More Questions About Peacock Eels..

[kris44]

1) Do they do better in pairs? If so, would keeping two in a 55 gallon with other fish big enough? Im talking about for their whole lives.

2) What do they eat? Ive read up on this and it seems to be mixed. Im assuming it depends on what the eel will take. But what is a good diet for them?

3) How long do they usually live?

 

[nmonks]

1) Do they do better in pairs? If so, would keeping two in a 55 gallon with other fish big enough? Im talking about for their whole lives.

Macrognathus species are, on the whole, fairly tolerant of one another. I'd either keep 1 or 3+ though -- getting two of anything if you can't sex them sometimes ends up risky! Since they don't get too big (20 cm at most) you could keep 3 in a 55-gallon tank without the least problems.

2) What do they eat? Ive read up on this and it seems to be mixed. Im assuming it depends on what the eel will take. But what is a good diet for them?

Worms, worms and more worms. Earthworms are ideal, bloodworms almost as good. Once settled down they'll eat all sorts of meaty foods though, both fresh and frozen, even tiny bits of prawn and fish fillet.

3) How long do they usually live?

"Usually" not for long! They're notorious at [a] escaping and getting scratched up by the gravel, so they sicken and die. But in the right tank I'd expect 5+ years.

Cheers, Neale

 

[kris44]

Thanks Neale!
Its going to have sand instead of gravel anyway. recommendations? Softer the better? My local petstore can order about anything. I do have a budget, so nothing too outrageously pricey!

 

[nmonks]

Thanks Neale!
Its going to have sand instead of gravel anyway. recommendations? Softer the better? My local petstore can order about anything. I do have a budget, so nothing too outrageously pricey!

Most welcome. Plain silica sand (sometimes called silver sand or pool filter sand) works great. You can stir in a little smooth gravel if it's too light-coloured, though it ages and gets darker with time. Such sand is very cheap; even at my pricey local garden centre, a 25 kg bag costs under £5.

Otherwise, any non-scratch, smooth, lime-free sand will be fine. Avoid glass byproduct varieties such as Tahitian Moon Sand. Very fine pea gravel is almost as good, provide the grains are tiny, 2-3 mm.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Canis-Equus]

Please listen to Neale - these fish are so lovely but so frequently poorly treated.

They are shy fish, particularly shy feeders, they will really appreciate a lot of leafy cover as well as a sandy substrate, but will uproot a lot of plants so go for something like vallis whichw ill pretty much root itself anywhere, permanently given half a chance.