Fire eel

Drstrangelove

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Oct 21, 2012
2,693
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San Francisco
Well, I prefer not to use the word common. Most large fish are not commonly kept properly, so they will not commonly grow properly.

Here's a link that instead will give you an idea of how they will grow if raised much better than average:

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...-the-minimum-tank-size-for-a-fire-eel.466681/

Here are some quotes;

1) They grow a 1" every month and they need a 300gallon. They can get up to 40"+

2) Usually they grow about 20", in a very large tank they become even bigger. I'd say you want a 6-8 foot long aquarium.

3) I have a 180g tank. My fire eel got too big for it.

4) M. Favrus - 24"
M. Armatus - 40"+
M. Dayii - 24"+ ( ? my guess)
Fire eel - 40"+

5) On an other forum I've seen 38" fire eels that belong to a guy in austria..but your right,normally, in captivity they don't grow bigger than 30" or so.

6) I have seen two fire eels in person at 3 feet long. One is at the Wet Spot Tropical Fish in Portland, OR, and the other is owned by MFK member Shua. Shua's fire eel is in a 6 by 6' tank and is an absolute beast. It's as thick as my calf.

7) We have several members who are keeping M. armatus well above 24".

8) ....How do you explain the numerous people here who have fire eels well over 36"?



I think you can see the other post I made with quotes of how fast they grow by year 1, year 2, and so forth. Those growth rates I collected from this and other web sites.

Of course, a fire eel that isn't properly kept, can in no way grow like that. However, it has the genetic potential to do that, so imo it should be raised to reach it's potential. Just my 2 cents.
 

Fish Tank Travis

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Feb 28, 2016
3,277
2,157
164
36
Dayton, OH
I would say that given proper conditions and food supply, they can grow about an inch a month for the first 2-3 years. However, if given lots of space and power fed they can definitely grow faster. Likewise, if conditions are poor, or food is inadequate, then they can definitely grow slower as well.
 

GeoPesner

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 7, 2017
14
4
8
24
He's about 7-8 inches and it's a 90 gallon tank with about a 30 gallon sump I feed it frozen blood worms out of a turkey baster and it hasn't yet he only sticks his head out of the decoration
Theyll
He's about 7-8 inches and it's a 90 gallon tank with about a 30 gallon sump I feed it frozen blood worms out of a turkey baster and it hasn't yet he only sticks his head out of the decoration
He's about 7-8 inches and it's a 90 gallon tank with about a 30 gallon sump I feed it frozen blood worms out of a turkey baster and it hasn't yet he only sticks his head out of the decoration
They usually won't come out much unless there's food and they are well adjusted. I personally have it tried it with mine but I have seen others use cleaned out glass jars with wide tops. Things from mason jars to liquor bottles that he can hide in but you can still see if he likes it he thinks he's hiding and is sitting right in front where you want to see whether food is present or not.
 
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