Today I Went To The Petshop.....

[millie1]

and saw an eel! and want to buy him lol!


im now turning my supposid community taank into a semi-aggressive one.........


questions about eels

what can they live with (obv not small fish!)...... gravel - my tanks pure gravel - can i get away with changing say half into sand??? or leave the gravel???

and what do they eat?

thanks

p.s not syaing im gonna go out and buy him - just starting researching now! lol

 

[netty-ray]

and saw an eel! and want to buy him lol!


im now turning my supposid community taank into a semi-aggressive one.........


questions about eels

what can they live with (obv not small fish!)...... gravel - my tanks pure gravel - can i get away with changing say half into sand??? or leave the gravel???

and what do they eat?

thanks

p.s not syaing im gonna go out and buy him - just starting researching now! lol

what kind of eel is it?

 

[nmonks]

If the eel is a small Macrognathus species, such as Macrognathus siamensis (the "peacock eel") then gravel isn't an option in my (admittedly expert!) opinion. A few aquarists might have got away with this combination, but ridiculous numbers haven't. For these small spiny eels, a sandy substrate is, I'm afraid, mandatory.

Cheers, Neale

 

[millie1]

fire eel

 

[nmonks]

Mastacembelus erythrotaenia, a huge (90+ cm) predatory species that has a reputation for being a bit prone to bacterial infections. Would not be my recommendation for the less experienced fishkeeper, but if you're comfortable looking after large fish that need excellent water quality, they're nice fish. Often kept with arowanas, oscars and the like.

Assuming the specimen in question is reasonably large (upwards of 30 cm) you can probably get away with fine gravel rather than sand because these fish don't burrow all that much, and will happily use ceramic ornaments, PVC tubes and so on as hiding places. Very small specimens are arguably best avoided: their survival track record isn't especially good.

Cheers, Neale

fire eel

 

[millie1]

my tanks 200 litres and i dont have many fish in at all... rather have something more intesting like an eel than loadssss of fish

 

[nmonks]

No chance of keeping a fire eel in 200 litres I'm afraid. These fish are big, territorial, and difficult to maintain at the best of times. Consider instead smaller species like the excellent Macrognathus aral, a widely traded species that gets to up to 60 cm in length. It is gregarious, not particularly predatory, and tolerates a wide range of water conditions including slightly brackish. Assuming you keep it properly, it isn't especially delicate and has even been bred in captivity.

Like all Macrognathus, it's best kept in a tank with a sand, not gravel, substrate. This point can't be stressed too strongly. Do see my article over at Practical Fishkeeping for example, which discusses spiny eels in depths. I have seen too many of these lovely fish covered with bacterial infections likely caused by scratches from gravel. The big Asian and African Mastacembelus species might be okay, but Macrognathus are always best kept away from gravel.

Cheers, Neale

my tanks 200 litres and i dont have many fish in at all... rather have something more intesting like an eel than loadssss of fish

 

[millie1]

ok thanks!!

bad advice from a fish shop then lol!!!!!!

i will have a few more fsh then instead, shrimps or a crab.... dont know yet lol!!!

supposed without and eel i can have more types of fish !!

i dont mind a smaller eel but changing the gravel.... hmmmm

the gravels really fine anyhow....

 

[LauraFrog]

Don't get a crab, they eat fish. Failing that, they eat each other.