Are all eels Brackish?

[N8DOGG]

Are all eels Brackish? or are there some or even one that will thrive in FW only, its entire life?

[brackishdude]

Here's a start:
http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/aquaria/aquaria.html Neale's brackish FAQ is the best resource on the web, IMO.

The spiny eels (fire eel - as seen in my avatar to the left, tyre track, peacock, etc) do well in fresh water. Though they are not true eels, you won't know it to look at them.

I don't know of any other fresh water eels.

[N8DOGG]

cool thanks

[TKOS]

I think it really depends on the stage of their life. I see eels at certaon times of the year in my lake, but I assume they come up via the river system for possibly breeding or some other purpose. By late summer when the water is much warmer there is no sign of them.

[reiverix]

That was probably the American Eel. An amazing fish.

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/info/american_eel.cfm

I kept a European eel once as a study. It is identical except they migrate eastwards across the Atlantic. It was the most houdini-like fish and required a tight fitting cover.

[gonefishin]

Nate, I think you were on another post and this came up. I couldn't remember the name of my friends eel, right? it was that tire track mentioned above. I didn't know it wasn't a real eel, but he sure is a cool lookin' fish.

[MonoSebaelover]

Yep, all commonly available freshwater "eels" are not true eels. True Eels don't have any kind of fins other than their dorsal and anal rays that run the entire length of their body. They don't have the front two fins like Tires, Fires, etc. There are a whole bunch of freshwater eels such as the Zigzag, Yellow tail, Tire, Fire, among others. I have a juvie Fire (I got him at 5" in the begininning of July and he is now a little over a foot long) and he resides in light brackish (1.004-5) and he obviously is doing great. I have a question for you other Eel keepers (especially Fires), how active is your Eel? Mine is out all day long and swims everywhere. He comes up and eats of my hand, he swims around my hand whenever I am cleaning, etc. He is one of the most active fish in there. I wonder if it has to do with I have a bunch of other active fish that drive him to be more active? So, how active are yours? When I got my Eel at work, he was constantly under the gravel all the time. Same with all other at work. But as soon as I brought him home, it took him 2 weeks then he has been continually out all the time. Anyway, good luck N8DOGG if you decide to get one. My fav is the Fire.

[OrionGirl]

My spiny is always active, too. He never buries himself, and swims contantly. He's in with a mix of other fish-- a betta, some UDC, some swords, kuhli loaches, etc. But, he did hide initially, and later started being more active. The peacock eel I had before was much the same--he'd hide when something stressed him, but spent most of his time out and about.

[N8DOGG]

ok thanks thats what I kinda thought as in "eels" not being eels just as "sharks" not being sharks. I like fire eels I just didn't want to get anything that I had to put in brackish water.

[olaf]

Rice Eel can be brackish.
http://www.arofanatics.com/members/nashorn/synbranchusmarmoratus/image01.jpg
http://www.arofanatics.com/members/nashorn/synbranchusmarmoratus/image02.jpg http://www.arofanatics.com/members/nashorn/synbranchusmarmoratus/image03.jpg

[brackishdude]

For those who can't see Olaf's pics, right click over the pic, click properties, and copy the email address. Paste it into the address bar and go tot he page. When you hit back button, the pic will be there. Works most of the time to see images where the link has been lost.

I have owned these rice/swamp eels, and they do very well in light brackish. Mine grew to about 30" before inexplicable dying. He used to rise vertically to the top of the waterline and grab gulps of air, but was otherwise pretty mundane.

They can survive for extended period out of water. Mine survived a night on the floor after an escape. I literally peeled him off the hardwood and threw him back in. He perked up in a few hours and lived for several more years.

They have been introduced in the Florida freshwater swamps. Interesting quote from this first link: secretive and most active at night, but generally considered a ‘sluggish’ fish; present in Hawaii for 100 years with negligible effects on native species. . . it is not expected to have dramatic effects on native fishes.

http://floridafisheries.com/Fishes/non-native.html#SWAMP%20EEL

http://biology.usgs.gov/invasive/CaseFiles/AsianSwampEel.htm

I rarely see them in the shops anymore, and could be outright illegal now for all I know.