Fire Eel Care and Tank Setup

Ok, so this is just wishful thinking but I have a 75 gallon tank that I am thinking about using for a fire eel. I've never kept any of the spiny eels before so I'm just wondering what their care requirements would be. I have a list of questions that I would love some help on.

1. Feeding- What should I feed the fire eel? Is there a pellet food that I could get it to take that would provide for all its dietary needs?
2. Plants- I have anubias attached to driftwood, some java fern, and some floating pennywort in the tank right now. Are there any other plants that would be good to go with a fire eel?
3. Décor- Currently I have two large pieces of Malaysian driftwood in the tank and some medium sized stones in the middle of the tank. The substrate is pool filter sand. Is there anything specifically that I need to know or do to provide a good setup for a fire eel?
4. Tankmates- Right now the only fish that I would leave in the tank with the eel is a 4" bristlenose pleco. Are there any other good tankmates to go with the fire eel?
5. Lid- the tank has a glass lid but since I have HOB filters on the tank right now there are a few gaps (2-3") in the back of the tank. Do I need to cover every opening completely?
6. Filtration- I have two HOBs right now but I would probably go with a decent canister filter. From what I've read they prefer calm water. Would the current from a canister filter bother them?
7. Foot Traffic- This tank is in my office at work. Throughout the week it doesn't get much traffic but on weekends I'll have people come into my office quite a bit. Especially little kids that like to go up to the tank. No banging on the glass or anything but are these guys pretty comfortable with people around or do they just hide all the time?
8. Dithers- This kind of relates to my last question a little bit. Do these guys hide a lot? Do they need dithers in the tank to help them feel comfortable?
9. Temperature- Do they have any special temperature requirements? Or would mid to upper 70's work fine?

If there's anything else I need to know, please share it. Thanks.

Is there an eel that would do well, long-term in a 75 gallon? I know there are a ton of different spiny eel species out there. Is there one that would be a good solo specimen for the tank. I don't want one that will only grow 6-8" I want one that will grow to a decent size without busting out the seams of the tank. I don't really plan to upgrade this tank so perhaps a fire eel isn't the best choice for me.

I haven't made up my mind. I want to keep him but I can't keep him with any other fish that I want to keep. He's just a little small to be the only fish in my 75.


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One of the previous year's Aquarium USA Magazines had an article about freshwater eels. They had a chart with different spiny eel species on it and they had probably 30-40 different species listed, many out of lake Tangyika. I'll have to look at it again. I usually only see fire eels, tyre tracks, and peacock eels. The first two are too big, the last one a little small for what I'm wanting.