Tropical Fish Forums

Ritingyou · New Members Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Location: Orlando Florida

I plan to get a much larger fish in the future but for now I have a 60 gallon I am prepareing. Eventually I hope to get a 6 inch fire eel (so they sy that is the size...) which I have read would be fine for a little while..

But would I have to keep him alone or could I have other fish? If so some ideas I have is:
BGK
Bala sharks
Clown loachs

If you know any other fish that might be better let me know. But I mostly want to know if a BGK would be OK. Also are they fast or slow growers?
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KKP

diademhill · Advisors Joined: 18 Apr 2007

None of those fish should be in a 60 gallon - wait until you have a 180 gallon tank before you get the fire eel. Mine grew to 32" and was as thick as my arm.
You can keep a fire eel with other species and I would recommend deeper bodied fish than the eel.

This rules out clown loaches and BGKF both of which are slower growing and will become bite sized.

Red tailed tinfoil barbs are a good choice for a shoaler or Distichodus sexfasciatus would be a good upper level single fish. A single large SA cichlid can work too.
Alternatively get just the fire eel and have a crowd of guppies or platies in the tank. The population will be kept under control by the eel.

Ritingyou · New Members Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Location: Orlando Florida

It would be a problem to have a baby fire eel in a 60 gallon for less than a year? Also the store says it will only get to around 24 inches long..

This is the site I'm getting it from if I got my information wrong on the size of the eel.. http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyid=102908&Ntt=fire%20eel&OneResultRedirect=1

Also you didn't say anything about the bala sharks.. would they be OK at all since the eel would be so small? Eventually when the eel is bigger I figured I would have to keep them in different tanks but I was OK with that.

I'll look into the barbs.. but I wouldnt get it if they can't be kept in a 60 gallon for a little bit.
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KKP

diademhill · Advisors Joined: 18 Apr 2007

You can start a fire eel in a 60 gallon tank but don't buy one unless you already have the larger tank it will need within a year. This is why the site in your link says 24" - they sell them to live short lives in too small tanks and from experience people don't upgrade their tanks as planned. Mine only lived five years as I lost most of the contents of my fish house when a neighbour sprayed insecticide near the intake for the air pump.
Bala sharks grow too big for a tank under 6 feet long - the red tailed tinfoils grow to about half their size so will fit better in a 180g.

Ritingyou · New Members Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Location: Orlando Florida

Oh wow.. OK. But I have only been able to find 100 gallon tanks.. Is there a special store online that sells 180 gallon ones? I've looked at all the basic pet stores near my area. Not the best stores around apperently. I'm starting to feel like theres a store everyone I getting the big tanks from and I'm the only one that doesn't know the secret to getting one..

How much did your fire eel grow in a year? Would a 180 be the biggest tank I need or will I eventually need a bigger tank?
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KKP

diademhill · Advisors Joined: 18 Apr 2007

You have just illustrated why I said get the big tank first - it too often doesn't happen!
A 180g would house an adult fire eel - they have the potential to top 40" but don't need a huge amount of swimming space unlike the 16" bala sharks. The 6'x2' footprint is the smallest that would suffice for the eel.

You buy larger tanks from tank builders who you can usually find vis local specialist stores (try ones that do marines/reefs) or try google? Aqueon or all glass? You can often find large tanks secondhand when people move house but do check your doorway widths Laughing

(That is how I got my 800 litre tank - the guy who ordered it couldn't get it into his house.)
Few stores have tanks too large to fit in a car in stock. PM me your location and I'll see what I can find.
My eel grew to about 16" in the first year and was about 6" when I got him - he was in a 5'x2' tank to start with and moved up to a pond -10'x30"'x3' after a year. He lived with an Oreochromis & a Synbranchus sp.

Ritingyou · New Members Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Location: Orlando Florida

That's why I'm trying to figure this all out before I get the fire eel. I want to make sure I do everything right! Smile

I had a peacock eel that I bought not long ago since a employee at a petsmart said it would be fine in my 10 gallon.. so I gave it to a friend. I had my 60 gallon but it isnt set up yet. Guess I gotta go bigger now!
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KKP

KhiaraFish · Regulars Joined: 18 Aug 2010 Location: Saint Paul, MN

for a custom tank you could try this site, www.glasscages.com . They do custom size tanks as well as customizing the standard sizes, I have ordered from them once, the tank was beautiful and lasted me for years, (it was my first tank, it had a betta named blue, any guesses on the color?) now it is at my cousins house with a few guppies. So the tank must be... 7-8 years old, still in great condition.
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Please, oh Please can someone help me!?

My fish mugged me and stole my wallet!

Caton

want to hear a secrect that will make you learn faster AND make you not so confused? Stop Listening to petco! They only care about money and not the fish.
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