brackish Eels?

[AcTwisted]

looking to put a bottom dweller in my 125gal brackish tank.(72"x18"x20")

the tank inhabitants will be 2 juvenile (3") Siamese Tigerfish.

are there any types of eels that could live in there that wouldn't outgrow this tank? if not an eel, is there any other type of bottom dweller that could live w/ my tigerfish?

[bksmith]

I looked into getting a brackish eel over a year ago. Although I don't remember a lot of specifics, I suggest you look into getting a snowflake moray. From what I remember, they stay a reasonable size and your tigerfish should be big enough to not be bothered. However, having said this, what salinity do you intend to keep your tank at? This will have a big impact because the snowflakes are sometimes listed as full SW but many people have reported on this site that they also do well in moderate to heavy brackish.

Good luck.

[MonoSebaelover]

There are also two species commonly refered to as the Snowflake Eel. There is the Snowflake Eel (full saltwater, will not tolerate brackish- Echnida nebulosa-don't think it is spelled right but close...I think) and the FW Snowflake Eel. The problem with the FW Snowflakes is different wholesalers and different retailers keep them in different in tanks. They can be kept in FW, BW, and SW. So it is best to find out what your retailer is keeping them in AND what the wholesaler is keeping them in. This will ensure their survival since many do not survive due to mis-informed hobbyists and retailers.

[brackishdude]

I have had great luck with FW morays at SG between 1.002-1.007. Both of the specimens I have kept lived in my tank for many years, starting about the length and girth of a pencil, reaching over 2 ft and nearly as thick as a toilet-paper roll. They lived on frozen shrimp, goldfish, and any tankmates that would fit in their mouth and swim close enough to get noticed (they get quite blind with age). I like to keep some small fish in the tank, including GSPs, gobies, and oddities as they appear at the LFS. All eventually disappear with a moray that large. This is why I had to get rid of each of them (one on aquabid for shipping cost, the other to the LFS for credit. This last one was acclimated by them to SW, I am told). They were otherwise peaceful. My only ocmplaint is that the beautiful yellow markings on the juveniles faded rapidly with age, leaving a rather bland gray eel. I will not buy another until I can afford a second tank dedicated to larger fish ( such as the scats, monos, and archer also kept in the tank - 100 gal).

My alltime favorite eel is now my oldest fish at over 7 years old. He is a fire eel, now well over 2 ft long. He lives in the same tank as the aforementioned morays. While some sites list the peacock/tiretrack/fire eel family as lightly brackish, most do not. My eel is clearly proof that they can thrive in light to low-medium brackish. He lives on frozen shrimp and backyard earthworms. He has no interest in live fish. He has been known to eat sushi left-overs, especially salmon. He is my jewel! candy red stripe and black/cobalt-blue body.

[brackishdude]

I have had great luck with FW morays at SG between 1.002-1.007. Both of the specimens I have kept lived in my tank for many years, starting about the length and girth of a pencil, reaching over 2 ft and nearly as thick as a toilet-paper roll. They lived on frozen shrimp, goldfish, and any tankmates that would fit in their mouth and swim close enough to get noticed (they get quite blind with age). I like to keep some small fish in the tank, including GSPs, gobies, and oddities as they appear at the LFS. All eventually disappear with a moray that large. This is why I had to get rid of each of them (one on aquabid for shipping cost, the other to the LFS for credit. This last one was acclimated by them to SW, I am told). They were otherwise peaceful. My only ocmplaint is that the beautiful yellow markings on the juveniles faded rapidly with age, leaving a rather bland gray eel. I will not buy another until I can afford a second tank dedicated to larger fish.

My alltime favorite eel is now my oldest fish at over 7 years old. He is a fire eel, now well over 2 ft long. He lives in the same tank as the aforementioned morays. While some sites list the peacock/tiretrack/fire eel family as lightly brackish, most do not. My eel is clearly proof that they can thrive in light to low-medium brackish. He lives on frozen shrimp and backyard earthworms. He has no interest in live fish. He has been known to eat sushi left-overs, especially salmon. He is my jewel! candy red stripe and black/cobalt-blue body.

[Pufferpunk]

How about a dragon Goby? They're really cool looking fish!
See: http://sunflower.bio.indiana.edu/~sholtzma/fish.html They are filter feeders, which mean they eat anything that falls to the bottom, sucking in water & food as they go about the bottom. They also scoop the gravel w/their mouth straining out food. Mine love algae wafers too.

[AcTwisted]

hey that Dragon Fish looks cool. never seen one before. how hard are they to come by in the LFS circuit? My experience is that "oddball" types like this aren't too frequently in stock.

[MonoSebaelover]

If any of your lfs have brackish fish these are not oddballs. If anything oddballs or rarities are Mono Sebaes, African Scats, Targetfish, and Dats that usually aren't uncommon but never see them in lfs in CO.