Eel Id.... For The Last Time Lol

[nmonks]

I've got a topic about sand somewhere on this forum. The risk of trouble from anaerobic decay is small, but you should make an effort to keep the sand turned over. If you don't have plants with roots, keep the sand shallow (< 5 cm) and give it a stir periodically. Melanoides snails make a superb addition to such aquaria, working like earthworms to keep the sand clean and moving.

Plant roots carry oxygen, so if they are growing healthily they should prevent anaerobic decay become a major problem, even in tanks with deep substrates.

In a tank with spiny eels, I'd recommend a thin layer of sand, and only epiphytic plants (Anubias, Java fern) and floating plants. These won't be disturbed by the eels. Floating plants are extremely useful because spiny eels tend not to jump out of tanks with such plants. Some species also spawn in floating plants.

The black stuff is most likely iron sulphide.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Starfishpower]

ok, thanks Neal . my sand is about 4 cm deep so that sounds good to me (plus i always loose a little everytime i vacuum it out). and to toddnbecka - great looking eels!

 

[Starfishpower]

by the way, iv noticed my new eel keeps loafing around on top of my heater. the little suction cup that holds it to the back of the tank, well its next to a suction cup for my airline that goes to the airstone; he'll stick his tail on the airline and rest the rest of himself draped next to the heater. is this safe? just got me a little worried, despite the fact that its kind of comical

 

[Mr._Fishy]

As long as he isn't by the heating element itself, it should be fine. Mine used to do this from time to time.

Ryan

 

[nmonks]

I'd recommend getting a heater guard. Some heaters come with them already. While most fish are fine, and manage to get off the heater when it turns on, there's always the one fish that gets burned. So plan ahead.

One thing though: if your fish 'cuddles' the heater, it might not be warm enough. Check circulation is adequate, and I'd recommend testing the temperature in different corners of the tank (if you have a thermometer with a sucker you can move around). In winter especially, if the tank is somewhere cold, the temperature in the tank might not be as warm as you think.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Starfishpower]

all right. when i go out next weekend for more aquarium stuff ill pick up a few more thermometers. i dont know if mine has a heater guard or not. ill try and find out. he doesnt seem to be curling up with it though. in fact the only part that he really seem to be touching is the 'heater cap'. ill try and get a picture of him when i get my camera battery recharged. a couple of my black kuhli loaches were doing this as well. which makes me wonder if it really isnt warm enough.