Rubber Eels?

[MandyK]

Hey guys!

I've recently gotten a new fish buddy who is getting back into the hobby after 14 years of being out. You guys should know her as Maryann -- as she joined the forum a couple days ago.

Anyway, she's quite interested in getting a Rubber Eel. I have no idea about these guys, so I can't really give her any advice.

Her situation is as follows -- (to the best of my knowledge)

180G tank with a Rena XP3.

4 Von rio Tetra
? Red Belly Tetra (I'm not sure what these are)
1 Black Moor
? Mollies
3 Fancy Guppies

Eventually she would like to have Angels, and Kuhlis.


Okay, with that bit of information, what issues can you see, and what information do you have about the eels?

[madagascariensis]

They have bad eyesight and are slow feeders. I would not put them with fast active fish like the tetras or a greedy feeder like the goldfish or they might starve.

[MandyK]

Do you know what these guys eat? Is it possible to spot feed them? I don't know if she is prepared to do that, I'm just curiuos.

[Lady10Godiva]

I saw people suggest blood worms. I went through a few different sights and I didnt see any mention of them being good with prepared food.

On a sidenote, if she wants to fully stock the tank she will need more filtration. I am running two xp3s and an aqueon 55/75 on my 125 and am finally happy with my filtration.

Also I am sure you have mentioned that she is mixing tropicals and cold water fish with the black moor.

[MandyK]

That is an interesting note Lady.

And yes, of course I have mentioned this. :) I'm not sure what she plans to do, but she does know that the cold water fish won't be too happy in a tropical tank.

[madagascariensis]

I would be inclined to disagree. Goldfish do take waters down to freezing, but they also are comfortable in waters with high temperatures. Just like certain livebearers and nerite snails which take freshwater all the way to marine. The is a certain word for being able to live in a wide range of temperature but I forgot it.
Not that I would encourage keepi goldfish with a caecilians though, but for different reasons

[Greentoads41]

+1 to Mada. I feel that fish can be a little hardier than we give them credit for, temp being one such variable. Sometimes we (especially those on this lovely forum, maybe even ONLY on forums like this) coddle our fish so much that we forget how its species in the wild can thrive in varying temps. This is definitely not a bad thing to forget, because we want to give the fish the best care possible. However, they can manage, and so it's like madagas said, he wouldn't encourage keeping goldfish with those other fish, but for different reasons.
More on that
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/whaddaya-mean-too-hot/

[MandyK]

Lots of good info guys! Yes, I keep reminding myself that just because I may not do something, doesn't necessarily mean that it won't work. :) What can I say though? Lol, I'm a fish spoiler!

Anyway, back to the eels -- I was concerned that they may eat the smaller fish, or would the eels be too slow for that? How would they do with Kuhils? I'm thinking that one eel would pretty much have you stocked on bottom dwellers, but then that's just an assumption.

[Aeonflame]

Goldfish are often classified as "coldwater fish" but the fact is they are very adaptable to warmer temperatures and climates. Goldfish and other carp have thriving feral populations in tropical countries.

[William]

Rubber "eels" can easily be spot fed and can be kept with fast feeding fish without any problem. The fish you mention should all get along nicely with the rubber eels. They do however hide a lot and you will seldom see them. They spend a lot of time dug down into the sand.

To spot feed them simply put a piece of food on a stick. Whole shelless frozen shrimps from the grocery store work well as food. about 1 inch in size. larger for larger eels. thaw them first.