Hey everyone,
Been out of the hobby for a couple years, with college stuff and work. Hoping to splurge a bit of my savings to pick up a 100 gallon fish tank. I've looked at a lot of large fish to put in this size tank (Which is a pretty wide range of fish), but none captured my attention more than the Fire Eel.
It's always been my dream to own one of these legends, but I never got around to setting up a large tank for it, nor did I have the funds to do so.
But now I've got a little cash and more patience, so I'm hoping to make this eel the capstone of all the fish I've owned.
Problem is, there's only so many articles you can read and quite a number contradict each other. For example, I've heard you need anything from a 55g to a 200g tank to house a single one of these fish through its life. Feeding has been vague, no one says anything about tankmates. Everyone says to secure the top of the tank, but no one says how.
So, I'm hoping there's one or two people here that have handled a fire eel. If you have ever owned a fire eel for a reasonable amount of time (Preferably 6 months or longer) successfully, please PM me! I just have a series of questions for someone with actual experience with these beauties.
My primary questions include:
1. Tankmates - Can I keep anything besides gigantic cichlids with 'em? I really like the idea of a dinosaur bichir and especially a black ghost knifefish. Just something colorful to keep the tank stocked with diversity. Recommendations?
2. Feeding -
a. What to feed them throughout their lives? I see they like mosquito larvae and live bloodworms while young, are those the best options?
b. Do they absolutely need live food that need a tank to culture their food?
c. Do they need any vegetable supplements due to their omnivorous nature?
d. I hear they take nightcrawlers and small pieces of fish when older. Where would I acquire clean specimens for feeding?
2. Decor
a. I know they need hiding spaces. Driftwood needed? What kinds are non-abrasive? How much would I need, since it’s traditionally so expensive?
b. Would investing in a clear PVC pipe be a good investment? Would he actually use it?
c. Depth of sand substrate? What kind of sand?
3. Security
a. What kind of lid should I get? How do I make it escape-proof?
b. How do I make the filter intake/output areas escape proof?
4. Filtration –
a. What kind of filtration is best? Canister?
Been out of the hobby for a couple years, with college stuff and work. Hoping to splurge a bit of my savings to pick up a 100 gallon fish tank. I've looked at a lot of large fish to put in this size tank (Which is a pretty wide range of fish), but none captured my attention more than the Fire Eel.
It's always been my dream to own one of these legends, but I never got around to setting up a large tank for it, nor did I have the funds to do so.
But now I've got a little cash and more patience, so I'm hoping to make this eel the capstone of all the fish I've owned.
Problem is, there's only so many articles you can read and quite a number contradict each other. For example, I've heard you need anything from a 55g to a 200g tank to house a single one of these fish through its life. Feeding has been vague, no one says anything about tankmates. Everyone says to secure the top of the tank, but no one says how.
So, I'm hoping there's one or two people here that have handled a fire eel. If you have ever owned a fire eel for a reasonable amount of time (Preferably 6 months or longer) successfully, please PM me! I just have a series of questions for someone with actual experience with these beauties.
My primary questions include:
1. Tankmates - Can I keep anything besides gigantic cichlids with 'em? I really like the idea of a dinosaur bichir and especially a black ghost knifefish. Just something colorful to keep the tank stocked with diversity. Recommendations?
2. Feeding -
a. What to feed them throughout their lives? I see they like mosquito larvae and live bloodworms while young, are those the best options?
b. Do they absolutely need live food that need a tank to culture their food?
c. Do they need any vegetable supplements due to their omnivorous nature?
d. I hear they take nightcrawlers and small pieces of fish when older. Where would I acquire clean specimens for feeding?
2. Decor
a. I know they need hiding spaces. Driftwood needed? What kinds are non-abrasive? How much would I need, since it’s traditionally so expensive?
b. Would investing in a clear PVC pipe be a good investment? Would he actually use it?
c. Depth of sand substrate? What kind of sand?
3. Security
a. What kind of lid should I get? How do I make it escape-proof?
b. How do I make the filter intake/output areas escape proof?
4. Filtration –
a. What kind of filtration is best? Canister?
