Bichir Ate my Fire Eel

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soulFish

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MFK Member
Jan 14, 2007
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Tampa, FL
I haven't seen my 12" Fire Eel in a week. He's not in his normal place and I don't think he crawled out of the tank. But I also noticed my Ornate Bichir seems alittle fat. Would he have eaten my Eel during the night? The Bichir is around 15" and big around the Eel was 12" but on the skinny side.

Ideas?
 
one time i had added a fire eel and an ornate bichir of almost teh same size in length.. of course the bichir had a much thicker body and head... and i just tried them out together.. for few minut.. they swam around in the tank alright/.. but after a while when teh bichir and the eel met face to face, the eel just stared at teh bichir and then suddenly SNAP the Bichir Snaped at the Eel... but the eel swam away in time... and then from that time i had separated the Eel...

Though i have seen Bichirs and Spiny Eel mixed and livign together provided they have their own territory, their bottom space is big enough, and that the eel has to be bigger in body size than the bichir, but hten again not to big that the bichir can fit in itz mouth. =^_^=.

Happy Monster Fish All have tendancy of eating Other monster fish of smaller or slightly smaller Size =^_^=

Sorry for ur lost of Mr Eel. =^_^=
 
I have 2 bichirs and I haven't had any problems so far. I have a rainbow shark with them and they all get along. Are you sure the eel is not hiding? I would check all the decors and such. If the bichir did eat him I am sorry for your loss.
 
Dump this sucker in "Lessons Learned".

I never understood how they could eat to the point where they look severely impacted!

I can definitely see a 15 inch poly gulping up that noodle of an eel!
 
look around in the same room as your tank, eels can probably slide there way across the floor a ways...
 
I suggest you learn from your mistake and replace the eel with a Crenicichla! :D :D :D!!

Bummer deal for your loss though, fire eels are hott!! Perhaps you should do a more intricate search and make sure you just didn't miss it?
 
There is a reason why serpentine specimens are not compatible with bichirs. I wouldn't attempt mixing all Mastacembelus species with polypterus.
 
could of happened what kind of substrate do you have ? check and see if he burrowed
 
it should be fairly easy to tell if the bichir ate the eel by the huge lump in the bichirs stomachafter such a meal.if no lump it didn't eat it off hand i'd look around the room
or in the filters for the wandering eel-Anne
 
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