Spiney eels
There are 3 main species of spiney eel commonly sold in fish stores and two that may be found in more specialist stores, these are.
Macrognathus siamensis(aculeatus), Peacock spiney eel; The smallest of the commonly seen spiney eels, this species will only reach a captive size of around 10 inches and is suitable for communities in tanks over 30 gallons with tankmates over 2".
Mastacembelus erythrotaenia, Fire eel; The fire eel is the second largest of the commonly seen spiney eels and can reach lengths of up to 30 inches though 2 feet is more likely in captivity. They are predators and will consume any smaller fish that they can fit into their mouths so tankmates should be over 4 inches. A tank of 180 gallons is needed to house adult fish though the species grows quite slowly.
Mastacembelus armatus, Tyre track eel; Tyre track eels are the largest of the commonly seen spiney eels and can reach lengths of up 40 inches, as with fire eels they are predators and will eat smaller fish. A 180 gallon tank is needed to house adult fish.
Macrognathus zebrinus, Zebra eel; The smallest of the imported spiney eels but unfortunately the species least often seen, zebra spiney eels rarely reach more than 8 inches in captivity and are the perfect community eel as even small fish such as tetras are ignored.
Aethiomastacembemus ellipsifer; The most commonly imported of the rarely seen African spiney eels. The species is only found in Lake Tanganyika and so needs to be kept in hard alkeline water, a great addition to the tank of the Tanganyikian Cichlid enthusiast. Other African spiney eels you may be likely to come across are Aethiomastacembelus moorii and Aethiomastacembelus plagiostomus. all African spiney eels are predatory and tankmates should be at least 3 inches.
