My Equipment

Pirahnas are too big for a 55 gallon in my opinion. They like to school and get to be a foot or more long weighing upwards of five pounds.

I'm getting 4 1'' guys to start hoping that the 55 gallon will be a decent size home until next summer. I plan on saving all winter and getting a 75 to 110g next summer

I'd think they could easily live in there for half a year. They get really big, but don't grow as fast as goldfish etc. Let me stress again thoug: Eventually they will be some big honkin' fish.

I hear they're good to eat.:flick:

HAHA idk about eating them. I had 2 but they died from ICK, they were in a 35 gallon and about 9 months old. I was getting the 55 for them because they were to big for the 35. I think the 55 will be big enough for 4 of them until i get a bigger tank. Do the filters have any effect on the plants? I kept the plants on one side with about 3wpg, and the other side only had a 15w light over it because they like to have a darker tank. At the same time i have really gotten into plants.

Piranha are pretty good. Mild white meat. Super bony, though- there's a tiny wish-bone shape with pointy ends between almost every flake of meat in a filet!

I don't think that sounds like enough mechanical filtration. I'd run some AquaClears personally so that you can squeeze out sponges to clean the filter rather than having to keep replacing those disposable cartridges.

I was hoping the plants would use up some of the waist, while the filters did the rest. I was looking around the web last night and thought a underwater filter could be a valid option as well. If i add this one i think it might be enough filtration. What do u think?
http://www.aquariumguys.com/fluval-u2-filter.html

"Some" of the waste is not going to be much in proportion to what a piranha will produce.

I personally don't like in-tank filters as they're a pain to maintain, but adding any filtration is going to be a good thing in your case.

You might want to consider keeping the tank bare-bottom while you grow out the piranha, though- they're really messy eaters, and gravel or substrate down at the bottom will just trap waste and degrade the water quality.

I was thinking of the in the tank filter because it will add a current in the tank that piranhas like. I know they are messy fish, but i will take the time to clean the tank. Only 1/2 of the tank has plants, the other side has normal black gravel, so it will be easy to vacuum, i will just have to take my time with the planted side and the substrate over there. I really need to save up and get a canister filter, but i,m planning on saving for a 90 gallon tank setup i want to get by next july.

Why not go ahead and get the canister filter sooner rather than later, and get one that you can then just transfer over to the 90gal along with the fish?

Thats true. I really should, i just need to save up my money. Here is another question for you. I read that you can have a pleco with red bellys if it is in the tank before they get there, and it is larger then them. Would a pleco be useful in keeping the substrate somewhat clean?