Spiny Eel Query

[Shrimp Johnson]

Hi there!

I'm a newbie to eels of all sorts, but I've recently become interested in freshwater spiny eels and was wondering if some fellow eel enthusiasts might help me out. I have a 55g tank with sandy substrate and would like to know if a Macrognathus aral "One Stripe" Spiny Eel would be happy in a tank this size. I've read that it can grow up to 24" in length, but it usually does not reach this size in home aquariums.

Can anyone tell me the actual size it would grow to in an aquarium?

Is this eel as sociable than the Macrognathus siamensis Peacock eel? (or more aggressive?)

Thanks for your time!

 

[MonsterMinis]

I am finding more and more spiney eels to reach their wild sizes in captivity .. feeding them live blackworms and other meaty foods, particularly insects, worms, and on occasion shrimp ect. Most of the smaller species stay 1/2 their wild sizes in captivity when you feed them frozen bloodworms and little to nothing else. It stunts them. I have not seen an Aral over 18" but have heard of then getting 24".. I think a 55 would work for a long time if not years for one of these fish given the best food/husbandry you would either need to keep it solitary as it got bigger or upgrade to a 75 or 125 imo. That's talking absolutely the best care/attention/ect... I think a 55 is reasonable. but in 3-5yrs you may be looking at an upgrade.. also ime males tend to stay smaller and thinner then females in spineys as a general rule, so an upgrade down the road may not even need to be considered ( no way to ID them 100% besides genetic sampling)

The vast majority of spineys should be kept singly imo or in groups of 3-5 since most species get good sized realistically housing a group isn't feasible for most people... it can work with juvies and on occasion a "pair" will bond and not kill eachother but ime they will eventually fight. and are aggressive with other species of spineys. One of the few species that seem to do well are Macrognathus circumcinctus these guys seem to do really well in groups and have little issues with aggression if your looking to keep more then one eel.

 

[Shrimp Johnson]

Thank you for your advice! I was hoping to get a male and female pair...but I agree, two 18" fish in a 55g sounds like it'd be pretty cramped once they're adults. Plus, if, as you say, they start to fight when they mature...then I'm really going to have a problem I guess. Would a male/female pair fight with one another or is it a same-sex issue?

If the Macrognathus aral gets aggressive once it's bigger perhaps I should look for an alternative bottom feeder...

Can anyone recommend a peaceful and somewhat "unique" bottom dweller that would enjoy a 55g community tank?