Eel or Eel type fish?

[Niki]

So my boyfriend wants to pick out a fish that is an Eel or Eel like....I have done some research and found that most get to be 12"+

I couldn't find any that would work in my Cichlid tank, and I couldn't find any that would work in a 20G. I do not even want this fish....what do I do? or does anyone have any advice on a small Eel like creature that would be small?(my boyfriend is stubborn at times as well...he said I can put it in any tank bc he kept his Kuhil (sp?) "coolie"Loach with an elephant nose fish and a angle fish........he also insists that I put 30+ fish in my 75G, I guess if fish are not bumping into eachother then theres still room right lol......does anyone else have difficult partners they deal with?)

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

All eels would be too big for a 20 gallon except kuhuli loaches which are very eel-like

 

[toddnbecka]

What sort of cichlids do you have? I have a couple of small species of spiny eels in my 220 Tanganykian cichllid tank. One is a plagiostoma, the other is a tanganicae, neither will grow larger than 8". The cichlids are all smaller species as well, nothng that will get big enough to eat the eels, though the plagiostoma is notorious for eating substrate-spawning cichlid eggs.
The Tanganykian elipsifer is more commonly available, and while a bit larger than mine it is still small enough for a 75 gallon tank (depending on other stock.)
I don't know of any eel-like species other than kuhli loaches suitable for a 20. I did have a pair of the plagiostoma in a 29 for several years w/out any problems, lost them during a power outage. They spawned a number of times, but the tank was set up with a reverse-flow UG filter and the male always ate the eggs. I suspected the setup wasn't suitable, and I'm hoping to find another male and try again in the new tank. Both my new spiny eels are females.

 

[Niki]

Thanks for the great info!

Currently I have jewels and convicts

I will definitely look up the ones you mentioned tomorrow

 

[toddnbecka]

Tanganykian spiny eels need hard, alkaline water. They're all imported, (for that matter I don't know of any spiny eels that aren't) so they do need suitable conditions, but they are generally hardy fish. If you have softer, neutral-acidic water there are a couple Asian spiny eels that stay pretty small as well. The peacock eels are the most common, but there are also a few others. The zigzag eel is the smallest, tiretrack eels are fairly common but at the upper size range for a 75. They also lose the atttractive pattern when they mature, and you have a muddy brown fish.
The tank has to be completely and tightly covered, if there's even a small opening you will have eel jerky. I got a pair of plagiostoma's, and the male slipped out through a small gap in the backsplash I didn't realize was there. I thought it was a bit odd that I didn't see him swim down into the tank when I put him in, then when I found his dried carcass inside the cabinet stand that night Becka mentioned that she had glimpsed something at the top/back of the tank but hadn't thought to speak up about it.