Gold Tulip Eels

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Just observed: They breathe air, like lungfish do. This should narrow it down.
 
I have also observed mine gulping air as well as just staying suspended vertical for quite a while, meaning about and hour or so. It seems to do this after it inflates its head with the air it takes in. Mine is alittle over 2 feet and loves large feeder goldfish, frozen krill and beefheart. He is active during the day and at night, doing his "tulip" stance most of the time. As for a scientific name, i havent been able to find one. Oh and he is terribly strong.

The pic i attached is him in the bag when i first brought him home. Its not a great pic but it gives the general look. More pics on the way.

tulip eel.JPG
 
More pics would be great. Mine have not eaten yet... any suggestions? They will not touch freeze dried krill or any pelletized food. If all else fails, they will get some live feeders this weekend to see if they go for them.
When I purchased them, I asked to watch them feed, and they were fed bloodworms, which they did eat. I simply dont want to work with worms. How long have you had yours? And is it nocturnal while feeding?

I believe we have Monopterus albus...
 
I have tried the frozen bloodworms with no luck. I have also tried silversides just for an experiment. To my suprise my Red Snook ate them. Anyways, my tulip loves larger meaty, frozen foods like krill, chuncks of beefheart, squid. Its not a fan of the freeze-dried stuff. He seems to be a day and night feeder, ive seen him eat at all times. Ive had some stubburn fish start feeding once i used garlic appetite stimulate. It works pretty good even on large carnivores. Oh and here are some pics of him doing his tulip stance. :headbang2

Tulip Eel2.JPG

Tulip Eel3.JPG
 
The SECOND I turn my lights off, I see THREE periscopes stick out of my wood - like yours - it's really quite a sight. I just put a rosy red in there and its' gone now.... Guess I'm gonna put a few more in there and see what happens! How long have you had yours? Awesome critters ain't they? Are we agreed on them being Monopterus albus? Is pink their natural coloration, or ? I have only known of five in my life - Yours, my 3, and another one I had, which was killed by some Cichlids unexpectedly, many years ago. All were pink.
 
Does your Tulip have any tankmates? My tank with the 3 of them looks empty most of the time LOL I'm thinking perhaps a nice medium sized Cichlid, or some of the larger characins (Congos or something) Whatcha think?
 
Mine is housed with a red Snook, Giant Red Fin Gourami, Bichirs (2 Senegals, 2 Albino Senegals, 1 Ornate), Raphael Catfish, a huge 18" albino common pleco, Giant Blood Parrot Cichlid. As for the Congos, i dont think its a great idea. My friend, who owned the Fish shop where i got it from, told me he tried putting 2 6" gars and the tulip ate them both in matter of minutes. Too fast for my friend to notice.

I've had my Tulip eel since last june. I love to travel all around to find exotic looking fish in mom and pop stores. I have done this for about 10 years and i am now 22yrs old. I have never seen or even heard of a Tulip Eel. Very few fish have caught my eye in the recent years, but when i saw the Tulip i instantly asked my friend to bag it up for me. It was the first one he had ever seen. Oh an i believe we have the right scientific name.
:headbang2
 
Sorry about your friend's gars - That's kind of hard to believe eh? They look so unassuming... I guess cichlid - shaped fish would work better then. (ie: roundish)
Just curious - what did you get yours for? I paid $20 each on mine.
I do the exact same thing - go fish store hopping and just pick up anything interesting. That's how I ended up with these, as well as my Acestrorhynchus isalinae, and the 2 freaky Leoprinus. What else you got? (Or is that your only tank for now?)
 
i paid 40 but mine is over 2 feet. It would have to be a huge Cichlid because when my guy eats 4" large goldfish he bends them in half long ways, before he swallows them whole! He eats them from the side. Not once head or tail first. This is an awesome example of strength. So look for something atleast 6". If he cant eat it he wont bother it. He is not aggressive at all.

I have an 120gal with a bunch of random fish: Large Gouramis(Gold, Opaline, Blue), Plecos, Electric Blue, Red Peacock Cichlid, Zigzag eel, Large Golden Algae Eater, Probably the largest white female molly ever, Leporinus Faciatous, 1' clown knife, 1' Black Ghost Knife, 1' Brown Knife. Some less aggressive fish but doing great in the tank are some emerald cory catfish, barbs and rainbowfish. But I always keep a large school of rosies minnows in the tank as a constant food. This helps to keep the predation way down.
I also do this with the eel tank and my brackish tank.

A 80 gal Brackish 4 archers, 1 snowflake eel, 1 sand/marble goby, freshwater lionfish, school of monos (5).

And a 12 gallon Saltwater Nano-Cube!
 
darthbravo;689931; said:
I have tried the frozen bloodworms with no luck. I have also tried silversides just for an experiment. To my suprise my Red Snook ate them. Anyways, my tulip loves larger meaty, frozen foods like krill, chuncks of beefheart, squid. Its not a fan of the freeze-dried stuff. He seems to be a day and night feeder, ive seen him eat at all times. Ive had some stubburn fish start feeding once i used garlic appetite stimulate. It works pretty good even on large carnivores. Oh and here are some pics of him doing his tulip stance. :headbang2




Neat looking fish man. Different looking...the way its head is shaped and all.

Some people call it the dickfish too...not really sure why though?
That tulip stance has me sitting here cracking up man.
:ROFL: :ROFL:
 
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