White spots on fire eel

[Irecruitfish]

Those do look more and more like some sort of abrasions, that have resulted in missing scales. I don't think they are bites from anything, nor parasites. Is your substrate very sharp-edged and abrasive? Sharp-edged rocks or driftwood in the tank? Do those drainpipe sections perhaps have some sharp edges either inside or at the openings?

Fire Eels are often referred to as "scaleless" but they are fully scaled with numerous small scales, as can easily be seen in your pics. A big fish squeezing into and around anything abrasive can easily sustain this kind of damage.

I had the larger gutter pieces for a while and it didn't have these abrasions. Unless it's from the thinner gutter piece and it's still healing.

Would you happen to have any recommendations for hide out spots for the eel? Gutters didn't appear to have sharp edges but I'll have to double check.

Makes me feel better that it looks like abrasions.

 

[jjohnwm]

I had the larger gutter pieces for a while and it didn't have these abrasions. Unless it's from the thinner gutter piece and it's still healing.

Would you happen to have any recommendations for hide out spots for the eel? Gutters didn't appear to have sharp edges but I'll have to double check.

Makes me feel better that it looks like abrasions.

Personally, I can't stand that corrugated flexible Big-O style pipe. I like using chunks of either PVC (grey or white) or, better yet, ABS pipe (black). Available in various sizes; cut to desired length, and then file and sand the edges down to a nice smooth profile.

If you use PVC, you can smear it with clear solvent cement and then roll it in sand, gravel, etc. to give it a more natural look. ABS cement is yellow so that's not a great strategy if you choose it, but being black it's already less obtrusive than PVC to start with. If you go with ABS, you can sand down the entire surface to roughen it, then paint with epoxy and apply sand or gravel as above. Silicone doesn't really adhere well to either type of pipe.

You can also paint them with non-toxic paints like Krylon.

 

[Irecruitfish]

Personally, I can't stand that corrugated flexible Big-O style pipe. I like using chunks of either PVC (grey or white) or, better yet, ABS pipe (black). Available in various sizes; cut to desired length, and then file and sand the edges down to a nice smooth profile.

If you use PVC, you can smear it with clear solvent cement and then roll it in sand, gravel, etc. to give it a more natural look. ABS cement is yellow so that's not a great strategy if you choose it, but being black it's already less obtrusive than PVC to start with. If you go with ABS, you can sand down the entire surface to roughen it, then paint with epoxy and apply sand or gravel as above. Silicone doesn't really adhere well to either type of pipe.

You can also paint them with non-toxic paints like Krylon.

Perfect you reminded me of black ABS piping which I'll buy. Def a safer option than gutters. Thanks.