eel identification

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Sorry to Hijack a bit, but Amy, how big is that tank of yours the Dayii and the gar are in atm? Looks 180...
Also, you say diet of of raw shrimp leads to unexplained deaths,have you got any links about this? Only bad food I know of for spineys is bloodworms.
 
120.. and everyone is getting moved into the 1k this week =) soooo excited as that tank is def to small for everyone.

I think it's the tripoly used to preserve them more then the shrimp themselves but i think shrimp also likely lack alot of the fat needed as well as micro and macros they get from live foods like the crawlers( def one of the least likely to carry parasites ect that are xferable to fish. And my "Guess" as it is just guess has been drawn from numerouse threads over the past 4+yrs now here and other places in reguards to unexplained deaths not just in spineys but other species as well and when asked the owners 99% of the time respond with "market prawn" as the main food.

I'm a big fan of feeding as varied a diet as possible.. just because I try and emmulate my own feeding practices for my fish... there is no magic "food" for us and we know even less about our fishes systems imo to say "the perfect food" is out there so I ere on the side of "variety is the spice of life" both for myself and my family... includeing our pets. I think a high quality pellet can provide nutrients to our pets as vitamins do for us.. but many fish have a more specialized diet then others.

But I also deal in 100% exotic species except with 1 community tank ( even then I have a few oddballs =) ) And focus mostly on Spiney eels, and Gar. The main differnce I think as well is I don't keep captive bred fish as a general rule, most if not all are wild caught so they aren't remotely domesticated as a majority of cichlids are... and imo pellets ect are formulated more for those omnivorous species then for true predetory species imo/ime. So some tweeking is needed to meet dietary needs.

Ben if I ever find links for scientific studies to back up my guess, I will absolutely share them here. or if anyone reading does It would def be worth a thread discussion IMO.

I think much of the info out there atm on spiney eels is outdated at best... and some of it flat wrong. the problem is I'm not a scientist by any means ( thats my little brother.. working on his PHD) Just a very seriouse hobbyist. I found once digging threw threads and comparing viable evidance ( ie pictures w/ tapemeasures ect) a majority of species are capable of attaining sizes almost double in some cases of what is generally believed. and alot of species a mis-labled or like some catfish species need to be scientifically renamed/addressed.

M. dayi for example as far as I'm aware has been scientifically labeled with only 3 specimins... but they are extreamely common lately ( I'm guessing someone is aquaculturing them? or there is a proverbial hot-spot for collection) But there is no reference to viable max size in the wild let alone captivity. very frustrating for hobbyists... unlike the OP who's "bigger the better" I can see these juvi eels going into 10-20 gallon tanks because nobody knows how big they get. I have read rumors there have been some in the 30" range imported but no pictures/credible documentation on it. The bigger mine gets the less I doubt it lol.

As a whole one of the longest oddballs I've seen offered in lfs... I remember as a child 20+yrs ago... seeing spiney eels in lfs for sale.. but they seem to not know much more about a majority of species then they did back then, at least on the hobby side of things.
 
I'm also excited to see pics of the 1k pool! With the awesome taste in fish you have(you share it with me :) ) it can only be cool ;)
Thank you for the elaboration about the diet. I wasn't ever doubting what you said, since you have way more experience with spineys than I do. In fact, although they are some of my favourite fish, I have never kept one for various reasons :(
My problem with bloodworms is that I've read of a bacterial infection which makes fish(mostly fire eels, rarely TT) develop white patches. When bloodworms where not offered anymore, the fish would heal w/ medication and good water quality. When they were offered further, the white patches would become larger and larger. Often, the fish would crumple in the corner and die.
I think diet plays a huge role in raising spiny eels, especially when young.
Weird you are seeing so many M.Dayii in the states.. Not seen a single one for sale here.
 
Beauty!
 
Very nice spotting! I bet he'll look even nicer then mine in the long run! def a gregarious fish once acclimated as you are finding out! he does imo look a little thin but def in good shape over-all.
 
I am going to fatten him up for sure. He is already really liking the diced tiliapia. Think the previous owner fed flakes brine shrimp and bloodworms. Not enough to fatten him up although the guy reported alot of growth. Think he will grow better on a meatier diet. He also seems to like the chopped up smelt and shrimp. Prob would eat just about anything I bet. Had a gar a while back that really liked beef hotdogs ( my big cats would get an occasional hot dog). Been thinking about trying some diced beef heart.. Just to keep things mixed up.


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