Laughingbuddha
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The story begins with a new aquarium. The first group of fish included a "peacock eel". Unfortunately, though I posess passing knowledge of synbranchiforms, the finer points of identification escape me. They were sold by the store as "peacock eels", and I too believed them to be peacock eels. Close, but not quite.
I saw a few of these guys poking their heads out from underneath a rock in the store and I instantly felt an attatchment to them. So I brought one home, along with a couple other s.e. Asian fish. As expected, being freed from his tiny plastic prison into an exciting new big tank, the first thing he did was dive for the substrate and dig in.
I was looking for more information about them online (unsexed, but I'll just call him a 'him'
) online, and noticed that the pictures of peacock eels did not look quite like mine. Close, having the proper spots at the tail, but he was slightly greener and had the broad stripe along its body. Further study helped me identify him as a "Macrognathus Aral" or the one-stripe spiney eel. I've learned quite a lot about them now, including that this particular species has been on at least one list of 'threatened/endangered' species.
Not more than three hours passed before the little guy emerged from hiding and began exploring the tank. Or looking like he wanted a way out, perhaps. The tank is, fortunately, sufficiently eel-proofed that he can't escape, but I did once see him try to enter the filter. He stuck his head into it once and was clearly startled by what was inside (bio-wheel type filter). He only tried it once.
He is very active, and actually chooses to spend quite a lot of time adventuring in the tank. Almost friendly, even, in puppy-dog fashion. I took quite a liking to it, it has a lot of spirit. Since this species gets along with others of its own kind, I decided to get him a companion in the second group that I added to the tank. Which I did.
Anyway, There was a problem with the gravel in my tank, I needed to have some finer and lighter (substrate-type) gravel in the tank for the eels, so I had to do some messing with the sand, which for safety reasons (though I hate to stress the new fish too much) I moved them all to a holding tank, filled with water from the main tank to minimise stress.
Netting an eel is a problematic thing. The bala sharks were less trouble, and they're quicker than the human eye when they get jumpy. Well, I tried to jently coax him up from the gravel, and in doing so accidently goosed him from behind, and in a flash he vanished. I had no idea where he went. I sifted through the gravel, practically with a comb, looking for the eel, and he was nowhere to be seen. I then became concerned that he might have leaped out in his distress, as the tank wasn't completely covered while I was netting the fish. I looked everywhere around the tank, rather desperately hoping to find the little devil before it was too late. Half an hour later, having looked all around outside the tank for him, I realise that its too late at this point. I check through the gravel for it again, looked in the filter just in case, with no success. With a heavy heart, I figured that this fish had indeed jumped the tank and managed to land in some place where I wouldn't find it until much later. And so I continued by adding in the soft sand, replaced the plants and driftwood, returned the fish home, along with the new additions of the second group, and let them get acclimated. The new eel buried itself in the sand as well, I could see its head poking out, following the other fish as they went by.
Feeding time came, and I dropped into the tank, in addition to some basic flake food (used as a staple food for the balas and barbs), I droped in some frozen bloodworms. I walked away for a bit, to do some other things, feeling rather unhappy about my loss of the one eel I continued searching for the body for the purpose of disposing of it. Then I looked in the tank and saw two eels, both being very active.
That's right, two eels. The little devil must have still been in the gravel despite my sifting through it very thoroughly. I don't know how he managed it, but he did. He finally decided to come out, perhaps detecting the bloodworms, and seemed to know that I was done messing with his habitat. Too smart for his own good.
Anyway, I'm not in the practice of naming fish, generally, as It strikes me as a little absurd, but I couldn't help but give the clever little thing the name "Savvy".
Since then, the two eels have made out to be fast friends, I'll often see them together, sometimes even swiming in tandem. They're both quite friendly with their tankmates too, they all seem quite comfortable with each other.
All in all, that Eel has caused me a fair bit of stress in the short time that I've had it, but the whole thing just endeared me to them even more. And never again will I underestimate their resourcefulness.
I saw a few of these guys poking their heads out from underneath a rock in the store and I instantly felt an attatchment to them. So I brought one home, along with a couple other s.e. Asian fish. As expected, being freed from his tiny plastic prison into an exciting new big tank, the first thing he did was dive for the substrate and dig in.
I was looking for more information about them online (unsexed, but I'll just call him a 'him'
) online, and noticed that the pictures of peacock eels did not look quite like mine. Close, having the proper spots at the tail, but he was slightly greener and had the broad stripe along its body. Further study helped me identify him as a "Macrognathus Aral" or the one-stripe spiney eel. I've learned quite a lot about them now, including that this particular species has been on at least one list of 'threatened/endangered' species. Not more than three hours passed before the little guy emerged from hiding and began exploring the tank. Or looking like he wanted a way out, perhaps. The tank is, fortunately, sufficiently eel-proofed that he can't escape, but I did once see him try to enter the filter. He stuck his head into it once and was clearly startled by what was inside (bio-wheel type filter). He only tried it once
. He is very active, and actually chooses to spend quite a lot of time adventuring in the tank. Almost friendly, even, in puppy-dog fashion. I took quite a liking to it, it has a lot of spirit
. Since this species gets along with others of its own kind, I decided to get him a companion in the second group that I added to the tank. Which I did. Anyway, There was a problem with the gravel in my tank, I needed to have some finer and lighter (substrate-type) gravel in the tank for the eels, so I had to do some messing with the sand, which for safety reasons (though I hate to stress the new fish too much) I moved them all to a holding tank, filled with water from the main tank to minimise stress.
Netting an eel is a problematic thing. The bala sharks were less trouble, and they're quicker than the human eye when they get jumpy. Well, I tried to jently coax him up from the gravel, and in doing so accidently goosed him from behind, and in a flash he vanished. I had no idea where he went. I sifted through the gravel, practically with a comb, looking for the eel, and he was nowhere to be seen. I then became concerned that he might have leaped out in his distress, as the tank wasn't completely covered while I was netting the fish. I looked everywhere around the tank, rather desperately hoping to find the little devil before it was too late. Half an hour later, having looked all around outside the tank for him, I realise that its too late at this point. I check through the gravel for it again, looked in the filter just in case, with no success. With a heavy heart, I figured that this fish had indeed jumped the tank and managed to land in some place where I wouldn't find it until much later. And so I continued by adding in the soft sand, replaced the plants and driftwood, returned the fish home, along with the new additions of the second group, and let them get acclimated. The new eel buried itself in the sand as well, I could see its head poking out, following the other fish as they went by.
Feeding time came, and I dropped into the tank, in addition to some basic flake food (used as a staple food for the balas and barbs), I droped in some frozen bloodworms. I walked away for a bit, to do some other things, feeling rather unhappy about my loss of the one eel I continued searching for the body for the purpose of disposing of it. Then I looked in the tank and saw two eels, both being very active.
That's right, two eels. The little devil must have still been in the gravel despite my sifting through it very thoroughly. I don't know how he managed it, but he did. He finally decided to come out, perhaps detecting the bloodworms, and seemed to know that I was done messing with his habitat. Too smart for his own good
. Anyway, I'm not in the practice of naming fish, generally, as It strikes me as a little absurd, but I couldn't help but give the clever little thing the name "Savvy".
Since then, the two eels have made out to be fast friends, I'll often see them together, sometimes even swiming in tandem. They're both quite friendly with their tankmates too, they all seem quite comfortable with each other.
All in all, that Eel has caused me a fair bit of stress in the short time that I've had it, but the whole thing just endeared me to them even more. And never again will I underestimate their resourcefulness.
