fire eel or ornate bichir??

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
T

TheEelKing

Piranha
MFK Member
Feb 22, 2010
596
131
76
Earth
Hey, all!

I have a fire eel in my tank, but saw a large ornate bichir at a fish store. It was about 20 inches and looked AWESOME. Thing is, I have a fire eel in my tank about 10 inches now and was wondering if I should keep it or use it as a trade in for a small ornate to grow out? Both are very colorful fish. Is there a difference in temperament between the two fish? My fire eel is really peaceful and gets along with everyone. I don't know which fish I like more. Anyone with experience with these two fish who can tell me the difference in behavior?
 
i'd keep both they both get big i have a TT and a fire eel housed with my 10+ polys non ornate tho sum can b aggressive i'd get a small ornate and feed it no live food
 
I love fire eels but can't house one myself. The ornates are gorgeous but I would think about getting a smaller one first. I have seen videos of a 8" inch delhizi devouring a 7' peacock eel but I don't know if this commonly happens. If it doesn't seem like he could possibly fit in the bichir's mouth I would think about it. He is twice his size but I know fire eels have more girth than peacocks . Letting things grow together seems to be safer in general. Look at the delhizi bichir they stay much smaller and also very attractive. Fire eel's get huge as do ornate's so tank size comes into play as well.
 
Yeah, buying a Bichir that large is going to be a risk for you Fire Eel. That Bichir may be cool with your Eel or he may eat it as soon as the lights go out. It's up to you though it's your Fire Eel. I know that I wouldn't do it, but that's just my 2 cents.
 
get him and grow him out intill he is a litttle bit bigger.
 
I don't want both the fire eel and the bichir. I think that just one of them fills the role of the other. I was just wondering if I should keep my fire eel or trade it in for a smaller ornate. If I did this, would the ornate be as peaceful as my fire eel or would it kill my other fish eventually?
 
If you are choosing between the two, I'd definitely go with the fire eel. Based on my limited experience:
Ornate bichirs are:
awesome looking
large
extremely inactive-- log like
prone to aggression

Fire eels are
awesome looking
large
quite active and playful
not prone to aggression.

Only downside is that my fire eel only eats nightcrawlers.

But, if possible, keep them both of course.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom