Tire Track Eel, The Truth?

[phillih2]

My birthday is coming up and you know what happens at that time... I got a new fish the other day, a "tire track eel." The person that gotr it said the lfs employee said that it would be perfectly happy/non aggressive in my 10 gallon aquarium. Right now there is gravel, soft, as the substrate it is planted lightly, and I have a little cave as well. My question is: How big will this guy get? Will he be happy at his full size in my 10 gallon? right now I have a bala shark, (Soon to be sold it is still a baby,) an angel fish, two dalmatian mollies, and two male guppies.
Thanks in advance, Phil.

 

[nmonks]

The person that gotr it said the lfs employee said that it would be perfectly happy/non aggressive in my 10 gallon aquarium.

Not a chance. Gets to some 70+ cm.

Right now there is gravel, soft, as the substrate it is planted lightly, and I have a little cave as well.

I'd always recommend small eels (anything below 20, maybe 30 cm) be kept in a tank with a smooth silica sand substrate.

right now I have a bala shark, (Soon to be sold it is still a baby,) an angel fish, two dalmatian mollies, and two male guppies.

The guppies and likely the mollies will be dinner. These fish get big, and can easily swallow prey up to the size of swordtails (learned from bitter experience). Cheers, Neale

 

[Ace Of Spades]

The person that gotr it said the lfs employee said that it would be perfectly happy/non aggressive in my 10 gallon aquarium.

Not a chance. Gets to some 70+ cm.

Right now there is gravel, soft, as the substrate it is planted lightly, and I have a little cave as well.

I'd always recommend small eels (anything below 20, maybe 30 cm) be kept in a tank with a smooth silica sand substrate.

right now I have a bala shark, (Soon to be sold it is still a baby,) an angel fish, two dalmatian mollies, and two male guppies.

The guppies and likely the mollies will be dinner. These fish get big, and can easily swallow prey up to the size of swordtails (learned from bitter experience). Cheers, Neale

How big tanks do they need, sorry?

 

[nmonks]

Depending on the species of tyre-track eel (there are several) you can comfortably expect the fish to get to around 75 cm in length, plus or minus a little. Easily get to 60 cm within the first couple of years if fed properly; growth slows a bit after that. While not enormously active, and essentially more interested in having lots of caves to hide in, I'd still not recommend one for a tank less than 120 cm long. You'd want heaps of rocks or bogwood at the back, a bit like a Mbuna set up, and your spiny eel would spend all its time there with its head poking out; think of what moray eels are like in marine tanks, and you can't go far wrong. A bit of sand or fine gravel at the front for digging is a plus, and floating plants make a HUGE difference in preventing them from jumping out.

Cheers, Neale

How big tanks do they need, sorry?

 

[toddnbecka]

Unless you can swing a 75 gallon setup for your birthday you'd best return the eel along with the bala shark.

 

[Straydum]

a dont know about the shark but even a 75g wont hold an adult tire track. you're looking at 180g

 

[invader]

a dont know about the shark but even a 75g wont hold an adult tire track. you're looking at 180g

Since these fish are pretty flexible, what about a 6'x18"x2'? I was wondering if they would be ok with the smaller width.

 

[invader]

Bump.