Spiny Eel and (grouchy) Botia

[Andyroo]

Folks,
I see photo&vid of spiny eels (fire) with CL and also with angrier fish (Aust&Ag aro, cichlids, CK) and hear descriptions as "aggressive" and "able to take care of themselves". Assuming these descriptions are valid:

1- Has anybody got experience with eels & angrier species of botia like Yasuhikotakia modesta (orange-fin)? I've got a small school of somewhat severe 3-4" Y.mods in an (arguably) over-decorated 100G "show" (bamboo, rocks, logs, roots, plants... well, used to have plants but they got 'et) with good current and have always had a soft-spot for these eels.
Thoughts? These loaches killed a BGK but got along fine with the elephant nose... no idea what their triggers are, but probably to do with fighting back/standing ground. It took months for the knife to press the wrong buttons, but when he did, well, that was that, I suppose.

2- Spiny eels seem to have a similar mouth structure to botia, particularly tigers- can/do they eat snails?

3- do larger spiny eel species dig & burrow like the smaller species?
A

 

[Loves severums]

Folks,
I see photo&vid of spiny eels (fire) with CL and also with angrier fish (Aust&Ag aro, cichlids, CK) and hear descriptions as "aggressive" and "able to take care of themselves". Assuming these descriptions are valid:

1- Has anybody got experience with eels & angrier species of botia like Yasuhikotakia modesta (orange-fin)? I've got a small school of somewhat severe 3-4" Y.mods in an (arguably) over-decorated 100G "show" (bamboo, rocks, logs, roots, plants... well, used to have plants but they got 'et) with good current and have always had a soft-spot for these eels.
Thoughts? These loaches killed a BGK but got along fine with the elephant nose... no idea what their triggers are, but probably to do with fighting back/standing ground. It took months for the knife to press the wrong buttons, but when he did, well, that was that, I suppose.

2- Spiny eels seem to have a similar mouth structure to botia, particularly tigers- can/do they eat snails?

3- do larger spiny eel species dig & burrow like the smaller species?
A

yes mine old 17" one did.

 

[hamfist]

Can't answer your main questions but a 100G is too small for a fire eel. It will outgrow it quite quickly.

Start thinking of smaller species.

 

[Andyroo]

...100G is too small for a fire eel. It will outgrow it quite quickly.

Agreed. When the (fire) eel order goes in it will be for juveniles (import logistics) and will coincide with a balcony wall & corner build: 2x2x8 is the idea, particularly as glass comes in 4x8 sheets. Then get a heap more loaches.
As a farmer I'll need to get at least 2 to bring them in without duties. They don't mind company, do they?

 

[MonsterMinis]

loaches and spiney eels imo shoudn't be housed together. there have been a few members on here that have "mysteriousely" lost a spiney eel in a tank w/ loaches, and seen aggression between the 2 species. a spiney is also likely to try and eat a loach at some point if they all play along fine until the eel gets larger. so it's very possible you walk into a dead eel with a dead loach stuck in it's mouth.

to answer 2. I've never seen a spiney eat a snail. But I do have MTS's in my leopard eels tank atm. Though no pond snails or other species. MTS's are also notoriousely untastey to most fish because of their hard shell.

3. all spineys can and will burrow. particularly if scared or not allowed sufficent hide spots. It's more a defensive mechanisim then I think in their true nature in general.

 

[JonPhillips114]

i keep my fire eel with around 10 clown loaches and have not had any problems yet! The only fish i have had a problem with is my blood parrots, they seemed to compete too much for the night crawlers. but my cls usually dont pay the eel any attention. just have lots of hiding spots!

 

[Aqualoon]

I have 0 problems with my eels and loaches as well, but I am keeping the smaller eels - ZZ and Peacock.