Eel Care

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Blue2Fyre

Blue2Fyre

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Aug 28, 2008
891
3
33
Wisconsin
So I am super excited that I will be getting my dream fish at the end of the month. I will be getting a Tanganyikan eel, M. elipsifer to me exact. I am beside myself and doing everything possible t make sure he is comfortable. The eel is 5" long and will be hanging out in my 29 gallon Tang tank while I get him use to feeding.
Has anyone had this species before? In addition to this being my first eel it's also my first wild caught fish. The tank has sand init along with a rock pile. The tankmates are mild but not bite sized. I am in the process of eel proofing the tank with some plastic mesh. Now I'm not sure about feeding. I have some blood worms and freeze dried mytic shrimp. I can also get some fish and shrimp from the grocery store.
My ph is very steady at 8.0 and I have very hard water. The Ph in Tanganyika is higher though. Should I try and make adjustments?
Any further help is welcome :D I'll post pictures as soon as I can.
 
I have never kept this eel myself, but I can give you some advice in what i've learned with my fire eel. My eel would not eat anything but live food (trying to transition him to frozen). Eels can be quite the picky eaters. Your tank parameters seem to be good for M. elipsifer. As you said you are doing in sealing the tank make sure everything is nice and solid! Again I never had this eel but with my fire he wouldn't even eat anything for the first week I had him. Just be patient and give him what he wants and he will give you years of pleasure! Best of luck to you!
 
Thanks!

I forgot to mention I just bought a small group of endlers. I'm hoping to get some breeding going on and using them as feeders. I have access to blackworms but I'm not sure how my husband will feel about me setting up a worm farm.
 
Yep, live blackworms are all my fire eel will eat. He goes nuts for them.
 
I could get some earthworms from the yard. They are everywhere right now. I'll be sure to ask what the eel is eating when I pick him up.
 
Well I got him! After being in the tank for 2 hours he's taking bloodworms very well. No problems so far. I'm just not sure how much I should be feeding.
 
feed him as much as he wants to eat but be sure to fast him a day or 2 here and there, I've found this routine to work well with my fire eels and tire track and should work well for your new guy. He looks healthy but abit skinny, but not bad. watch out for any signs of bacterial/fungal infections as spiny eels are sensitive to these. =) Nice fish, and def on my list for the future.
 
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