View Full Version : Electric Eel Care
TheZman
02-24-2006, 9:05 PM
I am thinking about purchasing an Electric Eel about 12 inches long. Aside from knowing that I can't keep with any other fish I am not sure what is involved in care and tank size. I am hoping a 20 gal is ample & the shop told me it was. If any of you know the real deal please let me know. BTW, I am new to MF & this is my first post.
Thanks,
TheZman
rottbo
02-24-2006, 9:40 PM
20 gallon for a true electric eel is way to small these get big up to 8 feet i have seen some large ones before and they are ugly but i want one too and they can live for 20 years by the way an electric eel is not true eel its a member of the same family as ghost knifes and there closet relative is the electric catfish you need a huge tank for one of these
rumblesushi
02-24-2006, 9:55 PM
hahaha, 20 gallon? you know they grow at least 6 foot right?
Honda12
02-24-2006, 10:13 PM
You need something a lot bigger to house one of those. Did the guy at the fish store tell you there fun to pet as well :ROFL: . Seriously if you cant provide a huge tank for one don't even consider it an option. By the way welcome to MFK. Hope you enjoy the site.
rottbo
02-24-2006, 10:14 PM
You need something a lot bigger to house one of those. Did the guy at the fish store tell you there fun to pet as well :ROFL:
:ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL:
TheZman
02-25-2006, 12:27 AM
Ah yes, sarcasm - what I was hoping for. That is what I was hoping for :thumbsup: Seems lots of folks like to use the word huge around here. You know that there are some things 12 inches that are huge, if you get my drift :D
Is huge a 10,000 gallon aquarium that can hold a baby dophin, a thousand gallon aquarium, a hundred gallon? Help me out here (to me 125 gal is huge).
I've been able to stunt growth of South American lungfish & arrowanas by keeping them in smallish tanks & kerpt the lungfish for 7 years before selling it (in a 55) & the arrowana for 5 years in a 29, so I was wondering if a smaller tank may stunt the growth (if it gets to 2-3 ft I may go for a 55 then but no higher). Is this likely or am I just a :screwy: ?
If the eel is not an option what about an electric catfish? I wants me some of that major fish current. More advice appreciated.
Later,
Zman
rottbo
02-25-2006, 12:47 AM
dude i am sorry to sound mean but stick with the small fish stunting growth is inhumane you do not need to keep big fish and for an electric eel here's my theory on fish and tanks minimum tank sizes are atleast as wide front to back as the maximum size of the fish and three times as long atleast 2' deep or more if you cannot provide proper homes for big fish please dont keep them
dude i am sorry to sound mean but stick with the small fish stunting growth is inhumane you do not need to keep big fish and for an electric eel here's my theory on fish and tanks minimum tank sizes are atleast as wide front to back as the maximum size of the fish and three times as long atleast 2' deep or more if you cannot provide proper homes for big fish please dont keep them
:iagree:
You need a much larger tank, perhaps not 3x's the length of this fish, since eels are not really all that active/free swimming, but WAAAAAAAAAAAY bigger than what they told you. Look through the photos on this site. There was recently a posting with pics of a big electric eel (I wanna say it was in the Buy/Sell but it could have been the Photo Lounge). You'll see it. It will make you reconsider wanting to own one.
rottbo
02-25-2006, 2:52 AM
seriously they have been measured at 96" that is huge and come one a 8' fish needs a huge tank and thats just my theory on keeping monsters they need room to move if you were in jail would youwant a 4x8 cell or a 6x18 cell this is my point
The link to one of the posts....
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16937&highlight=electric+eel
Another... Pics on pg.3 w/some info on the electricity they produce...
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14483&highlight=electric+eel
rottbo
02-25-2006, 3:04 AM
ugly but i want one just to toture the neighborhood kids :j/k:
downset21
02-25-2006, 3:22 PM
i agree, you shouldnt stunt the growth on a fish. im currently saving up to get a 4' x 4' 300 gal. tank to house a peacock bass. another good reference for electric eels is wildboys season 2 believe it or not. i love those knuckleheads. they touched a 6 foot electric eel down in south america i believe. it was a massive animal. dont get the eel brotha, not worth it for you or the fish.
ugly but i want one just to toture the neighborhood kids :j/k:
haha.... and to power my other tanks during power outtages...
rumblesushi
02-25-2006, 7:13 PM
you sick f##ker, keeping an arowana in a 29 gallon for 5 years? Purposefully stunting it's growth?
Did you even feed it and change the water? :D
TheZman
02-25-2006, 8:11 PM
seriously they have been measured at 96" that is huge and come one a 8' fish needs a huge tank and thats just my theory on keeping monsters they need room to move if you were in jail would youwant a 4x8 cell or a 6x18 cell this is my point
Thanks for the info. I will probably reconsider & go w/ the Electric Catfish. I've seen one live several years & is still alive in a 29 gal. But quite frankly I find it quite am using to compare keeping a FISH (EVEN A FREAKIN "MONSTER FISH") in a small cage to a human being. I volunteer at the National Zoo in the Invert section & hear this same laughable comparison there as well with freakin BUGS. Next thing you know these people will be complaining that we should stop trying to keep the Avian Flu Virus from mutating & infecting people cause VIRUSES have rights too!!!!
downset21
02-25-2006, 9:04 PM
no offense, but this site might not be for you then. im not a hippy liberal fish patriot or anything, but I am a fan of the common sense way of thinking. an animal that grows to a certain size shouldnt be kept in a space that is smaller than it is. you may have offended a few people with that comment of it being "laughable." sure fish are not humans but you're showing the wrong attitude in here. I dont want to turn it into an argument, just throwin my opinion out there.
mudskipper
02-25-2006, 9:11 PM
20 gallon for a true electric eel is way to small these get big up to 8 feet i have seen some large ones before and they are ugly but i want one too and they can live for 20 years by the way an electric eel is not true eel its a member of the same family as ghost knifes and there closet relative is the electric catfish you need a huge tank for one of these
So your saying e-cats and knives are related? thats new to me. would moramids fits into this loose family?
rottbo
02-25-2006, 9:13 PM
:swear: : find a new hobby :thumbsup:
rottbo
02-25-2006, 9:14 PM
So your saying e-cats and knives are related? thats new to me. would moramids fits into this loose family? :ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL:
guppy
02-26-2006, 12:04 AM
Zman, I am not one to compare fish to humans or even mice, but I like fish to reach their full size, a 20g tank is only 24-30" long depending on style, even most 55g are only 48"x12 1/2". Electric eels can reach three feet long in around 2 years and more than 8' long and weigh 40+ pounds in under 10 years. Not a good choice.
There are three species of electric catfish, all in the genus Malapterus, the most common (M. electricus) will reach 24 " in about two years and max out at about 49" and 44 pounds in around 6 years. The next smallest is a bit harder to find and is the smallmouthed electric catfish (M. microstoma) it gets to 28" and can reach that size in 3 years. Neither of these species show any tendencies towards stunting but I am sure that if you kill off a few you can find the right combination of starvation and toxic waste to keep the small until they die.
The only other member of the genus is the (M. shirensis) the Zambezi electric cat fish, they are not easy to find and seldom imported, they tend to be pricey. They only get to 12" and are not very active so a 55g tank would work, although barely.
Now that I have seriously addressed your question let me pose some of my own, why would you wish to deliberately shorten the life of a fish in your care when there are many beautiful and even impressive smaller fish available?
Why are you opposed to getting larger tanks so that you can keep larger fish in a manner that they will attain full growth and a full life span?
IF you have no room for larger tanks then please consider keeping smaller fish. If you are simply seeking bragging rights then please consider taking up a different hobby.