Cichlids and moray eel

P

pogoforeman

AC Members
May 23, 2012
5
0
0
Hello I have recently set up a 150 gallon freshwater tank. It has been 4 weeks know. I started off with some mollie and platties then add the fish I wanted which were: Freshwater dolphin, flounder, moray eel, 2 bala sharks, 3 panda cory, long nose pleco and a GSP. well after the 2nd week the fish broke out with Ich after raiing the temp adding medication and parsal water change i got rid of it. I came home from work to find my freshwater dolphine which is about 6" being pulled under a rock so I pulled it out to find the moray on the other end. The dolphine also had a bit on its stomach it dies a few minutes later. This morning I weak up to a mollie head and half a ball shark at the bottom of the tank. I was told that this moray was not a eater of bigger fish.

Now to the cichlid part of the question? I would like to all some color to my tank and somthing that is somewhat aggressive to put up with the moray. is ther any cichlids that would be fine to do this with and what size I would need to get? Attached is a picture of the aqarium before I added the second heater, and backing. I have two Aquclear 110 with bio packs, and a power head, two heaters. water temp 80%IMG-20120521-00161.jpg

IMG-20120521-00161.jpg
 
Not to be rude, but of course the mollies going to get munched! They're tiny fish! Still, sorry for you loss. Ummm... one of the best fish I would know would be an Oscar. They get to be a pretty decent size, but still now garuntee. My friend, it may be better to find a new home for your eel.
 
the eel is brackish/to full marine, and can get up to 3 to 4 foot, i would get rid of the eel ASAP.... tank way to small for him anyways.. and just stick with cichlids.
 
You could always set up a moray/puffer tank. So put one or two together in a tank with a large puffer. It could look cool, and you wouldn't probably need to get rid of them intirely.
 
Do ya know which species of "freshwater" moray? Gymnothorax tile, the more common of the species offered under that monniker, will max out around two feet (not three or four) and will munch anything that remotely looks like it could swallow, even larger fish. It will bite fish (even fairly large ones) in half and swallow the pieces. The other species is Echidna rhodochilus, variously sold as white-cheeked, pink-lipped or white-lipped moray. This species maxes at around a foot or slightly larger and is primarily a molluscivore, and will not harm any fish too large to fit in its mouth. This species is brownish olive with distinct white patches on the upper jaw versus bluish gray with gold or silvery speckles for G. tile, so it will not be hard to determine which species you have. In either case, the eel will need to be transferred to heavy brackish conditions as it matures to ensure health and maximum lifespan.

From what yer describin', I'll assume ya have G. tile. The 150 is fine for the eel, but your choice of tankmates is not. Only the GSP is definitely suitable for a brackish tank, and it could end up bein' munched by the eel. The flounder should be able to handle brackish and depending on species may grow large enough that the eel does not notice, there are a coupla SA species offered in the trade that need freshwater and don't adapt well to brackish. The bala sharks can push a foot in length and are fast swimming fish. A 6' tank is the minimum I'd consider for them, but they won't be able to handle brackish conditions. Not sure what species yer referring to as freshwater dolphin, so I'll reserve comment. The rest will not be able to handle brackish water long term and the cories will end up on the eel's menu as it grows.

Either return the eel or commit to a brackish tank with larger, bulky brackish species too large to be considered food items: monos, and maybe a scat, a green chromide, or a dat as a centerpiece fish. All will have to be purchased at a size too large for the eel to consider food, at least 1/2 the length of the eel.

Cheers,

WYite
 
  • Like
Reactions: Frank Castle
We have a 46 gal tank, I believe it is. We started with two large chiclids, one of them a jack Dempsey, and three smaller ones including a baby that was still transparent. We added three albino plecos, two small Oscars, a small peacock eel, a rope fish, and a freshwater snowflake eel. The chiclids picked both of the Oscars to death one at a time; the peacock eel is picked on, but able to escape; the rope fish is perfectly fine, though I've never seen him eat; and the snowflake eel has eaten all three of the albino plecos. That's $8 a meal. He's rejecting frozen krill at this point, and even seems as though he may be smart enough to use it to lure in the other fish. I know he can't help it and that's just what he is, but he's becoming a bit of a nuisance to the tank community. He will be getting his own tank soon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Frank Castle
jaymekelley said:
We have a 46 gal tank, I believe it is. We started with two large chiclids, one of them a jack Dempsey, and three smaller ones including a baby that was still transparent. We added three albino plecos, two small Oscars, a small peacock eel, a rope fish, and a freshwater snowflake eel. The chiclids picked both of the Oscars to death one at a time; the peacock eel is picked on, but able to escape; the rope fish is perfectly fine, though I've never seen him eat; and the snowflake eel has eaten all three of the albino plecos. That's $8 a meal. He's rejecting frozen krill at this point, and even seems as though he may be smart enough to use it to lure in the other fish. I know he can't help it and that's just what he is, but he's becoming a bit of a nuisance to the tank community. He will be getting his own tank soon.
Click to expand...

Hi jaymekelley, welcome to the forum!

There's a lot to talk about in your post, and I think you'll find you'll get more answers by posting a new thread. Commenting on a thread this old is likely to be ignored.

I hope you do create a new thread as I have a few suggestions that may help you, and I know many others will as well.
 
Tifftastic said:
Hi jaymekelley, welcome to the forum!

There's a lot to talk about in your post, and I think you'll find you'll get more answers by posting a new thread. Commenting on a thread this old is likely to be ignored.

I hope you do create a new thread as I have a few suggestions that may help you, and I know many others will as well.
Click to expand...
Okay... How do I do that? Lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom