Peacock Eel

ryan

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I am interested in purchasing a Peacock Eel for my 30g which will contain a Kissing Gourami and a Gibbiceps Plec. I know they can reach up to 12 inches and need perfect water conditions and between 6.5 and 8 PH wise. I was just wondering about the tank set up, how to furnish and weather he should have some companions or not? Any other info or experiences with these fish welcome.

Thanks :)
 
I keep 3 peacock spineys, solely for the reason that i cant catch the dam things to take them out :lol: . They need a sand substrate as they spend most of the time burried and will need to be fed with live bloodworms at first and then moved onto frozen ones later on, i have not seen any of mine eat anything other than bloodworms. I believe they do better in a group and mine have even spawned within the community tank (large predatory community) although i didnt bother to try to save and rasie any of the offspring.
 
Would it be possible to keep 3 in a 30g and what is their average price. :)
 
I would say, for the start, 2 will be fine in a 30 gallon and maybe even most of there lives. Just remember they are escape artists, however the ones I had before never seemed to escape - ever. -_- But mine died for no apparent reason at all. Eels are a lot less hardy then other fish, and quite unpredicatable.

Edit: Oh yeah, and congratz on hitting 1000 Posts! :D
 
My first Spiny Eel died so yesterday I bought another so I can help wit the price of a Half Banded Peacock Eel :D
Mine was ...........£7.95
The reason I bought a different one was they were a lot bigger. The one I had that died was 5 inches and this one is already 6-8 inches. I am never really any good at judging size. He seems to be alright and I re-arranged the rocks because my BGK and Clowns where arguing a bit so I did not want any argiung spilling over to the Spiny so I re-arranged now it has stopped.
 
You will be able to keep a pair in a 30g without problems, they vary in price a lot but i wouldnt expect to pay more than £10 for one.
 
Ok thanks, I think I will purchase a pair then. :) I am abit worried about them being so suceptible to diseases. Will two internal filters and 10-25% water changes each week keep the parameters at resonable levels? :) I will soon set them up with an external but I have two now three other tank also in need of one so it may take a while. :)
 
Hi, just another question. I have been doing alot of research and I have discovered that nearly all the sources give varing info on size etc. The seemingly most reliable info I obtained states this-

Zebra Spiny Eel, Short-Finned Spiny Eel - 6" in captivity.
Siamese Spiny Eel - 6" in captivity.
Zig Zag Eel - 6" in captivity.
Spiny Eel - 8" in captivity.

Are these correct? I have not been able to find much info on the Peacock Eel and it often refers me to Mastacembelus circumcinctus or Zig Zag Eel, if this just another name. I am also worried about purchasing a mislabled fish that infact is something else as alot of this species look similar, which fish would you advise me to get.

Thanks
 
That is wrong. Here is some info I have got:

Common Name (Sceintific Name) - Max Size
---------------------------------------------------------
Peacock Eel (Macrognathus aculeatus) - 15"
Spiny Eel

Striped Peacock Eel (Macrognathus siamensis) - 12"

Zig Zag Eel (Mastacembelus armatus) - 36"
Tire Track Eel

Fire Eel (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia) - 40"

Zebra Spiny Eel (Mastacembelus zebrinus) - 18"

and

Freshwater moray eels have been called "The Fish That Doesn't Exist." When most of us picture a moray, we picture the green moray (Gymnothorax funebris), the ten foot long giant that haunts coral reefs of the Western Atlantic.
Gymnothorax funebris

Many marine fish keepers are also very familiar with smaller species such as the Snowflake Eel (Echidna nebulosa), a crustacean eating moray from the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific.
Echidna nebulosa

There are many other species of moray eel that are very familiar to both divers and fish-keepers alike, but most are purely saltwater fishes. Many people believe that the entire family lives entirely in saltwater, hence the term "Fish That Doesn't Exist."

"The Fish That Doesn't Exist," however, does indeed exist. Indeed, there are many of these non-existant eels, but only four are ever seen in the aquarium trade. Freshwater morays should really not be considered freshwater, but brackish, and all of them also thrive in full marine water. The four species range in size from just over one foot, to over three feet long, and all are predatory. Freshwater morays are mostly of the genus Gymnothorax, a group that eats primarily fish. These fish have long, slightly recurved teeth perfect for gripping fish. The three Gymnothorax are all potentially very similar in appearance, with the young being grey, brown, and olive in color.

The dark moray, Gymnothorax afer, an eel reaching 40 inches in length from the Eastern Atlantic, is a dark brown eel that is the most easy to differentiate from the others. It has a high dorsal fin, and a large head. This fish is a solid brown color with no markings and is more commonly seen in marine tanks than in brackish or freshwater tanks. It should never be placed in freshwater, in fact, as it is a brackish to marine eel. It is also the least common of the four.
Gymnothorax afer

The freshwater snowflake eel, Gymnothorax tile, reaches about 26 inches in length and is often confused with both Gymnothorax polyuranodon and Echidna rhodochilus. This is probably because all three are collected from the same region, the Indo-West Pacific. Although seen for sale in fresh water, this is a brackish water fish just and is not found in freshwater in the wild. This fish has small yellow, white, or gold freckles across a brown or grey body. It also has a high dorsal fin, but an unusually small head for a member of the genus. This is the most available of the four species mentioned here.
Gymnothorax tile

The freshwater moray eel, Gymnothorax polyuranodon, which is most often confused with the aformentioned eel, is a primarily brackish fish that can also live in both pure marine and pure freshwater conditions. It grows to approximatly 36 inches in length, and differs greatly in both coloration and body shape. Rather than the freckels seen on G. tile, this fish exhibits large elongated black and tan blotches over its body. It has an unusually small head as well. In addition, the dorsal fin is subdued by a shroud of thick skin.
Gymnothorax polyuranodon

The last eel is a member of the genus Echidna, as is the chainlink moray (Echidna catenata) and the snowflake moray. These fish have thick, sharp teeth deeply recurved, thus giving them a nearly flat surface which is ideal for crushing the shells of invertebrates. The white-cheecked moray, Echidna rhodochilus, grows only to 13 inches, and like G. polyuranodon, is completely amphidromous. These fish have a greenish brown body with yellow or olive fins, a short dorsal fin, and a small head with a rather blunt snout, which helps to differentiate it from the Gymnothorax species. The white-cheecked moray has a redish nose with pink or white dots on it, as well as a white or pink patch on either side of the head.
Echidna rhodochilus

These are not fish for the beginner aquarist. They are picky, delecate for a moray, and often times never eat. They should nor be kept with sharp substrates and must have plenty of places to hide. A good lair can be made by piling driftwood and lace limestone together. Although two can live without salt, none of these four eels should be considered freshwater. They all ought to be kept in brackish conditions, with the exception of G. afer, which ideally belongs in a marine aquarium. They are all voracious predators and are not to be trusted with small fish or with delacate tankmates. Ideal tankmates include chromides, cichlids of the infrafamily Ptychochromini from Madagascar, Gangetic leaf fish, sailfin mollies, sleepers, puffers, violet gobies, and freshwater flatfish. Note that not all those fish will work with larger specimens.

In short, these fish are are wonderful and interesting creatures, but require advanced care and are not recommended for anyone but experienced brackish or marine fishkeepers. Don't make this your first brackish fish. I hope this helps should anyone here choose to buy one of these eels.
 
I am not talking about fresh water Moray Eels, I talking about the species under the name Macrognathus which are commonly known as Eels like Fire or Peacock Eels, thanks for the size info. :D
 
Yeah, I know but if someone wants info on Freshwater Morays there is some on the site at least.
 

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