neon tetra and peacock eels

[ostrichkiller]

just a few questions, i am up to almost 30 fish now in my 55gal fw tank. because of the size and i am kinda a worry wort i do the water cycles one a week (about 20%) and i check the ammonia, ph, nitrites and nitrates about every other day. about 15 of the fish are tetras and it seams when ever i put food in, flakes or freeze dried brine shrimp the other fish in the tank devour most of it up. but i haven't had a fish die at all since i got rid of the ick (thanks again alli) the neons and other tetras and a peacock ell that i recently got don't seem to be eating while the sword tails and tiger barbs seam to be getting fatter. on another thought every 3 days when i put in a algea waffer or 2 (2 cae's) the barbs go nuts and start devouring it also until the cae's find them and carry them away into hiding. i know from talking to the people at the new lfs that i found, who are great (any one in western new york that has the ability check out "the fish store" in NT) that the eel is mostly a nocturnal scavanger that burrows during day light hours. should i be alarmed at all or are they actually eating and i am just missing out?

-Jim

 

[madasafish]

As far as I understand it, Peacock eels usually eat at night (nocturnal like most spiny eels). I'd drop some sinking food in at night, after you've turned off the lights. Mind you, there's been a peacock eel in the tank in my LFS that burrows, and most of the employees don't even know it's there... So, I can assume from that it eats detritus in that situation.

Also, perhaps try live food (bloodwormds, etc) at night.

 

[Scottw68TN]

This will sound messy but if I have fry at the bottom but don't want to overfeed the whole tank I crush some flake between my fingers (not pulverized just broken up a little) then put my fingers about an inch under water right in the water stream from my filter. Food shoots every where the top feeders can't possible get it all even in smaller amounts because it scatters so much. Lots hit the gravel and my little guys at the bottom seem to get a lot more that way.

 

[William]

Now something I know about! woot!

I have a peacock eel, I have had him for months upon months, I've never seen him eat.. and to be quite honest, He dosn't even burrow into the substrate anymore. He just lays out basking in the light while sleeping, Kinda scared the bejesus out of me one day when I saw him laying dead-looking on his side across some decorations, only to reach in with the net and have him bolt away [ he was sleeping ]. 8O


Anyways, to topic. I have NEVER, EVER seen my Peacock Eel eat. I've tried brine shrimp, shrimp pellets, algae wafers, frog pellets, flake food. Everything. I know it has to be eating or it would have died long ago of starvation, so I'm only left to conclude that it uses its pointed face to pick out particles of food and the like from between the gravel late at night.


Oh, Correction. I have seen my peacock eat, once. There was a cube of freeze Dried Tubifex floating on the top of my tank water, He swam up to it and gnarled a giant mouthful, and then hung from the cube like a bobber 8O

 

[Scottw68TN]

I've never seen my Dojo eat. I know this doesn't relate.

 

[cdawson]

That peacock eel will eat alright, it's gonna eat your neons, your other tetras, and any other fish that it can fit into it's mouth. Eels are a predatory nocturnal fish that feed on small fish and inverts. I would tank that eel back or get it a separate tank or your going to have more problems than feeding it. Choose the eel or the other fish because in the end the eel will be the only one remaining.

 

[William]

If their kept in the same tank together, and propperly fed, I'm sure it would view the other fish as tankmates and not eat them.

This is only tho, if you keep the eel fed well. if he gets hungry, and it can fit into its mouth, it will eat.

 

[ostrichkiller]

i thought about that too after reading some other posts on different eels on this sight. but as soon as i find my digital camera and get some pictures i will show you he can't even fit the sinking food into his mouth that the neons eat regularly. the size of his body , besides length, is about the same as an average neon. if he does start to chase them or get larger i will think about starting another tank but for now he seams to be fine.