fresh water eel

[kkdb]

We recently got a fresh water tank and started with a few fish and an eel.
The ell was tough getting out of the tank at the store and in fact it jumped out of the net and onto the floor. So I don't know if that is the problem.
But this eel doen't do much but lay at the bottom under a rock.
I finally talked to someone at the store who suggested putting 4 tablespoons of salt every time I take out half of the water to clean the water. Also he suggested frozen blood worms immersed in a cup at the bottom.
Well I think that he is eating the worms, although there is another fish that seems to like them as well. But he still doesn't do anything but lay there.
Anybody know about eels. He is about 8 inches with pretty brown round like spots that seem to change in intensity.

 

[FreddytheFish]

What kind of eel is it? From your description of it, he seems to be a Gymnothorax tile, or a Echidna rhodochilis. Unfortunatley, both species are brackish, and won't do well with freshwater fish.

How big is your tank?

What are the other tankmates?

^^G. tile

^^ E. rhodocilis

 

[kkdb]

Mine looks more like the rhodicilis. The people at the pet store didn't know much about him but had him in a fresh water tank by himself.
As I said they suggested 4 tbsp of salt for the water but said it was for the electrolites. What did I know....so have been doing this but he still doesn't do much.
Since I am a nephite with this I do not know the names of his tank mates. One seems to hang out with the eel however. Infact he hides as well as the eel. He snuggles up to the eel and rests right along side of him. ( so glad that I got such outgoing fish to enjoy...I never see either of them.) He has a greenish stripe on his side and is about an inch long.and likes the blood worms too.
The only other fish I have are two very small fish with two parellel black stripes on the side and they spend their time chasing each other. And then there is a very little bottom feeder who spend most of his time on the back wall in the same spot where (yes you guessed it) no one can see him.
So there it is. I looked up the eel that you showed and found that it can get up to 20 inches long. Since I have a 10 gal tank, this seems like it might not work for him.
Would he be better off with another eel?
Really appreciate your help.
KK

 

[FreddytheFish]

Would he be better off with another eel?

I hate to say this, but he'd be better off with another tank. He's a brackish fish, and there needs to be salt (marine salt) in the water for him to survive. Also, you're right, he will outgrow the tank, and be a possible danger to your smaller fish.

 

[Flowerhorn916]

I argee you should return it to the store which you bought it from. It is alredy too big for yoru tank.

 

[BadRoma1]

i have 3 spiny eels. i'm also new with this guys. i've had them for over a month and they still don't really come out the sand. only one eel comes out in evenings and hangs out all over. i get to feed them only at night because they don't eat at any other time. i do like them and i don't like them. i'll keep them but if i new about them being such boring and invisible fish, i would never get them. they also are very friendly and piecefull. get bigger tank anyway, because you can have more fun with it.

 

[graphicdesign_r]

I can't believe the fish fell on the floor at the pet store and you still bought it. The fall would damage the fish in several ways.

First the slime coat that protects the fish would be compromised.
Second it could introduce harmful bacteria (especially in a pet store).
The swim bladder could be damaged.
The fish could have neurological issues (brain damage).
Broken bones or internal injuries.

If the people at the fish store mishandle the fish and drop it, DON'T BUY IT. At least not immediately. I'm sure people have all kinds of stories how they dropped their fish before and they're fine. This is not a post about survival stories, I am only saying: If you went to the store and bought a dozen eggs, and they got dropped by the bagger at checkout, would you want a new dozen, or would you take that dozen home (without opening it, because you can't open up your new fish to see if it's OK) and see if any broke once you got there?

Just a suggestion for next time something like that happens. The LFS I go to has one employee who handles the fish like a bull in a china shop. I won't even buy fish if she's netting. :duh: :rant2: