ELECTRIC EEL

[SimonL]

For whatever it's worth, I've kept electric eels for sometime. Yes, they are very inactive for most of the time during the day. Mine were very active after the lights went out. I'd never keep a fish in a tank that wasn't wider than the fish is long. In my experience, if the fish is forced to touch the glass when turning around, then it doesn't have enough room. Again I see comments like "in the wild" vs "in captivity" for max size. I will repeat one of my favorite phrases:

If it doesn't get to it's full wild size in captivity, then you are doing something wrong.

The problem with this debate is that the entire aquarium hobby is about compromising the "best" conditions. You're still giving that eel a tiny fraction of it's natural roaming area even with a 500 gallon. Fish aren't "happy" or "sad" because they don't have freedom. Fish are happy when they are fed and healthy. As long as the fish is healthy and not deformed or injured, the aquarium is "big enough".

I'd counter that statement with a better one; If the fish doesn't breed in captivity, you are doing something wrong.

Anything less than completing a complete life-cycle, growing to full size and displaying all natural behaviour, including breeding, is a compromise on some level.

This hobby is about how much compromise is acceptable, balancing practicality with ethic/humane conditions. ALL tanks are too small, compared to wild environments, unless they cover the size area in the wild the fish utilizes. For instance, a wild Hemichromis fasciatus, while not a big fish compared to "tankbusters", has a territory of approx. 5 meters squared. Yet a 75 gallon tank is considered to be "big enough". Many Utaka cichlids create spawning pits several meters wide. They are prevented form doing this in aquariums, but there is no uproar about keeping cichlids in 50-100 gallon aquariums.

Yes a 180 is small for a 4 foot eel. So is 500 compared to river it lived in before being collected.

 

[Gobrian44]

Where can you even get an EE?

 

[benzjamin13]

 

[Zoodiver]

Yes, I'm aware of the idea of hobbiest keeping. However, we should still do the best we can. There is no need to subject an animal to cramped quarters if there is no need to.
I will argue that not ALL tanks are too small. I've seen several people step up and make sure the fish they keep will have far more space than they will ever need.

 

[Nabbig2]

The problem with this debate is that the entire aquarium hobby is about compromising the "best" conditions. You're still giving that eel a tiny fraction of it's natural roaming area even with a 500 gallon. Fish aren't "happy" or "sad" because they don't have freedom. Fish are happy when they are fed and healthy. As long as the fish is healthy and not deformed or injured, the aquarium is "big enough".

I'd counter that statement with a better one; If the fish doesn't breed in captivity, you are doing something wrong.

Anything less than completing a complete life-cycle, growing to full size and displaying all natural behaviour, including breeding, is a compromise on some level.

This hobby is about how much compromise is acceptable, balancing practicality with ethic/humane conditions. ALL tanks are too small, compared to wild environments, unless they cover the size area in the wild the fish utilizes. For instance, a wild Hemichromis fasciatus, while not a big fish compared to "tankbusters", has a territory of approx. 5 meters squared. Yet a 75 gallon tank is considered to be "big enough". Many Utaka cichlids create spawning pits several meters wide. They are prevented form doing this in aquariums, but there is no uproar about keeping cichlids in 50-100 gallon aquariums.

Yes a 180 is small for a 4 foot eel. So is 500 compared to river it lived in before being collected.

Well nobody here said a 500 gallon aquarium was going to simulate an electric eel's habitat. Obviously we will never be able to do what you are suggesting, unless we purchase a 1000 gallon tank for an oscar. But we can do our best, and in my opinioin, a 75 gallon tank for an oscar is good enough (not the best though.)

The main point I have been trying to get across is that 180 is way too tight for an electric eel, and although you are correct that 500 gallons is much smaller than it's original habitat, it provides enough space for an electric eel to live a decent life. That's the inherent conflict about keeping pets. Nobody knows exact criteria for determining whether a pet is perfectly satisfied or not, but I will tell you that 500 gallons will keep an EE much happier than a 180 will.

 

[IveGotTheBestTank]

Even in the wild they rarely get up to 9 feet and mostly around 6 feet. In captivity they grow a lot smaller. 4-5 feet most likely. It's not just that we are doing something wrong, we are not able to match what mother nature does in the wild. We simply just try out best that we can afford.

BUT IF YOU CANT "AFFORD" TO BUY IT A TANK THAT IT CAN HAPPILY LIVE IN THEN WHY BUY THE FISH IN FIRST PLACE???
please at least if you are going to practice poor fish keeping dont encourage other members to waste there money on fish that are never going to attain there full potential because they are kept in tanks that are just too small.
WHY WOULD MY FISH STARVE TO DEATH. im not the owner of the electric eel your the one who needs too fork out this money because your the one with the fish that potentialy can grow 7 - 8 foot in a tank of smaller length than that are you not?
IMO you are so wrong that must not have any idea about practicaly keeping fish.
please at least anwser with some thing related to this discusion...

 

[phillydog1958]

I just visited the OKLAHOMA AQUARIUM and saw an electric eel on exhibit. I did not pay much attention to the tank size but I'm guessing that it was about 200 gallons. I have to asume that aquarium scientist would go to all extremes to properly care for the animals on display.

 

[Hoyo12]

I love a good argument.

 

[SimonL]

Nobody knows exact criteria for determining whether a pet is perfectly satisfied or not, but I will tell you that 500 gallons will keep an EE much happier than a 180 will.

First part is correct, but in the second you contradict yourself. How does one tell if a fish is happy? You've just made the great pet-keeping mistake of anthropomorphization, assuming an animal has equivilant emotions and perceptions as a human.

But we can do our best, and in my opinioin, a 75 gallon tank for an oscar is good enough (not the best though.)

Ironic, as I would disagee and say at least a 125-180 for an oscar...much more active and curious animal lol. I personally keep barbs, cichlids and other perciform fish in larger tanks.

 

[King-eL]

BUT IF YOU CANT "AFFORD" TO BUY IT A TANK THAT IT CAN HAPPILY LIVE IN THEN WHY BUY THE FISH IN FIRST PLACE???
please at least if you are going to practice poor fish keeping dont encourage other members to waste there money on fish that are never going to attain there full potential because they are kept in tanks that are just too small.
WHY WOULD MY FISH STARVE TO DEATH. im not the owner of the electric eel your the one who needs too fork out this money because your the one with the fish that potentialy can grow 7 - 8 foot in a tank of smaller length than that are you not?
IMO you are so wrong that must not have any idea about practicaly keeping fish.
please at least anwser with some thing related to this discusion...

Even in a big tank such as 500g, they won't still get up to their full potential. My supplier in Venezuela have 20x20 feet ponds for them and they only max out 6 feet even smaller. Captive fish won't grow to it's full size. If I have space and yes, I will keep it in a 500g tank or even bigger, but I don't have the space so I stick to 180g which is enough to house a captive EE. My EE is healthy, eating well and doing fine and no deformation too and that's all that matters.