Can anyone help with this mystery animal?

[boojumsnark25]

I was at the LFS yesterday, and I came across what was called the Black Rubber Worm. I googled the name and scoured websites, but there was no information of a fish of this name. He was probably 8 inches long and maybe and inch around...LFS guy said he got up to 18 inches...

on this page, he looks a lot like the falt tailed rubber eel, but also a little like the rio cauca rubber eel...

http://www.jjphoto.dk/info_amphibians_other.htm

my guess is he is the flat tailed rubber eel...can anyone positively ID this animal and tell me a little about his temperment and behavior?

 

[toddnbecka]

Typhlonectes natans, aka rubber eel, are occaisonally available. There are a couple of similar species, but very rarely seen/sold. They're nocturnal, basically blind, find food by smell. (Obviously not aggressive critters...) Escape artists, almost as bad as an octopus for finding a way out, though they can't squeeze through holes smaller then their body diameter. Rarely visible by day, they mainly find someplace to hide and only come up for air occaisonally.
They aren't truly aquatic in nature, but don't have any problems living and breeding (they're livebearers) in aquariums if properly cared for. Not a species that will compete sucessfully for food with almost anything else. I fed mine earthworms and occaisonally dead (freshly killed) feeder fish, though they will eat pellets as well.