Can Fire Eels live with other eels?

Can electric eels live in a fish tank?

They come from stagnant swamp waters where the oxygen is really low. Because of this, the electric eel would have to swim to the surface to breathe atmospheric air. In a fish tank, this would be the only exciting movement you’ll see from it.

Where does the fire eel live?

The fire eel can be found around areas of south Asia in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Pakistan. It normally inhabits slow mowing waters and prefers slightly muddier water like lakes and rivers. The fish is a bottom dweller and absolutely loves to bury itself in the sand at the bottom of the water.

How many eggs do Fire eels lay at once?

Keep the pH and dH at optimal levels and let the water temperature become a little higher than normally, from 27 to 29° C (81 to 84° F). The eggs are translucent and the female Fire eel will place roughly 800 to 1200 eggs in floating plants.

Should you keep track eels in a freshwater aquarium?

There’s no reason not to: but only if you are willing to maintain a brackish or marine tank. If you’re happy with a lookalike fish (and you should be, they’re great too!), then you can happily take care of tired track eels, electric eels, and other fish species in a freshwater aquarium.

What are the different types of freshwater aquarium eels?

Other freshwater aquarium eels that you can choose from include: 1 Tire track eel 2 Fire eel 3 Electric eel (!) 4 African lungfish 5 Asian swamp eel 6 Rubber eel 7 Reedfish 8 Zig-zag eel 9 Half-banded spiny eel

Are electric eels more fish than eels?

Despite their elongated body that gives them a serpentine appearance, electric eels more fish than eels. Their scientific name is Electrophorus electricus, and they belong with the classification closer to catfish and carp. Electric Eels are big; they can grow for as much as 2.5 meters and weigh 44 lbs.

What is the best type of eel to buy?

1 Tire Track Eel. An eel that is a very popular choice among aquarists is the Tire Track Eel. … 2 Fire Eel (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia) Fire eels grow the largest of all spiny eels. They can reach more than 3 feet (about 1 meter) in nature. 3 Electric Eel. … 4 Zig Zag Eel. … 5 Freshwater Dragon Eel. … More items…

Why is it called an electric eel?

Electric eels have poor eyesight and so use an electric signal to navigate. The electric eel gets its name from its shocking abilities! Special organs in the eel’s body release powerful electric charges of up to 650 volts—that’s more than five times the power of a standard United States wall socket!

Why are eels called first Eels?

The rather small eels, up to seven inches (17.78 cm) in length, are called first eels due to their relatively primitive features. While it sounds crude, it simply means that the eels have features (like bony gill rakers) that appeared farther back on the evolutionary chain than other species of eel we see today.

How does the Eel manipulate electricity?

The eel’s manipulation of electricity is amazingly versatile. Many of the eel’s prey species are themselves weakly electric, and there is evidence that the eels can actually “eavesdrop” on other electric fish and hunt them using their own electric signals.

What can we learn from electric fish?

Electric fish have long fascinated humans. The ancient Egyptians used the torpedo, an electric marine ray, in an early form of electrotherapy to treat epilepsy. Much of what Benjamin Franklin and other pioneering scientists learned about electricity came from studies of electric fish.

How does an electric eel use electricity?

Like many other members of this order, electric eels use electricity for sensing prey by creating weak electric fields and then sensing distortions in that field. It seems probable that the electric eel’s more powerful shocking ability evolved from organs originally related to electrical sensing.

What do electric eels eat in a flooded forest?

Electric eels are among the principal aquatic predators of the white-water flooded forest known as varzea. In one fish survey of a typical varzea, electric eels made up more than 70 percent of the fish biomass. Electric eels also eat fruit that falls from trees whose canopies hang over rivers.

When was the Electric Eel first discovered?

The electric eel was first described by Linnaeus in 1766 and since then, has been reclassified several times. At present, the electric eel is the only species in its genus. It is only found in muddy, shallow waters surrounding the Amazon and Orinoco rivers in South America.

What is the difference between knifefish and electric eels?

Knifefish are members of the Gymnotiformes order of bony fish. (Although ‘real’ eels are also fish, they are members of the order Anguilliformes .) The electric eel is the only species in the Electrophoridae family. Most knifefish look more like ‘normal’ fish than the electric eel, and all have the ability to generate electricity.

What happens to Eels in the dry season?

As water recedes in the dry season, large groups of fish become isolated in the pools and smaller streams that remain. The water in these areas is poorly oxygenated, but electric eels are specially adapted to thrive in this environment. They are obligate air-breathers, which means they surface for air periodically.

What species of eels live in the Amazon River?

All three species—the electric eel ( Electrophorus electricus ), Vari’s electric eel ( E. varii ), and Volta’s electric eel ( E. voltai )—are found in the Amazon River or its tributaries. Electric eels have three electric organs —the main organ, Hunter’s organ, and Sach’s organ—which are made up of modified muscle cells.

How does an eel farm work?

Here temperatures fluctuate during the year and the fish are exposed to sunlight. Although densities in these farms are lower and the eels grow slower, these eels are favoured by customers in the south because of their colour and firmer flesh. Eel production relies on the capture of juveniles.

Is it an electric eel or an eel?

It’s okay to be confused; scientists have been for many years. The electric eel was first described by Linnaeus in 1766 and since then, has been reclassified several times. At present, the electric eel is the only species in its genus. It is only found in muddy, shallow waters surrounding the Amazon and Orinoco rivers in South America.

When do glass eels go in the ocean?

These tiny “glass” eels enter fresh water between July and November each year, often in very large numbers. Eels take many years to grow and it could be decades before an individual is ready to undertake the long migration back to the tropics to breed.

What happens to Eels after they spawn?

After spawning, the adult eels die. The eggs hatch after several days and develop into a larval stage (leptocephalus) which is shaped like a willow leaf. The larvae drift in the ocean for several months and then enter the Gulf Stream current to be carried north toward the North American continent.

How many species of eels are in the world?

Sawtooth eels are deepwater, pelagic eels. They have inward-facing teeth that resemble a saw, giving them their name. There are around eleven species in this family. Most species in this family reach a maximum length between 60 to 70 centimeters (23.6 inches to 177.8 inches). 15. Synaphobranchidae (Cutthroat eels)