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Spiny Eels Anonymous
Just picked up a spiny eel, about 5 inches long, from local aquarium. When I added the cute little eel to the tank he went straight to the bottom and dug a little cave under some rocks.

The store clerk assured me he would eat flakes, but after doing some research it seems that may not be too true. He hasn't eaten for two days now, but apparently food strikes are not uncommon with these guys.

Anybody here have any tips for keeping a healthy spiny? Should I go buy him/her some bloodworms? Will it get hungry and eat my kuhli loaches one day?
>> Anonymous
Yeah, first buy the animal, then go to 4chan to ask how to take care of it.
>> Anonymous
>>315501

I've read up on them, just wanted some first hand advice from people who have actually raised em.
>> Anonymous
some of them can get really large and will eat anything that moves, including your loaches.
As far as I know they are predatory and want meat, worms and the likes.
Flakes I dunno, but I doubt it.
>> Anonymous
What kind of substrate do you have?
>> Anonymous
>>315498
I think eels are so cute!
>> Anonymous
My family owned a spiny eel. named him Elvis. He lived in a community tank with other fish.

His primary diet was blood worms. They're predators. Do not put anything small like neons in the tank with them. It will hunt them down and eat them. My brother bought a school of them, Elvis ate every one of them. They get to be BIG. Elis was longer then my forearm.

Elvis was long, fat, and had a healthy appetite.

Whoever told you they thrive on flakes is an idiot. For as long as we had him, he never ate flakes. Only the bloodworms and when he binged on the neons.
>> Anonymous
>>315629

did you have a sand or gravel aquarium?
>> Anonymous
>>315631

Gravel tank. If you want to make him more comfortable, find something for him to use like a cave. When he got really big, we put in a pot in the tank, partially buried it. He used that and the decorative shipwreck as caves. He is an eel after all and they do prefer to be able to hide out in their caves and ambush their pray.

We used a large plastic syringe to feed him. Slowly squirted them out near him.

I'm not a big tank fag, and I can't give you all the details on tank PH and all that. But I really suggest doing further googlefu on them. For as big as he was, I seriously recommend investing in a bigger tank(though I don't know the size of your current tank) as he gets larger. We had a 45(or around that) hexagonal shaped tank. The shape of it just didn't really accommodate his length well enough.
>> Anonymous
>>315632
i have a 25 tank, but the breed of spiny i have shouldn't break 8-9inches.

thanks for the help anon
>> Anonymous
I had a couple of fresh water morays for a while. Not sure if its the same with other kinds of eels, but with the morays it wasn't uncommon for them to "hunger strike" for a few days until they became familiar with the new habitat. After about four or five days mine starting eating voraciously, even my giant cichlid that I thought would be safe :(.

So, give it a bit longer and if he still doesn't eat, I might take him back to the pet store.
>> Anonymous
>>315830


fresh-water moray is a misconception. There is no variety of moray eel that can survive in freshwater. Spiny Eels are often sold by dubious fish stores under the name of a fresh water moray. Spiny eels are in no way related to morays. In fact, they aren't even really eels.
>> Anonymous
>>315860
Several kinds of morays do very well their whole life in brackish water and that condition met they actually do better than many other more ubiquitous fish in the hobby. G. tile can be kept in freshwater when young, but needs to go brackish as they mature.

Sharks and rays can't live in freshwater either huh?
>> Anonymous
These guys are teh awesomez!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLxhzI8oLkg

I want one now :P
>> Anonymous
>>315860
>In fact, they aren't even really eels.
So what are they then, just a long fish?
>> Anonymous
>>315874


brackish =/= freshwater
>> Anonymous
OP here. I just got some bloodworm cubes from the store,cut them into a respectable size, and dropped them right at the head of my spiny.

He didn't even move as food landed on/around his head, just sat there, eying it pensively.

At least my senegal bichir was on hand to clean up the mess, but im worried about the spinys eating.

Is there something they like more than blood worms?
>> Anonymous
>>315933
you should just go back to the store and ask them what they've been feeding him, then proceed to give him the same diet
>> Anonymous
>>315942

they said they were feeding him flakes, which explained why he looked so thin
>> Anonymous
>>315943
then just keep trying with the bloodworms, if he gets hungry enough hell start eating
>> Anonymous
Living bloodworm or something else squirmy. Catch some bugs in your garden.
>> Anonymous
>>315933

Mine used to love brine shrimp.
>> Anonymous
>>315958

I concur with this.

I was>>315629

We fed him live blood worms, never frozen.
>> Anonymous
>>316103

ah, looks like i need back to the store. at least my bichir will take care of all the frozen bloodworms.
>> Anonymous
Most fish stores do that exact same fucking thing when they sell carnivorous exotics. I was told to feed my pufferfish fucking -goldfish flakes-. They need a diet of fresh crustaceans and snails.

Anyway, that aside, do a little more research to make sure you know exactly what their diet requires. Then go to Petsmart or the like and buy the frozen dinner cubes for carnivorous fish.
>> Anonymous
>>315958
Catching wild food is a BAD fucking idea. You'll run a huge risk of introducing parasites and toxins.
There is a large market of farm raised fresh seafood and invertebrates for pet fish for this very reason.
>> Anonymous
>>316324
ETA- a variety suited to his natural diet is the best. Limiting him to one kind of food can stunt his growth or cause digestive upset (bloodworms are far too rich to be a nonnative food, and they cause constipation)

I highly reccommend the frozen (not freeze dried) mysis shrimp cubes. There's also a variety pack with cubes of squid, blends, and worms.
Further dietary enhancement could include live "gut loaded" prey. This will give him his veggies.