I just wanted to say I am fairly new to the forums, I posted about a year ago in the polypteras area. A little about me. I have been running a 55 gallon for the past 18 months. After killing a few fish due to not waiting for the nitrogen cycle I started having success with a ghost knife fish (startling I know). I got interested in a fire eel locally here in Lincoln Nebraska and decided to try my hand at keeping this fish. The first 2 fire eels I had both died. Both I think we're due to stress, I also had poor water oxygenation with the first specimen so that may have played a part.
The third fire eel stuck with me, and for the past 14 months or so he has become quite a friendly fish (seemingly likes to play games). He eats blood worms out of my hand and also has been taking chunks of frozen shrimp (get it at the local Vietnamese food shop). I say he plays games because if I don't have food he will nip at my finger. He isn't the slightest bit shy with me and rarely burrows. I have also added a shovel nose cat, an ornate bichir, a lapradei bichir, 4 clown loaches, a chocolate and royal pleco, and a small school of rosey barbs.
I know, you are all jaws to the floor about those fish in a 55 gallon. Over the past 9 months I have been working on a 125 gallon tank complete with sump and 3d background (with pvc tunnels for eels). It is nearing completion just as fire eel and bichir are reaching the 14 inch mark. Do others have similar experiences with the fire eel. Are they all as playful, or is he actually trying to hurt me? The ornate bichir is the queen of the tank (definitely plump and female), but she is very skitish. The lapredei bichir is not quite as skittish and is showing heavy signs of being a male (meaty anal find with some cupping motions). What are some of your stories?
The third fire eel stuck with me, and for the past 14 months or so he has become quite a friendly fish (seemingly likes to play games). He eats blood worms out of my hand and also has been taking chunks of frozen shrimp (get it at the local Vietnamese food shop). I say he plays games because if I don't have food he will nip at my finger. He isn't the slightest bit shy with me and rarely burrows. I have also added a shovel nose cat, an ornate bichir, a lapradei bichir, 4 clown loaches, a chocolate and royal pleco, and a small school of rosey barbs.
I know, you are all jaws to the floor about those fish in a 55 gallon. Over the past 9 months I have been working on a 125 gallon tank complete with sump and 3d background (with pvc tunnels for eels). It is nearing completion just as fire eel and bichir are reaching the 14 inch mark. Do others have similar experiences with the fire eel. Are they all as playful, or is he actually trying to hurt me? The ornate bichir is the queen of the tank (definitely plump and female), but she is very skitish. The lapredei bichir is not quite as skittish and is showing heavy signs of being a male (meaty anal find with some cupping motions). What are some of your stories?
