Fire eel and tiretrack eel behaviour

[xxxb9s]

Hi all
I have a fire eel which is now well above a foot and a tire eel not far behind.
I had them for about 6 months, thriving in a 10 foot aquarium 1400 liters.
They eat well, varied frozen food, occasionally live worms (took me a while to convince my fire eel to eat mussels, scallops etc).
The "issue" is that they spend their entire time unde bogwood, they only come out and very briefly, only to eat.
I read somewhere they will become more and more visible as they age, but is that true?
Tank mates ignore them, nobody bothers them, and yet they stay holed the whole time.
Will they ever start venturing them outside? It would be nice to see them out other that 1 second, to snatch their food.
I very occasionally saw the fire eel going around the aquarium, and with that I mean 1 or two times in 6 months.
Thanks all

 

[AR1]

it could just be there personality. after all, bichirs are crepuscular but mine is active and swimming like a rocket 24 7

 

[Sassafras]

Both tire track and fire ells love to burrow into a soft, sandy substrate. Your bare bottom may be a factor. Perhaps they just can't feel secure without a substrate. Fantastic looking tank btw!

 

[Fishman Dave]

I would add to that that they like to hide in pipes too when not burrowing. That said, I had two large tyre track eel and one would be happy to be on show and take mussels from your hand, yet the other would almost want the mussel to be at the end of his pipe. Personality is as big a factor as decor.