Fire Eel suggestions

[Fire eel 18]

I'm heart set on getting a fire eel. I have questions on what to feed them and how much. I own a worm farm will they eat worms? Can i pair them with channel catfish and pacu? Are they typically skittish? How many can i have in a 135 gallon aquarium? If i get 2 will they fight? What should their diet look like? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[SunnyHouTX]

Great topic. Subscribing to edjumicate myself on these cool creatures.

Oh and welcome to HFB!

[barrettsline]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1342974775.759220.jpg

Xtreme fish has them for you bro. See you later today.

[mnemenoi]

From my experiance, I will try and answer your questions in your order.

I have questions on what to feed them and how much. They can be fed anything meaty, shrimp, thin strips of fish, earthworms, they can be trained on massivore. As to quantity, I would feed once every day or two while young and slow as they grow to possibly once every 2-3 days when full sized. Watch for them bulking up and let that be a good judge.
I own a worm farm will they eat worms? Yes, they love live food, just be mindful of offering them a varied diet. They are naturally piscivores in the wild
Can i pair them with channel catfish and pacu? It is certainly possible. The only trouble I see is water parameters, water changes, and filtration. All of those listed fish have huge diets and can be Nitrate factories. I see 75% Water changes 2-4 times a week in your future
Are they typically skittish? Not generally, they do recognize their owners and will beg/take food from your hand eventually. With limited competition and activity in their tank they become less skittish.
How many can i have in a 135 gallon aquarium? They get fairly large (approx.36") and can get aggressive amongst themselves. They have been accidentally bred in aquariums, so I imagine a pair would be your best bet. Selecting 4-5 and growing them out until you have found a pair might prove the best alternative.
If i get 2 will they fight? It is likely they will skirmish and can get aggressive as they grow. Adults are far more aggressive with their own kind then juveniles.
What should their diet look like? They are fairly easy going with food, so offering a varied diet (crawfish, octopus, squid, massivore, cuts of various fish) can be offered and see what they prefer. Try using a vitamin supplement to soak the food prior to feeding to make sure they are getting their nutrients. Vita-max is a good choice
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Hope that answered some of your questions

[Notsoballinxhobo]

Depending on the size of the eel and the cat I would worry or be careful, they also will take down small babies

[barrettsline]

From my experiance, I will try and answer your questions in your order.

I have questions on what to feed them and how much. They can be fed anything meaty, shrimp, thin strips of fish, earthworms, they can be trained on massivore. As to quantity, I would feed once every day or two while young and slow as they grow to possibly once every 2-3 days when full sized. Watch for them bulking up and let that be a good judge.
I own a worm farm will they eat worms? Yes, they love live food, just be mindful of offering them a varied diet. They are naturally piscivores in the wild
Can i pair them with channel catfish and pacu? It is certainly possible. The only trouble I see is water parameters, water changes, and filtration. All of those listed fish have huge diets and can be Nitrate factories. I see 75% Water changes 2-4 times a week in your future
Are they typically skittish? Not generally, they do recognize their owners and will beg/take food from your hand eventually. With limited competition and activity in their tank they become less skittish.
How many can i have in a 135 gallon aquarium? They get fairly large (approx.36") and can get aggressive amongst themselves. They have been accidentally bred in aquariums, so I imagine a pair would be your best bet. Selecting 4-5 and growing them out until you have found a pair might prove the best alternative.
If i get 2 will they fight? It is likely they will skirmish and can get aggressive as they grow. Adults are far more aggressive with their own kind then juveniles.
What should their diet look like? They are fairly easy going with food, so offering a varied diet (crawfish, octopus, squid, massivore, cuts of various fish) can be offered and see what they prefer. Try using a vitamin supplement to soak the food prior to feeding to make sure they are getting their nutrients. Vita-max is a good choice
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Hope that answered some of your questions

Lot of good info, as usual mnemenoi.

[allysangels]

I have a fire eel that I've had for almost a year now, his name is mr e, and I love him! mine is still small, I am growing him out in a 10g right now, soon to upgrade to a 29g, then my 75g. feeding- all he would eat for months was earthworms, but now ive gotten him to take frozen/thawed brine shrimp, bloodworms, and beefheart. ive tried molly fry, with no success. there are 2 african dwarf frogs in the tank also, and they eat the fish. I havent seen anyone mention the most important thing, the houdini factor! these eels are magnificent escape artists. mine has not only gotten out of the tank onto the floor, but also loves hiding inside the filter. I figured out that he was swimming up the waterfall from the output, so I used plastic craft mesh to make a screen, and also I keep the water level 3-4 inches lower. mr e is about 10 inches long now, and eats from my hand. they are slow to take food, so it is important to make sure any tankmates who are agressive or fast eaters allow him to get his share of food. handfeeding solves this problem. a sand substrate is important to prevent cuts or scratches while digging, and pvc makes great caves to hide in. I use anubias and java ferns tied to smooth rocks for plants.