New spiny eel! Can I get another?

[zenkatydid]

I have recently purchased a tiny peacock spiny eel (the first I've ever seen around here! v. cool). He is quarantining at the moment in a 2ft tank but is destined to go into my 4ft (50gal). Currently in the 4ft I have 4 yoyo loaches, 9 odessa barbs, 2 bristlenoses and a SAE. I have read they like company - do you think I have room for 2 eels, or would 1 put me at my limit? My filter is an Eheim 2217, I do fortnightly 50% water changes and the tank is reasonably heavily planted.

Here he is! His name's Archy

 

[rich311k]

I do not know, but that is a nice fish.

 

[zenkatydid]

thanks! i am pretty fond of him he has some white marks on his tail that i'm a bit worried about - i'm sure it's not whitespot, but not sure what else it could be. he seems a bit lethargic too, though i'm not sure what's 'normal' for these guys. i'm going to add some salt and melafix to his tank today and we'll see if he perks up.

 

[Dave66]

Just FYI, the species is Mastacembelus circumcintus. They reach six inches, and love to bury, with just their eyes and snout visible. Their favorite, and by far the best food for them is worms; suitably-sized live ones or frozen. California black worms are perfect for the live food; aquatic, and do well at moderate (mid to upper 70's) aquarium temperatures.
Feed your fish a few worms two or three times a week just before or just after lights out, as that's when they go out to forage for food. You can use frozen bloodworms or enriched free-dried tubifex other days. To enrich the free-dried, emulsify them in a vitamin supplement and/or a liquid containing high levels of HUFAS (Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids) designed for aquarium use. Contact me for brands.
I know you adore your spiny eel and want what's best for him. Proper feeding is a large part of that. Make sure you remove any uneaten the next morning, but when I kept them, there wasn't any.
Your 50 is a tad small for a group, but adding two or three more wouldn't be too much, as they aren't very active fish, thus don't put out a lot of waste.

Dave

 

[zenkatydid]

thanks for your info, dave. the only problem with the foraging idea is that the rest of the fish in the 4ft (yoyo loaches and barbs) are pretty enthusiastic when it comes to food. any tips on getting the food to the eel? and you think i could keep a pair in the tank with the current fish? thanks.