Eel comrades?

A

always learning

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Jun 5, 2003
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I plan to buy a tank of at least 90gal. I have had some experience with eels but it didn't really last. However, I plan to soon make a tank with plenty of eels (if posible) and some other fish to fill up the space. I was curious if I should go with a brackish setup and get some of those eels with maybe some puffers and etc... Or if I could (preferably) stick to fresh water what are some fish that not be eaten by or eat the eels, no matter what the eels size.
I appreciate any and all help :D (don't be shy):shake:
thanks,
always learning.
 
I have my eels in with knifefish, plecos, catfish, a silver arowana and some other oddballs. All of those would be fine in my opinion because they all get big and so far I haven't had any problems with aggression despite the small size of my tank.
 
A lot will depend on what kind of eel you get. a few months being mixed together might work, but in the long run, there are many aggressive eels that will eat smaller tankmates. Many fish sold as FW eels are actually not FW, and while some will survive in BW for a while, most really need full marine conditions as adults. So, what specific eels are you interested in keeping?

For pretty well all of them--I would not recommend keeping puffers in with them. Most puffers are fairly aggressive on their own, and since thier natural diet consists of crustaceans that tend to hang out in the substrate, an eel that is hidden in the substrate (as many spiny eels prefer) with just it's nose poking up will likely be nipped, and maybe even lose it's eyes to a curious puffer.
 
thanks alot guys (or girls)
:eek:WOW I was a little surprised (and now thankfull) that you can keep an arowana in there
I was planning on getting any of these (Providing I can manage to find any of them):Fire eel
Freshwater moray eel
Rice swamp eel
Tire track eel
Spiney eel
Marble swamp eel
Basically anything that reaches at least about 24"
Hey, 1tankneverenuff, how big is your tank? and what else do you/could you keep in a tank like that (to kind of, fill up the space")? and what kind of knife?
 
I had bad luck with Oscars. But, I do have a small tank so that didn't help. I found the Oscars didn't work to well with the Arowana. Plus, they produce alot of waste. My 33L is pretty much maxed out. I have a Black Ghost Knife, African Knife, and Clown Knife all about the same size...which is about 3". They do good with everyone. Get them all as small as possible, that way they can grow together and get used to each other much easier.

What helps the situation in my tank is that the Arowana is a top dweller and the eels are mostly bottom dwellers. So everyone has their own space. I have 4 different eels in the tank and everyone has been together for a few months with no problems. I also have a Clown Pleco, Royal Pleco, African Butterfly, some Mystery Snails, Synodontis Catfish, and a Hifin Banded Shark (very cool fish!). My African Butterfly is a little territorial, but doens't harm the Arowana...just warns him basically.
 
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Be careful with the size of your knife. I had a clown knife who was about 5-6 inches long and my marble eel made a meal out of him. Drug him under and consumed him piece by piece with my other white cheek moray. They were both about 24 inches at that point. I found brichers are great with eels since they get big, thick, and are tough. I've had them with oscars and they could take a pounding and dish it out if the oscars got too rough. Your spiny eel selections should be fine since they are peacful with everything from my experience. Well, peaceful with anything that doesn't fit in their mouth. Have a good time picking them out. Eels are a blast to raise.
 
The FW moray is not actually FW, but rather high end brackish to full marine. Not suitable for your setup unless you were to go high brackish, then eventually when the moray is old enough;marine.
 
always learning - You should not put a silver arowana in a 125g tank if you want it to thrive. Its the bare minimum for that fish, when kept alone. You could try it for a while, but I am sure that you would want to move it to something larger once it hits 2 feet. If you get a large enough tank, say 200g, the tiger oscars will be fine with the arowana. If you want to stay in the 125 range, you could opt for an australian arowana instead, since they require a bit less gallonage (on the other hand they are less flexible, so require more turning space). You sound like you are excited about the arowana option though, so I would suggest, if you are getting a large tank anyway, go a little bigger than 125. An extra 50-70 gallons will really increase your options. In a 200 you could have a pair of oscars, a single arowana, and then your FW eels. That would be pretty neat. The spiny eels might be a bit small for that group though. This help any?
 
thanks alot, you're really helping alot:D

well I have heard that arowanas need LOTS of space and that she would need alot more than just 125, but I honestly don't think I would be able to keep it that long (pricewise, mostly) it would be great though. I figure I might be able to just sell it once it outgrows my tank and grow a new one in my 30gal. then put it in (it's in use currently as a display tank but once I get the 125 it'll probably be a sump or hospital or something like that) or just keep everything else and throw in some cichlids...

cdawson - I have heard that FW morays aren't really FW but I do have a SW tank so I guess I could just throw him there afterwards. -thanks anyway

Yeah, I'm just kind of assuming that you can keep some cichlids in there with eels and an arowana, they all grow up to be pretty big.

What kind of environment should I provide for these guys?
I was thinking a kind of lake Malawi style w/sand some driftwood and scattered plants. Any suggestions?
What are some feeding methods/foods for the eels especially when they're young?
Same for the arowana, but when it's still in the stage where it's attached to it's yolk and after it absorbs it?

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