Tiger Barbs and peacock eels, comp., Mastacembelids gen.    1/5/08
Hello WWM!
<Hello.>
I am new (2 months) to freshwater aquariums.
<OK.>
I was wondering, will 2 Tiger Barbs and 2 Peacock Eels get along when in the same 10 gallon tank with limited places to hide and some live aquatic plants? I'm concerned since both are aggressive species. Will they fight?
<Won't work. Tiger barbs are schooling fish and become nothing but trouble when kept in groups of less than six. They nip at other fish. So, get six Tiger barbs before you start fussing about other species. Six tiger barbs need more than 10 gallons of tank space. At least a long 20 gallon tank to get the room to swim and play they need.>
Also, will Peacock Eels eat spikes (fly larvae), sinking shrimp pellets, freeze-dried blood worms, Tubifex worms and worms you use as bait when fishing? This is what I've been feeding them, but can't tell if they are eating or not.
<Peacock Eels, by which I assume you mean Macrognathus siamensis, will eat live and frozen worms/insect larvae happily enough, but ignore dried foods, pellets, etc.>
I just got my Tiger Barbs yesterday and they just seem to hang out together.
<Why did you buy just two? That's mean. These are social animals and as they mature they create a pecking order. Denying them this leads to problems. Besides, they're too big for a 10 gallon tank. If you have access to January's edition of TFH Magazine, I have an article in there all about stocking 10 gallon tanks. Consider this essential reading!>
So far, I've had 3 Striped Peacock Eels (one died when it was exploring its new home and it was eaten by my filter) they get along fine.
<Please let me make this very clear: Peacock Eels are not easy to keep. For a start, they CANNOT be kept in tanks with gravel. Putting them in a tank with gravel is giving the eel a death sentence. These eels dig, and gravel scratches them, and then they get secondary bacterial infections, and then they die. I have seen this and heard about this too many times over the last twenty five years of my keeping tropical fish. Secondly, they are difficult to feed. Live foods are preferred, and they CANNOT be kept with any night-time bottom feeders. Neither catfish nor loaches. You must feed the eels at night, and they must be the only fish in the tank eating the bloodworms or whatever. Otherwise they starve to death. Finally, they jump out of tanks. Again, this is incredibly common when people keep these eels. The tank must be almost airtight. Block any holes big enough for the fish to squeeze through.>
I also had 2 Pictus Cats and a Pleco not survive, any ideas why?
<Your tank is insanely overstocked. A Plec will reach 45 cm, probably longer than your aquarium! Pimelodus pictus is a schooling, riverine catfish that needs to be kept in groups in a tank with lots of water current and swimming space.>
I took a peek at your FAQ's and noticed there were quite a few articles about eels! Good Job!!!
Just out of curiousity, how long have you been studying eels?
<Studying them may be overdoing it a bit, but I kept my first Mastacembelus armatus back in 1988, and have been keeping and writing about them ever since.>
Also, how are you supposed to determine the sex of Peacock Eels and Tiger Barbs?
<Spiny eels are universally sexed by looking at their body shape: females are dramatically more deep-bodied than the males. Tiger barb females are rounded at spawning time. If you have a group of six or more mature fish, it's usually not a problem to identify the males and females.>
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, a curious newcomer.
<Good luck, Neale.>

A Very Good Fishy Story (well-adjusted Fire Eel)
I have a fire eel, quite a crazy and yet good story, just though I'd share it.  I bought a fire eel the other day in Fort Wayne, IN, from a retailer who had it in an aquarium with green terrors, jack Dempseys, Flowerhorn cichlids, African Synodontis, and an EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE banded Headstander.  Fort Wayne is about 5 hours from where I live, and due to traffic, it waited 6 hours in a bag for me to get it home.  When I got it home, it acclimated instantly.  I have read stories on your website about them getting diseased easily and those refusing food, but mine is completely disease-free, and ate so much beef heart that his stomach swelled to the size of Chicago.  He is fat and happy, and even likes to come out and lurk around during the day.  Just thought I'd share the story.
<Thank you for sending this along. Bob Fenner>

Freshwater eel
Hi there, crew.  It's been a while since I've written.  Last we "spoke" I had gone freshwater only.  I found good homes for my SW fish and corals, and now have a 180 oceanic with a huge sump and bio balls.  I keep the tank at 80 F, and I am using an Iwaki RXLT 40 full blast for sump return.  I do a 30 gallon water change once a week, and clean the overflow sponges at that time.  I run a 40 Watt Aqua UV light on the tank, and use a diatom filter once a week at water change time.  The gravel is a little on the large side, and not really conducive to burrowing.  There are a lot of rock caves, though.    I have four clown loaches (2 are 8+ inches [13 years in my care, so far] and two are 2 inches); 2 small Corys, 9 glass catfish, 2 Plecos.  I was thinking about adding a spiny eel (after lengthy quarantine, of course).  What do you think?  I have read your FAQs, and would like to know what kind of eel might go well in that tank.  I also have another tank (80 gal) with just a couple of dwarf Gouramis that I could place the eel in (he's going to start there, anyway).  Would be interested in recommendation for a fish that did not grow too large and would not eat any tankmates.  I feed frozen bloodworms, mysis shrimp, flake food and sinking pellets.  My loaches are pretty old and hefty, so I assume that they're happy with the diet.
thanks for your help, tom
Dear Tom; Tire track eels grow to two feet, and will eat any tankmates that fit into its mouth. Likewise fire eels. There is a pretty eel that grows to around 4 inches called the Short finned spiny eel (Latin name is Mastacembelus zebrinus) if you can find one for sale. Many other eels are either aggressive, grow large enough to eat your other fish, or are brackish/marine. Here is a link for ya: http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/eelprofilesindex/a/aa082901.htm
-Gwen

Purchasing some spiny eels
I was thinking about purchasing some spiny eels from an online store.
Is it wise to have a striped peacock, a Zig Zag, and a fire eel all in the same tank?
<Not problematical in terms of them getting along, feeding/foods, having different habitats if this is what you mean>
Also, the site I was planning on ordering from said that spiny eels eventually needed 29 gallon tanks... but I read about people having to put them in 100 gallon tanks, what's the minimum size I can have for one and does it affect what size of tank I need if I have one of each of the aforementioned spiny eels?
<Mmm, at least a hundred for the Fire Eel... gets quite large over time, in good health... the others could live in 29 gallon systems (well-covered!). Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/matacembelids.htm
and the Related FAQs (linked, in blue, at top)>
  I read that the eels will eat crustaceans, so I assume a blue crayfish would be a bad tank mate...  Is it wise to order online?  Or would you suggest going to a local breeder or distributor?  Thanks in advance.
<Both sources could work... or be trouble. The spiny eels are quite tough if cared for well, and doomed if not... Seeing them ahead of purchase is definitely a bonus, better start if you can find, order them locally. Bob Fenner>

Fire eel purchase in the GWN
>I would like to buy a fire eel but I do not find any store of fish which has some can you help me please
>>> What city do you live in? It is hard to find you a store without knowing where you live. Oliver
sorry, I'm living in Montréal
>> Try Nature Pet Center on Newman in Ville LaSalle, they can likely order it for you if they do not have them, speak to Robert. If not, maybe Big Al's Aquarium Services on Boul. Des Sources. Speak to Daniel. Keep in mind that fire eels will get four feet long... Good Luck, Oliver.