements


----------



## Jimmyjet92 (Feb 16, 2011)

TheOldSalt said:


> Just wear long rubber aquarium gloves and use long-handled implemements


i like that idea :idea:


----------



## wannalearn (Oct 2, 2011)

they aint the nasty killers everybody thinks they are.


----------



## Ladayen (Jun 20, 2011)

no they're not.... doesn't change the fact they got big teeth. My cichlids bite my fingers often looking for food and what now, mostly just curious. If piranhas did that.. it would hurt lol.


----------



## Jimmyjet92 (Feb 16, 2011)

lol ya i was watching Rivermonsters lol i love that show. but ya iv got a cichlid tank and love em. thankfully iv never been bit


----------



## paddy (Mar 2, 2012)

I have a cichlid tank and a red bellied piranha tank, i arrange plants, clean mess up with hands in. My piranha are fine with it as long as i dont corner them and make them react. The large one sometimes let me touch his tail (silly i know) .


----------



## Fishnut2 (Jan 18, 2005)

JJ92
Piranha are illegal in Utah.
Title 16, Chapter 16-100
Better check on them to be safe. One city in Utah has fines of $1,000 a day. Check www.opefe.com for more info.

But to answer your question about cleaning the tank...I've had red bellies completely ignore me, with free-swimming fry in the tank. The next time I went after eggs, both the male and female attacked. Never trust them completely. Any animal will attack if cornered and scared. You don't want to change your username to Stumpy!


----------



## mls3371971 (Apr 20, 2012)

I had a piranha for years, the thing would sit in one corner of his tank and watch us, and then in the opposite corner and watch the shows on disc. especially if it had fish on...If someone would walk by his tank he would try to jump, thank god for glass covers. But yeah his tank was always dirty it seemed. and always the plants moved around. We pretty much let him do as he wished if it was too bad we would move him to another tank and throw the pleco in his. the pleco was about 6inches long and one time I guess he (my exbf) forgot the pleco was in the tank and put the piranha back in it and well needless to say he killed the pleco, but the piranha died a couple of days later. I think eating the pleco killed him...I disliked the fish anyway didn't bother me about the piranhas death..


----------



## Jhat (Jul 11, 2012)

i used to keep piranhas and you wont have any problems cleaning the tank, even in groups they are pretty skidish fish


----------

