# can you ID this eel?



## sschreiner5 (Oct 11, 2011)

I have a 29 gallon fresh water tank with 6 gold tetras, 6 neon tetras, 3 blood fins, one unidentified orange fish, 1 betta, 1 pleco, 1 rasbora and some sort of eel. When I got the tank 5 mothns ago my friend told me there was an eel or snake like fish in there but he hadn’t seen it in over a year so didn’t know if it was dead. This morning I saw him, he's in there and not dead. I have no idea what it is and what it eats, this is the first time I saw him I got a picture but it’s not very good. Can anyone ID this thing?


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## JDfishguy388 (Nov 26, 2010)

it may not be an eel but a salamander. A buddy bought one 2 years ago when he first started his aquarium and has only seen it 3 times. Last time he say the salamander it was 6 inches long.

Sorry i couldnt answer your question but if your really curious it might be worth it to break down your tank and get a good look and good pictures of him.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

Looks like it might be a khuli loach. If it has legs, probably not a loach. But if it is a loach, then it wants hiding spots, some more khuli loach friends, and substrate it can burrow in. Khuli loaches are shy bottom feeders, so they like to hide a lot, and make sure that some food hits the bottom where it can find it.


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## sschreiner5 (Oct 11, 2011)

Ok so it doesnt have legs. And it has a tail like a fish. It was swimming around like crazy when I first saw it. I ran to find my camera and when I got back it just went to bottom to hang out and thats when I got the picture. Someone else said they thought it was kuhli Loach too. So far I think its been living in the rocks, it must borrow down in there cause theres no sign of him now, there are tons of places to hide out in the tank. I dont think its a salamander, its more like a fish. I looked up kuhli loaches and I think that looks like it. I'm gonna sneak up on thank in the middle of the night to try and get a better look at him. I really dont want to take the tank down to find him unless I have too. I just want to make sure its not gonna kill the other fish, I had a two die in the last month and I only found half of the dead fish so something ate them for sure but I dont know how they died. If it is a kuhli loach would that go for an alive fish?


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

Khulis are peaceful, so I'm pretty sure they'd leave your fish alone. However, a dead fish is fair game to any and all other fish, and most other fish might pick at a dead one. Fish also decompose really quickly, so keep that in mind. Khulis are very social, and you might want to get more if you can. They, like tetras, need to be in groups of at least 3-4, preferably more. You might be on the verge of over stocking though, so think before you do anything


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I agree (need the agree button, lol) it's a kuhli loach.


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## sschreiner5 (Oct 11, 2011)

Kehy said:


> Khulis are peaceful, so I'm pretty sure they'd leave your fish alone. However, a dead fish is fair game to any and all other fish, and most other fish might pick at a dead one. Fish also decompose really quickly, so keep that in mind. Khulis are very social, and you might want to get more if you can. They, like tetras, need to be in groups of at least 3-4, preferably more. You might be on the verge of over stocking though, so think before you do anything


Yeah I will get at least two more once I'm sure the tank is ok but how do know when I'm at the stocking limit? I would like to add a few new Rasboras and a couple more blood fins so if I add 2 Kulhi Loaches I'll have about 26 fish in there. Anybody think thats gonna be too many? I will have to do something about my pleco, its a common pleco and most people say it will get too big for a 29g but hes only been in there for 2 months so I have some time to find him a new home.


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## Suzanne (Jun 10, 2011)

I agree too with all the kuhli loach assessments; just FYI, they are super difficult to catch!! So hopefully you won't need to do that - I had to take basically everything out of my tank in order to catch 2 (because they are so fast, good at hiding, and rather aggressive when it comes to getting through a tiny escape hole you've left at a corner of the net).


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

sschreiner5 said:


> Yeah I will get at least two more once I'm sure the tank is ok but how do know when I'm at the stocking limit? I would like to add a few new Rasboras and a couple more blood fins so if I add 2 Kulhi Loaches I'll have about 26 fish in there. Anybody think thats gonna be too many? I will have to do something about my pleco, its a common pleco and most people say it will get too big for a 29g but hes only been in there for 2 months so I have some time to find him a new home.


As much as it's not the greatest stocking strategy, I would go by the 1-inch of adult fish size to every gallon of water, excluding a gallon or two for gravel and decorations. As it stands, you're going to be facing stocking issues. I would find a new home for the pleco, since it really does need a huge tank. I also probably wouldn't add more fish unless you've got some incredible filtration going on. Add more plants, especially live plants. This will help your tetras relax and live plants, especially fast growing plants will help filter the water (the use fish waste as food).


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## Suzanne (Jun 10, 2011)

sschreiner5 said:


> Yeah I will get at least two more once I'm sure the tank is ok but how do know when I'm at the stocking limit?


This can be a useful tool, though it should be just one of many things you consider: AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Again that agree button would be useful.


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## sschreiner5 (Oct 11, 2011)

Kehy said:


> As much as it's not the greatest stocking strategy, I would go by the 1-inch of adult fish size to every gallon of water, excluding a gallon or two for gravel and decorations. As it stands, you're going to be facing stocking issues. I would find a new home for the pleco, since it really does need a huge tank. I also probably wouldn't add more fish unless you've got some incredible filtration going on. Add more plants, especially live plants. This will help your tetras relax and live plants, especially fast growing plants will help filter the water (the use fish waste as food).


OK thanks. I have a HOB power filter and I also have under gravel filters, hopefully that enough. I only have 1 live plant in there right now and I do plan on getting more but I want to see how the one I have now does. I've heard live plants dont do well with under gravel filters so we will see.


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## sschreiner5 (Oct 11, 2011)

Suzanne said:


> This can be a useful tool, though it should be just one of many things you consider: AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor


Great tool, thanks! According to that site I'm way over stocked but if I find a new home for the pleco I'm only 70% stocked. I really wish I did more research before I put him in there. The tank came with one that was about 5 years old and 6 inches long but he died after having the tank for 1 month so I just got a new one, wont do that again!

So on that stocking calculator site what do put in for my undergravel filter? I just left it blank...


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## Suzanne (Jun 10, 2011)

sschreiner5 said:


> So on that stocking calculator site what do put in for my undergravel filter? I just left it blank...


If the kind you have isn't on the drop-down list, I'd just choose "user defined" (at the top of the list) and put in the gallon capacity yourself. If you don't know the gallon capacity... well, talk to someone who knows about undergravel filters I guess, which isn't me - sorry!


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