I got a g. tile

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pcfriedrich

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Apr 2, 2008
1,600
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North Central Florida
I'm 99% positive, anyway; it looks just like photos I find of them and the guy at the lfs told me it was a freshwater snowflake eel.

I'm finding out that it is really a brackish water fish, so I'm going out to buy some marine salt tomorrow. I understand that 1.010 specific gravity is ideal. common sense tells me that I should build up to that level gradually, how slowly should I increase the salinity. any ideas for tank mates? it is just in a 20 gallon, eventually to be in a 55.

Any other snowflake eel or general brackish advice would be highly appreciated. Thanks

-Paul
 
Never go up more than 1.002 a week.
The only tankmates I have found that my eels haven't eaten are my toadfish. They have a jaw similar to a snake so they are capable of swallowing surprising amounts.
Other snowflakes might get along, but beware they can have some nice little spats -lol
Have it plenty of hiding spots and do not get upset if it doesn't eat at first, just keep trying. Took one of mine over a month to eat when he arrived.
Good luck!
 
I gave him about 8 pounds of lace rock. I was thinking a puffer or two or a couple of archer fish would be cool. those wouldn't work? They are both brackish aren't they? the eel is about 18".
 
Just sayin from what mine have done I would not trust them with anything smaller than about three times as wide as their mouths. I would recommend trying out some mollies or something first. Sounds cruel but might save you some money.
Archers will need much larger than 55 gal.
 
The only thing that I've found that mixes with mine are other morays and 'high-bodied' fish like Monos and Scats. You'll have to get them at a reasonable size in the first place for them to stand a chance though...
 
thanks, guys. just got a couple of spotted puffers. hopefully they'll all get along. going to work them up to brackish, then eventually totally marine. right now got them in fw, with aquarium salt added. buying marine mix tomorrow. got a lot to learn, and I'll be back for questions and advice. thanks.

this is a pretty big change; only kept new world cichlids up until now.
 
about how much salt per gallon will raise the sg .002? the only hydrometer I could find only goes down to 1.012, so its minimum measurement is my ideal level.

Correct me if this logic is wrong: I bought a small pouch (1.5 lb) of marine mix, enough to make 5 gallons of marine salt water (at about 1.022) it says on the packet. so, if i added that much to 20 gallons, it would put the SG around 1.0055. That is too high. so if one third of the pouch, that would raise the SG less than .002 (about .0018). So I should add about one third of this packet (or one half pound) per week of marine mix per week, until I've added three total pounds to the 20 gallon tank. This should put the SG right around 1.011. I think I got it.

Input?
 
also, with water changes, I imagine you need to pretty accurately measure the water you take out and replace it with water at the appropriate sg. simple enough. do you refill the tank with freshwater (to make up for any evaporation) before doing the water change? I assume if you didn't, you would be gradually making your water saltier and saltier.
 
All top offs that i do are fresh water only. during water changes i pump old water out after sampling tank, then mix new water/salt accordingly. I know you already said your hydrometer only goes to 1.012 so that won't work for you. but if you use 1/10th of a bag that means that it will make 5 gallons of water at 1.0022 salinity? or 1/50th of a bag would make 1 gal at 1.0022? I'm confused already - lol keep an eye out for a better hydrometer.
 
I did a little research and couldn't find an actual formula to use. Next time i do a water change I'm going to do it gallon by gallon tablespoon by tablespoon to measure exactly what it takes to move a gallon of water up to 1.001 - 1.002 etc.
 
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