Peacock eel help

thats a good idea, they do like the company of each other I think. not true schoolers but if you see pics of more than one in a tank they are alway in the same hide or cave together. it may just be restless, give it some time and keep offering food. it is a good thing that its swimming though. maybe try offering food at night when they are really active. and plase be sure to have an extreamly escape proof hood becasue eels will ALWAYS find a way out. mine has escaped twice so far!
 
Actually, most spiny eels don't tolerate their own kind for very long. Even if they pile together at the store, in a well-established aquarium two eels will begin harrassing each other when they mature.

Give your new eel time. My eel didn't even come out until after two weeks. They need to be comfortable before they start worrying about food. I mean really comfortable. He'll scavenge until then.

Now mine comes out whenever he sees me coming with the bloodworm squirter, and never takes his eyes off me.
 
If this is a newly set up and not properly cycled tank, adding another fish will only exacerbate things, and I do not recommend that as a course of action.

You need to get a good test kit and find out what your water parameters are. There could be several things that are bothering and stressing your eel, but it is hard to diagnose without that information.

Kristina
 
I've kept several peacock and zig-zag eels together for a very long time with no aggression. That being said, I did give them lots of hiding spots. Peacock eels are small so my guess is the earthworms are too big. Try and get some blackworms. They are live and small so the eel will be able to eat them easily. Also, as said above, eels are shy and they are generally noctornal so you won't see them much during the day.

Most importantly, you need to get a liquid test kit and cycle your tank. That way you can track the water and complete water changes as needed. Eels aren't the most hardy fish and a cycle isn't going to easy on it.
 


jpappy's link is on cycling. You should read it because it is quite likely your eel is acting funny because you tank is cycling and the byproducts of the bacteria are toxic and hurting it.
 
It's on cycling. Unless you transferred media from an established tank, your is not cycled. Your fish's waste and any other decomposing organics will break down into ammonia, which is toxic to fish. We need bacteria to convert that ammonia into nitrite (still toxic) and that nitrite into nitrate, which we remove with water changes. The process of building up an adequate colony of bacteria to process all the ammonia is called "cycling".

If I am misreading this entire thread and your tank is in fact already cycled, just say the word and I'll shut up. :)
 
AquariaCentral.com