Fire Eel Q's - tank size?

[Demi]

This is 1 of the fish my dad has taken a REAL interest in, but after a lot of researching, I'm SO confused!
Every site is different, some say 120G is minimum, others say 150G, some say 220G! My dad looked it up &he came across a site that said 150G is minimum, turned to me, knowing the size of the tank I want &said "that's what I want in there"


I am planning on about 160G/610L - 5ft x 2ft+abit x 2ft+abit.
Would a Fire Eel be okay in this size tank?

I am also confused on how big they get? Again, every site seems to be different -_-

Thanks!

 

[george09]

i would say yes, depending on tank mates. I have mine in a 29 grow out tank waiting to be put into my 240 but i wont have it till we move, they are slow growers. I would say he would be good in there for at least 3-4 years givein mines growth rate from 6-8 inches in almost a year. You may even be able to keep him in there for life but like i said depends on tank mates.

 

[Demi]

Tank mates would be a Oscar &common pleco.
I'm going to try and get the tank wider if it's possible

 

[MonsterMinis]

Both are bad tank mates for the docile Fire eel. 24"-36" is average adult size.. the males being the smaller. Females will get larger then 3' if unstunted.

You can expect approx 1" per month average growth rate their first year. Much less then that and the fish is being stunted. My 3 are approx 2yrs old and anywhere from 18"-24"+ .. I believe the smallest one is a male as the 2 larger ones are very close in size and there is a noticable size gap between them.

a 5'x2'x2' Should house an adult male w/out issue and a female if kept alone. Again common plecos and Oscars are both bad tank-mates. The Pleco for their slime coat sucking aggression. And the Oscar for it's overall aggression in general. Cichlids in general make very poor tank-mates for fire eels ime.

On the other hand I do have a very sassy Tire track eel. ( which may not be as colorful but is alot more aggressive ime) He is housed with some Bichir and a very naughty Pike cichlid ( she killed the male in the tank)

These are my experiances.. If you intend to try it, Make sure the eel is in teh tank first and well situated/eating ect before introduceing any tank-mates. At one point I did try an Oscar with my guys.. and it worked until the Oscar matured.. then it was Worl War.. and my eels got the worst end of it by far.

 

[Demi]

Both are bad tank mates for the docile Fire eel. 24"-36" is average adult size.. the males being the smaller. Females will get larger then 3' if unstunted.

You can expect approx 1" per month average growth rate their first year. Much less then that and the fish is being stunted. My 3 are approx 2yrs old and anywhere from 18"-24"+ .. I believe the smallest one is a male as the 2 larger ones are very close in size and there is a noticable size gap between them.

a 5'x2'x2' Should house an adult male w/out issue and a female if kept alone. Again common plecos and Oscars are both bad tank-mates. The Pleco for their slime coat sucking aggression. And the Oscar for it's overall aggression in general. Cichlids in general make very poor tank-mates for fire eels ime.

On the other hand I do have a very sassy Tire track eel. ( which may not be as colorful but is alot more aggressive ime) He is housed with some Bichir and a very naughty Pike cichlid ( she killed the male in the tank)

These are my experiances.. If you intend to try it, Make sure the eel is in teh tank first and well situated/eating ect before introduceing any tank-mates. At one point I did try an Oscar with my guys.. and it worked until the Oscar matured.. then it was Worl War.. and my eels got the worst end of it by far.

Thank's for the reply! Only just remembered I had this thread.

At the moment I have no idea whether it would be a Fire Eel or a Tiretrack Eel, don't even know if either are available to me at the fish shops nearby... I'll have to ask... If the Tire Track would be a better option suited to the stock list then that is the specie's I'll go for.

I already have the Oscar &the Pleco is already on the list of 'musthave' apparently, but I am planning on their being loads of driftwood hiding spots, so hopefully that'll downplay any possible aggression if each fish has their own 'space'? lmao.

I am also planning that as soon as the tank is cycled, I get the Eel, climate it &get it situated with feeding, space, etc &then next add the pleco when the Eel is comfortable (LOL) &then wait a while for things to be okay &adding Aussy the Oscar last.

Excited !

What exacly do Fire/Tire track eel's eat? Just normal pellets?

 

[EmrePekdeniz]

Thank's for the reply! Only just remembered I had this thread.What exacly do Fire/Tire track eel's eat? Just normal pellets?

Nope, unless you're very lucky. They should accept shrimp and fish fillets fine. I'd assume younger eels would require a diet of bloodworms, blackworms, etc.

 

[Loves severums]

Thank's for the reply! Only just remembered I had this thread.

At the moment I have no idea whether it would be a Fire Eel or a Tiretrack Eel, don't even know if either are available to me at the fish shops nearby... I'll have to ask... If the Tire Track would be a better option suited to the stock list then that is the specie's I'll go for.

I already have the Oscar &the Pleco is already on the list of 'musthave' apparently, but I am planning on their being loads of driftwood hiding spots, so hopefully that'll downplay any possible aggression if each fish has their own 'space'? lmao.

I am also planning that as soon as the tank is cycled, I get the Eel, climate it &get it situated with feeding, space, etc &then next add the pleco when the Eel is comfortable (LOL) &then wait a while for things to be okay &adding Aussy the Oscar last.

Excited !

What exacly do Fire/Tire track eel's eat? Just normal pellets?

earthworms,krill,bloodworms

 

[MonsterMinis]

fire eels - Nightcrawlers, Bloodworms, krill. Some have also had luck with home-made gel concotions. personally I plan on trying this soon myself.

tire track eels - same as fire eels but I've found mine to be alot less picky of an eater, he will also take small fish, and occasionally pellets.

Spiney eels in general are tricky to get offa live/frozen foods. So be prepared to need to pay special attention to it's eating habits once you get one home. I'm not sure of the availability in AUS But I have heard fire eels are fairly expensive. Tire tracks may also be. If you look into a tire track look at the sticky to ID them properly from zig zag eels which are commonly called tire tracks but are a much smaller species ( would eventually be food for your oscar)

 

[Demi]

Yeah, I've never seen Fire/Tire Track eel's in stores, so I was kind of thinking they'd be hard to find/expensive >.<
So basically live food?
About earthworm's, my dad has some styrofoam box-thing full of them that he keep's for fishing bait (eew) &to put in his garden, it would be fine to get them from there wouldn't it?
I'm kinda nervous I'll be afraid of it when I get it though! lmao, but already I think I love them from what I've read &seen

 

[EmrePekdeniz]

Yeah, I've never seen Fire/Tire Track eel's in stores, so I was kind of thinking they'd be hard to find/expensive >.<
So basically live food?
About earthworm's, my dad has some styrofoam box-thing full of them that he keep's for fishing bait (eew) &to put in his garden, it would be fine to get them from there wouldn't it?
I'm kinda nervous I'll be afraid of it when I get it though! lmao, but already I think I love them from what I've read &seen

No need to fear them. They're very docile and shy fish.