Fire Eels.............anyone have these fish??

[artemisblossom]

I set up my 55 gal tank yesterday and have 2 blood parrots in there (I put a fluval 404 filter on it with media from one of my other tanks) . I seen a beautiful fire eel (About 12 inches long) at the lfs a few days ago and I would love to get it. I know the eel might outgrow the 55 but I am planning to upgrade to a 90 in about a year anyway.......would the eel get along with the blood parrots? Has anyone had any experience keeping these eels???

[Red]

They get real big and mean and i think the min tank for one is a 125..

[robnepper]

here's the link.

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Northernguy]

Those are really cool but do need a lot of room.It would be cool to have a 200gal tank with a school of them!

[cocoa_pleco]

i had one, innocent little guy and he never even touched my cardinal tetras. i had one about 5 years ago

[artemisblossom]

cocoa pleco how big was your tank? I have read so much conflicting info my head is swimming lol. Generally most sites I have found say they are gentle but the tank size seems to vary with each link, I have read they they require everything from a 50 gal tank to a 200 gal tank . I would really like to have one but I want to make sure it is going to be happy in my tank, maybe I should try and get a small one and then by the time it has gotten about 15 inches long I will have a good excuse to upgrade (I can't upgrade right now because I just got this 55 gal tank for xmas).

[cocoa_pleco]

i had a 33g for him back then and the store said he would be fine in it

[toddnbecka]

Fire eels can grow to about 2', so figure on an appropriate size tank for a large (though rather flexible) fish. As a rule, it isn't wise to buy a fish you don't have a suitable size tank for, with plans to "upgrade later". If you want a spiney eel suitable for a 55 I'd recommend a zigzag or peacock eel. In any case, the top needs to be completely enclosed to keep the eel from becoming fish jerky on the carpet.

[Northernguy]

Have you read this yet?[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
I find it to be accurate.

[Crispy]

I set up my 55 gal tank yesterday and have 2 blood parrots in there (I put a fluval 404 filter on it with media from one of my other tanks) . I seen a beautiful fire eel (About 12 inches long) at the lfs a few days ago and I would love to get it. I know the eel might outgrow the 55 but I am planning to upgrade to a 90 in about a year anyway.......would the eel get along with the blood parrots? Has anyone had any experience keeping these eels???

A friend of mine keeps 2 large fire eels with blood parrots.. it's a 180 gallon, but they do not even acknowledge eachother in the tank. Most fish leave eels alone... my frontosas don't bother my little peacock eel, and vice versa.

[artemisblossom]

Yes Northern guy I read that article but unless I am blind I missed where it said what size for a full grown eel. It mentioned a 36" tank for a young one but never got into the size for a large one, just that it needed a large aquarium and large means different things to different people.
But I will put the aquisition of the eel on hold for now. I am waiting to hear back from someone on a classified ad site that has a 100 gal tank for sale, surely that would be big enough.

[Northernguy]

They do get big fast so being well prepared never hurts.The bigger the tank the better.:22:

[dawguy]

My eels hide for weeks when they wanted food, they came out of the gravel for fresh shrimp and worm sticks.They would stay under the gravel or caves with only there heads out.My angels,discus,rams and bluegill left them alone.
They came out before bed and ate but just hid near the plants.3 eels in 55 gallon with other fish.

Dawguy:19:

[smaug]

Yes Northern guy I read that article but unless I am blind I missed where it said what size for a full grown eel. It mentioned a 36" tank for a young one but never got into the size for a large one, just that it needed a large aquarium and large means different things to different people.
But I will put the aquisition of the eel on hold for now. I am waiting to hear back from someone on a classified ad site that has a 100 gal tank for sale, surely that would be big enough.
from the article.
"When kept in captivity, the Fire eel seldom grows longer than 50 centimeters (20 inches), but it can grow much larger in captivity if the aquarist provides it with plenty of space and good conditions. "
This sounds to me like the bigger then tank the better,if you have a longer bigger tank the eel can get bigger as well.The article mentions that in the wild they can reach over 40" as well,they can get that big in captivity as well if all the conditions are right for them.Ive seen some 2 ft fire eels in fish shops in the past ,imo I wouldnt keep one in a tank less then 5 ft in length with plenty of natural hiding spots like rooty wood and dense plants.

[Northernguy]

artemisblossom read the last sentence please!:22:


As long as your Fire eel is smaller than 15 centimeters (6 inches), you can house it in a 91 centimeter (36 inches) long aquarium that have a capacity of 132 liters (35 gallons). As your Fire eel grows, you must of course move it to larger and larger aquariums. Keep in mind that this fish can grow very fast, and the 15 centimeter Fire eel that you find in the pet shop can reach a size of 1 meter within a year if you provide it with optimal conditions.

[artemisblossom]

Ok I finally got my new tank it is a 125 gal tank (72x18x23) I haven't got the eel yet but am very excited. My lfs is supposed to let me know when they come avaiilable.

[Northernguy]

Ok I finally got my new tank it is a 125 gal tank (72x18x23) I haven't got the eel yet but am very excited. My lfs is supposed to let me know when they come avaiilable.
Cool!thumbs2: I can't wait to see pics!
They are fun to watch!

[Oscar_freak12321]

Fire eels are able to live in a 50 gallon tank, but that is the bare minimum for a small one.Spiny eels are actually very nice and won't mess with the blood parrots at all. That should be completely fine to get a fire eel,but make sure there are absolutely NO spots where they can slither out of the tank, because they are thin enough to get through places other fish can't. Good luck!