fire eel problem HELP!

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pauly187

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 2, 2010
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just dont get it....
first fire eel i had when i bought him died a week later had fungus infection couldnt pull threw
began just throwing his body in a loop over plants breathing heavy finally didnt really swim around and stayed in curled upside down position...died sad
now got a new eel
eats fine but latly breaths heavy like hes stressed
stays in pvc tube
looks like hes on his side sometimes
then i look again and his head is poking out breathing heavy
no sign of infection on the body he looks healthy and fat
hes not eatting right now at least today he hasnt
i lowered the water temp to 78 in stead of 80 were i had it
water peramiters are at 0-0-5
am i just not ment to keep an eel Damn i wana yell.....
tank is 6ft 135 gallon
1 oscar
two sevrums
comman pleco
then the fire eel about 17inch
can anyone help me out
does he need salt in his water at all to keep him happy and healthy?
from what ive read he doesnt.....and if he does how much? and will this affect other fish?
i just cant figure out whats stressing him out none of the fish bother him
 
Heavy breathing is normal for spiny eels as long as it isn't extremely rapid (like more than one breath per second). How long have you had it? If it is new (by new I mean it's been in the tank for less than a month) then that is completely normal. You may need to try multiple different foods to get it to start eating, a lot of people have success feeding them earthworms, bloodworms, shrimp/krill, mealworms, maggots, etc. Also, you don't want to lower the temp., if anything, raise it a few degrees (I wouldn't go higher than 84 though) and add an extra air stone if needed (adding an airstone may also help with the heavy breathing). GL.
 
thank you for your reply
what i just did a second ago was take the water level down
about 3inch and pointed the FX5 out put nozzle up so water is breaking the surfice and then coming back down creating oxagen
also the AC 110 is throwing water in and breaking the surfice creating air and i have an air stone
ok ill throw the tank temp back up to 82 then seence you said higher is better...
the eel is new about a week in the tank
but has been eatting earth worms from my hand just yesterday he stoped and today has been laying on his side face and body and breathing rapidly id say 2 breaths a second
nothing looks physically wrong with him except for the laying on his side
could it be bacteria?
 
should i add some sault to help with the heavy breathing?
 
I've had this happen a few times.. was he fed prior to your getting it?.. my guys will stuff themselves to the point they get "turkey day" stuffed.. and lounge around.. try feeding only 1 worm a day for a few days and see if this makes a difference. Watch out for your Oscar.. Mine was fine.. until he found the fire eel fun to harass... then he had to be moved. If you even think for a minute he's got a bacterial infection started treat! 1/2 dos usually works well for these guys.. my personal preference is melafix/pimafix. I keep my 3 at 78deg and they do fine. I would also reccomend keeping your tank lights off as much as possible until he settles in.

also bare bottom tank or what do you use? many substrates abrade them. and yes they will pump their gills.. but it shouldn't be labored.

Getting them over that initial settling in stage can be rough.. but it's well worth it imo. a very personable and fun fish to add to any tank. and just a FYI you may need to eventually upgrade for him/her. these beautiful fish can get impressive sized.

And I have never added salt to my guys tank intentionally. I do run on well water which goes threw a softener.. but I wouldn't actively add it.
 
how can u tell on an eel if he has an bacteria infection? signs?
and say i medicated and he didnt have a bacteria infection would this hurt him?
 
replied to your PMs.. but to answer the Q about medication ect.. I hesitate to say medicate medicate! w/ a vast majority of fish. But these guys ime.. and spineys in general seem very very suseptible to bacterial infections in particular but fungal also seem fairly common place. As long as your not seeing split fins ( usually the pectorals are a good one to look at as tails tend to be abit rough from shipping ect.) and the over-all condition of the fish is not worsening ( You should see huge changes within 24 hours usually) I would not treat.. but if you do. treat fast, as these guys can go from "slightly sick" to dead in only a matter of days or hours. Just be very careful if you do treat. being scaleless fish they are as sensitive as clown loaches in this department ime. I've used melafix/pimafix at 1/2 doses to treat mine in the past. Some people hate these meds. They are exceedingly potent, and work very well. less is more. there are also many others on the market. and it's something imo 'specially important for spiney eel owners to understand what to look for and how to treat such infections as they will seem to "appear" overnight. As you've unfortunately delt with before. :(

If you aquired the fish from the LFS was it WC or a trade-in?.. if WC once it settles in 1-2 months precautionary treatment for internal parasites is a very wise idea as well. Personally I've used prazipro, and nnever had issues w/ this product.
 
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Reactions: ReannaLynn
will give an update thanks for everyones help
im off to work so can be long on here haha
but its a good update....be back in a couple hours or so
 
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