Electric eel as a pet?
- Thread starter kyperman
- Start date
yea full grown can kill a person.
im getting mine real small so they should be around 25. but they are getting shipped so thats another 50. ive seen 2 footers for around 200 though.
im getting mine real small so they should be around 25. but they are getting shipped so thats another 50. ive seen 2 footers for around 200 though.
Electrophorus electricus would not reach 4 meters in length as somebody posted a while back. Further more a full grown specimen is unlikely to kill a human unless they had a heart condition.
Why people might die from them in the wild is becuase they are shocked so badly they pass-out/faint, then fall back into the water and drown.
They can easily be kept in aquaria, and they need not be kept in '500' gallons plus.
A standard 6 by 2 by 2 is adequate - they rarely move, only to relocate there ambush position in the reeds, and are a very flexible fish.
If you did keep one in a 500 gallon tank, then be prepared to locate your chair near either end as the other will go unused and directly be 'wasted space'.
I have a theory on how to make this fish safe as any other - even to the extent of putting your hands in the tank and creating a disturbance!
*Get a few metres of copper wire coated with plastic. Drill a hole in the bottom pane of glass in the tank and push the bare bit of copper wire up through it.
*Tape the bare wire to the inside on the tank and put some silicone around the wire hole to prevent leacage.
* feed the wire to the ground outside - even to one of the plumbing pipes, making sure it is always on a downward path.
*Bingo! the fish shocks and the electric gets immediately diverted outside via the copperwire. EASY. You can now potter around the tank and even add other fish at leasure providing they are big enough and the eel is harmless lest you touch it directly.
Why people might die from them in the wild is becuase they are shocked so badly they pass-out/faint, then fall back into the water and drown.
They can easily be kept in aquaria, and they need not be kept in '500' gallons plus.
A standard 6 by 2 by 2 is adequate - they rarely move, only to relocate there ambush position in the reeds, and are a very flexible fish.
If you did keep one in a 500 gallon tank, then be prepared to locate your chair near either end as the other will go unused and directly be 'wasted space'.
I have a theory on how to make this fish safe as any other - even to the extent of putting your hands in the tank and creating a disturbance!
*Get a few metres of copper wire coated with plastic. Drill a hole in the bottom pane of glass in the tank and push the bare bit of copper wire up through it.
*Tape the bare wire to the inside on the tank and put some silicone around the wire hole to prevent leacage.
* feed the wire to the ground outside - even to one of the plumbing pipes, making sure it is always on a downward path.
*Bingo! the fish shocks and the electric gets immediately diverted outside via the copperwire. EASY. You can now potter around the tank and even add other fish at leasure providing they are big enough and the eel is harmless lest you touch it directly.
Thanks for resurrecting a dated threat, gtp!
I saw a guy selling them on ebay awhile back and was intrigued. I read his info, and he seemed extremely knowledgeable as well as responsible (shouldn't we all strive to be that way?). He said he would absolutely not sell to anyone who didn't know what they were doing. E.g. if you had to ask if they live in salt or freshwater, go somewhere else. Can you imagine what such a powerful shock would do in salt water (salt water being a much better conductor)?
He said he collected them himself in South America and makes trips there every year. Very cool.
I have heard that they, and other electrical fishes, knifes and elephantnoses included, are highly intelligent. Their ability to produce and read electrical fields has let them to evolve a large brain that they have to use to survive. Fishes in those groups (family Mormyridae and order Gymnotiformes) are quite fun in captivity (with proper housing and care, of course) because they are interactive and will even play!
The folks on this forum who actually have knives and elephantnoses can attest to that, more than I can. I can't wait until I have more space (and $$) so I can finally get one for myself! They're on my list of "Fishes to Own Before I Die."
I saw a guy selling them on ebay awhile back and was intrigued. I read his info, and he seemed extremely knowledgeable as well as responsible (shouldn't we all strive to be that way?). He said he would absolutely not sell to anyone who didn't know what they were doing. E.g. if you had to ask if they live in salt or freshwater, go somewhere else. Can you imagine what such a powerful shock would do in salt water (salt water being a much better conductor)?
He said he collected them himself in South America and makes trips there every year. Very cool.
I have heard that they, and other electrical fishes, knifes and elephantnoses included, are highly intelligent. Their ability to produce and read electrical fields has let them to evolve a large brain that they have to use to survive. Fishes in those groups (family Mormyridae and order Gymnotiformes) are quite fun in captivity (with proper housing and care, of course) because they are interactive and will even play!
The folks on this forum who actually have knives and elephantnoses can attest to that, more than I can. I can't wait until I have more space (and $$) so I can finally get one for myself! They're on my list of "Fishes to Own Before I Die."
