# fire eels



## BIG_ONE (Aug 18, 2008)

im planning to get em, what are good tank mates for them??? is a 55 good enough for em?


----------



## roc-aquarium (Aug 26, 2008)

Fire Eels are interesting fish (not really an eel), but you don't see people keeping them at home very often. If you get them while they are young they can be kept in most community tanks. If they are small (5" or less) they should be good in tanks as little as twenty gallons. Your 55 gallon should be good for a while but your fish may outgrow it fairly quickly.

They are mostly peaceful but will tend to burrow in your substrate and move plants around. They like a sandy substrate best and will frequently bury themselves with nothing but their head exposed. 

It is important to remember that these fish can grow quite large. They have been found over 3 foot long in the wild (typically under 20-22 inches in aquariums). When your fire eels grow larger they will eat fish that they can fit in their mounths so you must make sure that their tankmates are large enough to avoid becoming part of the eel's diet. I've seen them housed with cichlids and decent sized plecos without a problem.

Please post pics when you get your fish. They are really very interesting.


----------



## BIG_ONE (Aug 18, 2008)

are they good to go with cichlids that are kind of aggressive lets say like a jack dempsey or a jaguar?


----------



## roc-aquarium (Aug 26, 2008)

As long as the fire eels are bigger than the Dempseys or Jags you should be ok. Just remember that all these fish can grow quite large and you will likely outgrow that 55 gallon rather quickly.


----------



## BIG_ONE (Aug 18, 2008)

will they do good with other eels too??? including its own species???


----------



## JackBBadd (Jul 7, 2009)

DO NOT keep them with crayfish or crabs of any sort, thats really the only thing that bothered my eels


----------



## toddnbecka (Jun 10, 2009)

When they're young they're fine w/other fire eels, but adult males are territorial.


----------



## Jam17 (Aug 3, 2009)

i know a chap from holland that as got a 46" fire eel thats about 18 years old


----------



## Datnoid Man (Aug 20, 2009)

Datnoids, geophagus, and basiclly anything large enough not to get eaten will work.


----------

