American Eel

[MicropterusSalmoides]

if there is any hole in the tank it will get out.. i have a Anguilla Australis wich is about 2'+ that has escaped a few times, i have to keep every single openeing well duct tape, it has even broken through the duct tape so you have to put new tape on often. it once ventured off into my kitchen (20' away from the tank) where my sister was makeing dinner she thoguht a snake got in the house.

they can thrive in full freshwater. i keep mine at around 80* and does fine

 

[rjmtx]

i keep mine at around 80* and does fine

I wouldn't keep an A. rostratus that warm since there aren't too many 80* bodies of water in their range. A. australis are a South Pacific species, and I imagine they inhabit tropical jungle rivers in some of their range.

 

[meepster]

that picture's a little hard to tell, but it does look like an american eel.

You're lucky. The live eels sold at the asian markets here are all Asian Yellow Swamp Eels.

 

[1commander]

Do NOT feed your eel any crayfish or prawns (or anything with a shell basically). Even though American Eels love them, they are part of the lifecycle of a parasite (nematode) that affects pretty much only American Eels (and very similar species). Infection rates are extremely high in the wild, with some reports going over 80% in some populations. Hopefully yours is not infected already, but it is a strong possibility since you noticed he looked beatup. Stick with worms or try to get him to eat various types of fishfood (pellets) since he is relatively young.

 

[MicropterusSalmoides]

what if there is no shell on the shrimp? mine eats peeled shrimp and thats about it. will take feeders occasionally

 

[rjmtx]

Do NOT feed your eel any crayfish or prawns (or anything with a shell basically). Even though American Eels love them, they are part of the lifecycle of a parasite (nematode) that affects pretty much only American Eels (and very similar species). Infection rates are extremely high in the wild, with some reports going over 80% in some populations. Hopefully yours is not infected already, but it is a strong possibility since you noticed he looked beatup. Stick with worms or try to get him to eat various types of fishfood (pellets) since he is relatively young.

OK, so it probably has parasites, along with 95% of the other wild caught fish in the world, especially on this forum. What kind of parasite is this? Introduced, or something that's coevolved with the eels? You know the object of a parasite is not to kill the host. This usually happens due to outside factors-stress, age, disease, etc. (including capture and containment). I don't see anything wrong with feeding fresh or frozen shrimp from the seafood department. Live crawfish, grass shrimp, or prawns might carry this parasite, but shouldn't be a problem in an otherwise healthy fish. I'm no eel expert, but I know the main problems facing eels today are caused by humans, not parasites. If the eel does seem to be suffering from an abnormal parasite load, deworm it for sure. However, I've kept all types of local fish from darters and cyprinids to catfish and Centrarchids, most of which, I assume have some type of beasties in them. Only rarely have I seen my natives come down with anything more serious than anchor worms.

I think the main thing is to get him eating. If he'll eat frozen, great, but if you have to, throw some live in there. Parasites will take down a starving fish for sure.

 

[1commander]

I do not think the most important thing is to get the eel to eat if feeding is going to kill it. Feeders are not the best idea but can be safe. (I assume you are talking about goldfish.) I would try very hard to get your eel to eat worms or pellets. Eels like nightcrawlers and their smaller variations. (Also try squid.) The parasite lives in both the ocean and freshwater environments, so the shrimp you are feeding it may be infected. (It is not the shell itself that is infected, so removing the shell does nothing.) However, it is impossible for me to say anything about that because some shrimp is farm-raised, some ocean caught, etc, and this will influence the likelyhood of infection in unknown ways. I am still trying to determine this myself through correspondence with a few people who study them.

You can't just toss this one aside as normal or be so dismissive about it. There is an extensive literature on the nematode; many scientists suspect that it is primarily causing the enormous decrease in the eel population experienced in the last decade or so and not humans, as you suggested. The nematode is lodged in the swimbladder and potentially prevents it from functioning normally, especially at high loads. This prevents the eel from getting to the sargasso sea to spawn. Much is still unknown about the nematode but it is not a parasite that can be tossed aside, with its potential to kill the host, and the relatively recent introduction of the parasite coupled with the general lack of knowledge on american eels and their spawning habits. It is not your normal lab nematode though -- these things are over a centimeter (I have seen them about an inch!) and found in high concentrations. (The eels that I have dissected have had no less than 10 - and each eel was under 10 inches long).

If your eel is bloated, even a little, be suspicious.
Here is a picture a nematode infection:
http://web.abo.fi/instut/fisk/Swe/Parasiter/anguillicola.htm

I would just play it safe. If you have access to JSTOR, look up anguillicola crassus to find more information. You can come to your own conclusions.

 

[rjmtx]

Thanks for the info. I read the Moser et al. paper on Anguillicola crassus, and it answered my question on it being introduced, which usually translates as devestating. Would Praziquantel work on the little devils? Anyway, I'd be careful of squid, too, since the paper mentions a snail as a host. I wonder if deep freezing kills the eggs. If so, I'd just stick to frozen seafood. Pellets would be ideal, but I've always preferred to supplement carnivores with meat, and I'm not sure how well eels take to prepared foods. Looks like pinky mice are the only safe foods... j/k.

This is potentially more serious than I presumed, but on the other hand, I've seen plenty of american eels kept with no problem. Good luck.

 

[xspainx69]

Sure I just got back from school. I will see if i can get any good pics he started to make these holes but they fill up on him. I going to try to go to the plumbing store to buy some pvc pipe for him. He doesnt move much thou could be stress i put in some stress coat.

How did you make it with the American Eel from Chinatown(Manhatten) back to Westchester?

 

[meepster]

I do not think the most important thing is to get the eel to eat if feeding is going to kill it. Feeders are not the best idea but can be safe. (I assume you are talking about goldfish.) I would try very hard to get your eel to eat worms or pellets. Eels like nightcrawlers and their smaller variations. (Also try squid.) The parasite lives in both the ocean and freshwater environments, so the shrimp you are feeding it may be infected. (It is not the shell itself that is infected, so removing the shell does nothing.) However, it is impossible for me to say anything about that because some shrimp is farm-raised, some ocean caught, etc, and this will influence the likelyhood of infection in unknown ways. I am still trying to determine this myself through correspondence with a few people who study them.

You can't just toss this one aside as normal or be so dismissive about it. There is an extensive literature on the nematode; many scientists suspect that it is primarily causing the enormous decrease in the eel population experienced in the last decade or so and not humans, as you suggested. The nematode is lodged in the swimbladder and potentially prevents it from functioning normally, especially at high loads. This prevents the eel from getting to the sargasso sea to spawn. Much is still unknown about the nematode but it is not a parasite that can be tossed aside, with its potential to kill the host, and the relatively recent introduction of the parasite coupled with the general lack of knowledge on american eels and their spawning habits. It is not your normal lab nematode though -- these things are over a centimeter (I have seen them about an inch!) and found in high concentrations. (The eels that I have dissected have had no less than 10 - and each eel was under 10 inches long).

If your eel is bloated, even a little, be suspicious.
Here is a picture a nematode infection:
http://web.abo.fi/instut/fisk/Swe/Parasiter/anguillicola.htm

I would just play it safe. If you have access to JSTOR, look up anguillicola crassus to find more information. You can come to your own conclusions.

does cooking kill them? Are cooked shrimp safe for them? Or are they cysts/eggs that won't die from cooking? How about dried or freeze dried?

At least they don't infect humans....