New Peacock eel---now WHAT do I do???

ineedabox

ineedabox

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Jan 31, 2005
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riiiight here
OK, now I know I'm probably gonna catch hell from some of you, but I just had to do this. Earlier today, I was at Walmart, and (even though I never buy) I always check out their live fish. They usually don't have anything special, BUT, now they're doing this "fish of the month" thing where they get some cool new fish every month. This month it is a peacock eel. Very cheap. 2.50$. I bought. Hell, I mean I saved one fish from being in the hands of some redneck who has no idea what he's doing right? Oh wait...I have no idea what to do...

K, so help me. I'm a spaz. I'm sorry. But this is a cool eel...but I'm afraid it's gonna die...so what should I do? What kind of food? What kind of decor?

Any help will be greatly appreciated :bowing: ...I'd really like to keep this fish alive.
 
haha, just watch, it WILL dissapear. they bury themselves, and i havent seen mine for a week. i know he comes out because the gravel gets moved around.
as far as i know, they are scavangers, but will eat small fish when they get big enough. (the eel) they like ghost shrimp, earthworms, blood worms...
they aslo really enjoy hiding places, provied caves, plants, etc to hide in.
one last thing, they will try to escape your tank, just make sure all the holes are covered. one person suggested lowering the tank water about 2 inches, one other person suggested putting plastic canvas over all the openings.
 
peacock eels need a soft substrate to burrow into, preferably sand, but rounded gravel will work also. If I remember right, they grow to about a foot long and need about a 50g or more. They are carniverous so they need to be fed all that good stuff in your lfs's freezer. They do well in a community if I remember right as long as there arent any small fish. Thats about all I know. And yes, they are major escape artists.
 
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****, that's just great. my tank is almost filled to the brim. :thud:

Oh well. yea, TYPO, the first thing the little guy did was slam himself against the side of a rock and started burrowing. He's had half his body just stickin outta the gravel for about 45 minutes now...no sign of movement.


God, I probably shouldnt have done this. :(
 
well, good news, i dont think he'll be eating any of your fish.

IME, i havent lost any fish... that isnt to say he wont be going after them when he's full grown (he is about 8" or so now... last time i saw him, anyway, haa). they are peaceful, fairly easily frightened, but, they can be taught to feed directly from your hand. just a little conditioning, and there you go!
 
I've got a 6" one in a 55g gallon community tank. It never took to flakes or pellets, and it does like defrosted bloodworms and to a lesser extent, brine shrimp. The mouth is very tiny, and I've had no compatibility problems with the other occupants (danios, swordtails, cory cats, and ghost shrimp). Mine is out in the open most of the time during the day, but with a multitude of caves and crevices as well as a sand substrate there is no shortage of hiding places.

Do keep an eye on it to make sure it gets enough food. Mine eats slowly, usually one bloodworm at a time, so w/ aggressive eaters like danios I have to use a distraction to make sure the peacock eel eats.
 
thanks guys....so what do you think I should feed him/her now? I guess shrimp pellets and floating flakes are out of the question...since the mouth is small and it wont go to the surface...

Do you think brine shrimp would work? I'm thinkin that maybe the little guy is too stressed at the moment to eat anything at all...I guess I could be wrong though. What about sinking cichlid flakes? They're a good size for it, and so thin and weak they actually bend and wobble while they sink to the bottom. You think that'd work? I also have tubifex...but those things just float.
 
I would imagine, since he burrows himself, that he is also capable of eating the gunk that settles in the substrate. I wouldn't worry about him too much, fish are resourceful and don't need a ton of food to survive.
 
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