Fire eel or Tire track eel

CaptainS

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Dec 14, 2014
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Hey guys before I tell you anything I just want to let you know Im starting off with an oscar in my uncles 80 gallon tank, not an eel this question about the eel is an ocd question, which eel would be better for the community tank im planning a tire track eel or a fire eel.Im leaning towards the tire track eel since they seem to be more common at my aquarium stores,anyways tell me what you think would be better and what are your experiences with both species
 

jclyde13

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Jun 18, 2009
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I'd say neither one is better than the other. They both have practically identical behavior, growth rates, and maximum sizes. I choose to keep tire track eels simply because they only cost $20-30 here (as opposed to $40-80 for a fire eel, for whatever reason).

But it needs to be said that your 80 gallon will not be a long term home for either species. These guys need at least a 180 gallon tank, though larger would be better (particularly in terms of width). If you're not able to upgrade, there are a lot of other Mastacembelus and Macrognathus species that will be more suitable for your tank.

Also, if you're pairing it with an oscar, you'll need to make sure it is much too large for the oscar to eat.
 

CaptainS

Banned
Dec 14, 2014
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Bay Area
I know Im also getting some other larger tanks later on but I said ill make sure they are all adult before I put them in the same tank.
 

johnnytaboo

Fire Eel
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May 4, 2005
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If you can find one, I'd say fire eel.. But I'm biased because I have one, and he's a fun/beautiful fish. He's also in my overstocked 125 (tank mates include an atf, 2 red tail cudas, a lima shovelnose cat, sen, bichir, scomb, and a dat) and he's never had an issue with a single one of them.
 

jclyde13

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Jun 18, 2009
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Fire eels will grow larger than tire tracks....
Do you have evidence to support this claim? There was a member here years ago who owned a tire track eel around 40", and the largest fire eel I've seen anywhere online was stated to be 40" as well. Fire eels and tire track eels also both commonly reach anywhere from 30-36", so I don't believe there is any true difference in average growth potential between the two species.

I can only guess that you may be referring specifically to Mastacembelus favus, which is similar in appearance to Mastacembelus armatus, but doesn't grow quite as large (often said to max out around 24-30").


Ya but I heard tire tracks can eat larger prey.
I doubt this, as well.


Edit: I did some digging (using Google, since the search feature is dysfunctional lately), and found the thread. The member was Akskirmish, and the eel was actually 37.5". Still merely a 2.5" difference there, though.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?350117-Death-of-a-giant
 
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