Guess the fish

[bunjiweb]

I know how they do give out such high wattage, I was watching the Discovery Channel the other day, and apparently we all have an electrical charge in our skin cells, but their cells are formed a certain way, and then can build up the electrical charge and let it out when they want. I can't remember rightly, but I think they can charge up to 350W's, but don't count on that.

Neal

To quote from a website....

The characteristics of the electric eel which makes it unique, is the electric voltage that it produces. The body of the electric eel is mostly made up of an organ that produces electricity. Like a battery the electric eel has two opposite poles (the head and the tail), and when they discharge, the voltage flows from either the head or the tail.

The organ in the electric eel that enables it to produce electricity is made up of 5,000 to 6,000 electroplaques (set up much like the cells in a dry battery). Each electroplaque produces only a small voltage, but when all the electroplaque are all arranged in series (as they are in the body of the electric eel) you get a large jolt. It can produce voltages of up to 500 to 650 volts. This is five times the voltage that comes out a wall socket, and is strong enough to injure or even kill a human.

So how you gunna do tank maintanence whilst contending with up to 650Volts?

Ben

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

So how you gunna do tank maintanence whilst contending with up to 650Volts?

Ben

With thick rubber gloves?


NICE FISH CFC! What kind of things are you feeding it?

 

[CFC]

Having kept a large electric catfish (Mr Hankey) for the last few years ive become quite good at working in the tank without getting my hands wet, plastic and wood do not carry electricity so i make sure any tool i use for maintainance is one of these materials. You just have to be a bit more cautious and show some respect for the animal when it comes to fish that can knock you stone dead

Whats stopping you having a 2nd fish room?

The urge to keep my testicals attached to my body and not have to keep them in a jam jar beside the bed

NICE FISH CFC! What kind of things are you feeding it?

It eats all the usuall frozen meaty foods, last night it stuffed its face on prawns and mussels. This is not going to be a difficult fish to feed.

 

[andywg]

Looks lovely CFC. Far better looking than I thought it would be.

And for a lesson on electric production in fish:

The electrical cells of fish (electrolytes) evolved from muscle cells with the exception of the South American family Apteronotidae (in which the cells are modified spinal neurons) (Bass, 1986; Bennett, 1970, 1971a).

Electrolytes are typically thin with one surface heavily supplied with a bundle of nerves which are in turn surrounded by gelatinous tissue. The electric organs are rich in blood vessels nerves and connective tissue.

The electric eel Electrophorus electricus has 3 seperate electrical organs forming a large part of its bulk (most of the fish from about 1" behind the pectoral fins). The hypaxial caudal region (that area of the fish below the vertebrate towards the tail) houses the main organ (that which produces the extremely large voltage around 500 to 600V and, more importantly, at a current of 1 Amp, giving you more power than most Metal Halides used in reef keeping).

The two smaller organs are called the organ of Hunter and the organ of Sachs. The organ of Hunter is found running along the ventral surface of the main organ (towards the bottom of the fish) and the organ of Sachs is posterior (towards the tail) of the main organ.

The electrolytes are ribbon-like. A full grown adult can have over 100,000 electrolytes in the main organ on each side; composed of up to 6,000 vertical arrays of up to 25 of the ribbon like cells. Current flow in the organ is from the back to the front of the fish (Bone and Marshall 1982) with the inverse flow in the water surrounding the fish.

The organ of Sachs produces weak pulses of about 10 volts and the frequency depends on the activity of the fish, from a few pulses per minute to 30 per second when active. Hunter's organ apparantly is capable of generating both strong and weak pulses (Kramer, 1990). It is believed that Sach's organ is used mostly for communication

As an aside, Mr Hanky (the electric catfish) has a current that flows from front to back (so opposite of the eel) and after Pickens and McFarland, 1964 there is some doubt over whether the pulse of electrical fish (eels, catfish, rays et al) is actually long enough to disable prey, though the electric fish do seem able to predate on fish which one would assume are far too agile and swift to be caught.

And you may now wake up again 8)

 

[OohFeeshy]

Aww, cute. Not as cute as Mr. Hankey though, although more deadly? I´ve really got to find me a 4x2x2 and someone who can import me a proper electric catfish... Then I shall be unique... ish....

 

[furryrabbit]

Public Aquarium? Whats stopping you having a 2nd fish room?

Not the lack of electricity that's for sure

LMAO