The specks are very well defined, opaque, and white. I am glad I asked before treating, I knew just enough to know that eels are strange compared to most other FW fish. Understatement of the year?
Advanced Nursing Advice? Fire Eels
- Thread starter heatherbeast
- Start date
True! if your pretty sure it's Ick I would forgo the salt but bump the temp up to about 85-90.. and do 50% WC's for the next week every day. I've used this method to treat FW puffers ( another Pita species to treat ick for) with great results. the higher temp gets the cyst cycle fast and the huge water changes remove them in the freeswimming stage. and some species of Ick can't take the high water temps... But do not raise the temps when useing pima or melafix as the O2 depleation gets seriousely whacked up..... if after 2-3 days you don't see a noticable imporvement just drop the heater back down to 78ish and start pima treatments. or that would be my plan of attack if I wasn't 100% what it was. teh higher temps will also liekly speed up Velvet.. so once you bump up the temp if he gets worse all of a sudden.. do wc and dro the temp and start pima treatment sooner.
Looks like it really was ich. The temp bump and water changes have helped tons, I'll be finished with it after this weekend. I just wanted to come back to say THANK YOU SOOOOOO much! Next step will be to get their diet more varied. 
Great to hear! 
makes me feel better about wasteing time here knowing I can help someone else on occasion!
makes me feel better about wasteing time here knowing I can help someone else on occasion!
Just read through this thread and wanted to say it's awesome to see a happy ending and I actually feel like I learned some info.
MonsterMinis, you're clearly the (wo)man.
MonsterMinis, you're clearly the (wo)man.
Noodleface is doing great still, but I'm bumping this topic for MORE help with one of the rescues.
One of them is eating red wigglers and mysis shrimp like a champ, but the other one is really starting to worry me with not eating at all. It originally ate erratically, only showing interest and actually eating AFTER stealing the half-chewed worm away from the more successful fire eel. As time has gone on, its interest even in THAT has waned. I have tried going back to blood worms to try to tempt it to eat, but no luck. I am stumped, and don't want this to turn into another sad story of 'depends on personality, some just don't eat'.
Should I try worming them again? Something else? It's been swimming around a lot, I don't want him to run his little biological battery down before I can fix him.
HELLLLLLLLLLLP!!!!
I am also including comparison pics of skinny ol Ghost 1 and fatty mcfat fat Noodleface for comparison -- I received them at about the same time and same size.
VS 
One of them is eating red wigglers and mysis shrimp like a champ, but the other one is really starting to worry me with not eating at all. It originally ate erratically, only showing interest and actually eating AFTER stealing the half-chewed worm away from the more successful fire eel. As time has gone on, its interest even in THAT has waned. I have tried going back to blood worms to try to tempt it to eat, but no luck. I am stumped, and don't want this to turn into another sad story of 'depends on personality, some just don't eat'.
Should I try worming them again? Something else? It's been swimming around a lot, I don't want him to run his little biological battery down before I can fix him.
HELLLLLLLLLLLP!!!!I am also including comparison pics of skinny ol Ghost 1 and fatty mcfat fat Noodleface for comparison -- I received them at about the same time and same size.
VS split them up.. you can and will get con specific aggression in these guys more often then not. re-worm.. and offer it live black worms or ghost shrimp ( the black worms would be best imo) get him fattened up and back on track, and try re-introduction again as you would cichlids (move hide spots/decor ect around so everyone is seeking new territories) over competitveness may be the issue in itself, sometimes they just don't keep well togther.
deworming may need to be done a few times.. I would worm them all again. I've never "over wormed" a tank, and have done it every 30 days for up to 5 consecutive monthes w/out an issue.
deworming may need to be done a few times.. I would worm them all again. I've never "over wormed" a tank, and have done it every 30 days for up to 5 consecutive monthes w/out an issue.
I would consider myself a very experienced fish keeper. I bought a fire eel for the university lab that I manage, and I only SAW him eat once. I added blackworms all the time and he must have been eating them at night bc they disappeared.
Never saw him eat one though. Saw him take one blood worm once.
Not sure what I did wrong, but he lived for a semester at the lab.
Good luck, awesome fish if done right. Hardy, friendly, and total piggies from what I hear.
Never saw him eat one though. Saw him take one blood worm once.
Not sure what I did wrong, but he lived for a semester at the lab.
Good luck, awesome fish if done right. Hardy, friendly, and total piggies from what I hear.
I could give you a hug, MOMsterminis! Ghost Noodle DEMOLISHED two ghost shrimp when I offered them after the third day of deworming the tank. Even if he doesn't eat again, they should last him a month, LOL. Currently cycling a tank to move Aggro Noodle into.
Even if he doesn't eat again, they should last him a month, LOL. Currently cycling a tank to move Aggro Noodle into.