More problem with my fire eel! Please help

[Troy.m]

Hey guys I've had this fire eel for about 2 years now he has grown to about 8 inches since I've had him and periodically it looks like he gets little scrapes it's a discoloration almost white that appears to be underneath his slime coat, sometimes this appears one morning and they are gone or in a different spot the next morning?? So weird, any ideas what it could be this time he has a whole lot of them and they worry me I've dosed the tank with aquarium salt but did not bump the temperature up the tanks is a temporary 55 gallon with a c-360 canister and a penguin 400 hob lightly planted 15 nitrate 0 nitrite ph 7.0 0 ammonia 78f I have super clean water in going to do a water change today as well I can try to get some pictures but he's in his little hole, I should mention I removed a hide that he loved yesterday because it had rough edges and he digs under it, any advice ??

 

[Troy.m]

Btw tank mates are a l168 flounder Pleco 4 small gourami 2 juvenile bichir (sengalal, delhizi) have not seen any aggression towards the eel from any of them he's the largest in the tank

 

[Troy.m]

Here's some pics there's some sand on him too from digging but it doesn't look like Ick the spots are so big and vary in size and they aren't raised or fuzzy it just looks like cuts and scrapes ??

 

[johnnytaboo]

I'll admit that it's hard to make out, but it doesn't look like a fungal or bacterial infection to me. It likely is just scrapes from him trying to burrow beneath different objects in the tank. It may be worse this time because you removed his favorite hiding place and he's been stressing himself out try to find a new safe place.

It could also be an excess of slime coat secreted during times of high stress. I had a lima shovelnose catfish who would get stressed from time to time and it would get so bad I worried he was rotting. Maybe a lot of the excess slime is being sluffed off when the eel burrows, and all you are seeing is remnants of the excess slime? Then again, I'm not even sure eels exhibit that type of response when stressed...

Ether way, is he eating? Did you ever get him to take something other than bloodworms and ghost shrimp?

 

[Troy.m]

I'll admit that it's hard to make out, but it doesn't look like a fungal or bacterial infection to me. It likely is just scrapes from him trying to burrow beneath different objects in the tank. It may be worse this time because you removed his favorite hiding place and he's been stressing himself out try to find a new safe place.

It could also be an excess of slime coat secreted during times of high stress. I had a lima shovelnose catfish who would get stressed from time to time and it would get so bad I worried he was rotting. Maybe a lot of the excess slime is being sluffed off when the eel burrows, and all you are seeing is remnants of the excess slime? Then again, I'm not even sure eels exhibit that type of response when stressed...

Ether way, is he eating? Did you ever get him to take something other than bloodworms and ghost shrimp?

yes he eats like crazy now shrimp blood worms black worms earth worms as you can tell her prefers things that wriggle still yea I hope it's just a bit of excess slime and that's what I think of since it's so random appearing and disappearing

 

[moe214]

Maybe the pleco is sucking on his slime coat?

 

[Troy.m]

Maybe the pleco is sucking on his slime coat?

Though of that of course but the l168 isn't known to suck on slime coats and also the eel had this problem before I introduced the Plec but if I ever seem him touch the eel I'd move him to another tank

 

[moe214]

Though of that of course but the l168 isn't known to suck on slime coats and also the eel had this problem before I introduced the Plec but if I ever seem him touch the eel I'd move him to another tank

So then likely just scrapes from trying to hide

 

[Troy.m]

Update this morning he had maybe 4 or 5 spots of a larger diameter in different spots and now at 4 o clock all spots are gone and he's looking bright and ridiculous as always so I will assume that just like the catfish you had stress and possibly some minor scrapes can cause him to excrete extra slime coat, I doubt even scrapes can heal wishing a few hours. Thanks guys

 

[Cosmic_surfer]

2 years and only 8 inches? I have had my fire eel that started around 6 or 7 inches and he is already 14-15 inches in length. My fire has had white spots from time to time, my guess is minor scrapes on the slime coat. If it is one thing I have learned though, fire eels like caves that they can fully hide in. I got one of those $50 decorative rock caves from pet smart and he has basically lived in there. When I go to the local fish store they usually have small pieces of pvc pipe for the eels. While this may be sufficient in a store setting I don't think it will cut it. When I made my 3d aquarium background, I spray foamed 2 6 foot long 2 inch diameter pvc pipes and cut a few holes for cave mouths. In the center I also made a separate box cave so if he prefers the more open dark areas he will have that. I am still cycling the tank, but once it is done I am sure my eel will love his new home. The bichirs may like the caves for a while till they find themselves too fat. I also bough some huge 6 inch diameter pvc y tubes in case the bichirs and ghost knife need the extra large style cave.