info on american eels
- Thread starter snowy
- Start date
Well they are amphibians, altough they can be kept in water for their whole lives, aslong as they have acess to air 
They grow pretty long, 2 metres..I think I am probally wrong 
They do/can eat fish smaller than..A ram cichlid..(?) and they are pretty peaceful otherwise...They also like lower temps..(I think)
Sorry about the unknowingness...I haven't kept them before but I did want to keep them for ages, so I know quite alot about them
They grow pretty long, 2 metres..I think I am probally wrong They do/can eat fish smaller than..A ram cichlid..(?) and they are pretty peaceful otherwise...They also like lower temps..(I think)Sorry about the unknowingness...I haven't kept them before but I did want to keep them for ages, so I know quite alot about them
wrong! American eels aren't amphibians, they're fish. They start out as saltwater fish that are born somewhere near the West Indies. They travel in ocean currents, and grow & mature in salt water. Some spend their entire lives in saltwater or brackish mixes. They like flowing water (streams), and can reach 3-5 feet. They're carnivores, but mostly scavenge. Every once in a while people catch them here in Western Pennsylvania when they're trying to catch catfish.
Other than that, I don't really know anything about them. I'd guess that like most NA natives they're gonna need cool temps & really clean water. Dunno if they'll live forever in freshwater or if you'll have to move them to salt.
Other than that, I don't really know anything about them. I'd guess that like most NA natives they're gonna need cool temps & really clean water. Dunno if they'll live forever in freshwater or if you'll have to move them to salt.
they are much like salmon and a slew of other fish. they travel from freshwater "lifespans" to SW to breed and die, then the juvies migrate upstream to live a few years then travel back down to the SW to breed and die. so depending on what size you aquired one would depend what you'de keep it in. I've personally never kept one, so I could offer no hands on experiance but I imagine unless you are very dedicated to provideing a mutitude of range for their husbandry there are better options for eels to keep. or like many other species that carry such a life cycle you could house one in FW until it died of old age, I'm assumeing in a few short years.
But as I said I've never kept them, this is mainly speculation, and knowledge from other similar lifecycles of fish.
But as I said I've never kept them, this is mainly speculation, and knowledge from other similar lifecycles of fish.
thanks everyone but i know all this i was just looking for info on keeping them i know there life-cycle and every thing i was looking for tankmates,tank size etc
3-5' you'de be talking 220 gallons or more in all likely hood, and I'm guessing that would be bare minimum. and anything that was to big for it to eat, and wouldn't be aggressive towards it. and in that water colum, other natives from the same waterways would be ideal. and being a native make sure to check your local laws.
People are way of. Please go to nanfa.org for native info.
They live 88 years!!!! Most of their lives in FW. FW is perfectly fine for them to live in. They are escape artists. They love crayfish and live blackworms.
They live 88 years!!!! Most of their lives in FW. FW is perfectly fine for them to live in. They are escape artists. They love crayfish and live blackworms.
The word for the day is Catadromous! These fish live in Fresh water and travel to breed in Salt water. The opposite of the Salmon which is anadromous!
As far as keeping them with other fish... don't. From what I'm reading they are too aggressive and will take a bite out of anything... including you. Water quality doesn't matter as they can live in mud, literally and in oxygen depleted water they'll gulp air.
But by all means do your own research! If you don't want to keep it, eat it! I hear they are very good.
As far as keeping them with other fish... don't. From what I'm reading they are too aggressive and will take a bite out of anything... including you. Water quality doesn't matter as they can live in mud, literally and in oxygen depleted water they'll gulp air.
But by all means do your own research! If you don't want to keep it, eat it! I hear they are very good.
ive kept american eels before when i was younger with 4 6-7" oscars they did fine together i also experimented with natives like the brown bullhead. tadpole madtom, pumpkinseed and smallmouth bass they mostly did fine however i did aquire one that was more aggressive then any i had before when i lived in CT that had originally come from the ocean which unfortunatly ate the eyes out of everything it came in contact with if you do collect them i recommend taking them out of clean flowing rivers and feed them as often as possible feeder fish or even dead minnows