# an "eel-like" fish



## gforster (Jul 30, 2006)

my wife would really like an "eel" for her 80 gal classroom tank. currently there are two apple snails, a school of australian rainbows, a few angelfish and a pleco. can you think of an eel-type of fish that would be compatible with this setup? I was thinking kuhli loach at first, but i wouldnt want the snails to be an easy snack. dragon gobies really have her interest, but they are brackish. knifefish seem great, but may be too aggresive. i know there are others out there. . .we're just trying to get a good idea so we can do some research. thanks


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## Cassie (May 27, 2006)

Kulhis shouldn't be able to eat the apple snails...I think those would be much bigger than they could manage. I know mine eat the baby ramshorns, but occassionally a larger one (maybe dime sized or slightly smaller) and they can't, or don't, eat them, so they get hand picked out and fed to the dojo loaches...


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## BSS (May 2, 2006)

Assuming she wants the eel to entertain the kids poking at the tank on a daily basic (hey...that's what kids do!), then she might find the kuhli's a bit disappointing, as they tend to burrow and hide most of the time. Perhaps if you could get a small grouping of them (say 5+), then you might increase the odds of them being out during the day.

Personally, I think kuhli's are uber-cool fish, but it would be nice to see them more often.


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## Palpatine (Jun 25, 2006)

Yoyo/Pakistani loaches are great in groups, always active and easily seen doing the usual stupid loach tricks. Or you could try finding an actual eel. Look out for spiney/peacock eels, lots of entertainment vaule in trying to find where they've buried themselves and they can be trained into hand feeding. They do like trying to escape and die though.


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

The Kuhli's won't bother the Apple Snail. I had them in a tank with tons of ramshorns and MTS, never caught a Kuhli eating a snail. They may have ate the tiny babies, their mouths aren't very big. I'd suggest a small school of these as they are relatively cheap for the black ones. $1.49 at Petsmart is what I paid. Kuhli Loach link

There's always the Fire Eel that grows to 2'. Probably would eat the snails as they get rather large and are predators. I've seen Tire-Track Eels in stores as well, they are normally 4-6" and can grow to *I think* around 3'. Again, they would probably cause problems with the Apple Snails. Fire Eel Tire-Track Eel

The knifefish also grow large. Up to 40" in the wild but smaller in aquariums. They'd snack on your other fish in the tank, quite expensive. The Black Ghost Knife only gets about 20" and can live together with larger fish. No idea if they'd harm the snails or not. Heard they are rather picky eaters too. Knife fish/Black Ghost link

Don't know much about the Spiny/Peacock Eel. Here's a link to some information about it and what fish it can live with. Click me. More Spiny

Edit: One page says the Tire-Track Eel is the Spiny Eel. The sizes listed on the pages vary greatly between the two types, 2.5' for one and 10" for the other. Must be related species or something.


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## Salt (Apr 5, 2005)

Definitely _misgurnus anguillicaudatus_, the "dojo" or "weather" loach.

They look like eels, but are 100% fish.

They come in their natural color which is light brown with black speckling, or there is a gold species variation available - http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2099

They are like living gravel vacuums. They will keep the gravel bed completely clean and free of detritus, gunk, and even fish poo.

They are often recommended for goldfish or apple snail tanks. They are as hardy as goldfish as well, and can live in either heated or coldwater tanks.


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## gforster (Jul 30, 2006)

thank you for the links and info so far. while browsing at the lfs, i noticed they were selling a ropefish? Any experience with these guys? They also had spiny eels and moray eels. I want to stay away from the moray. the others are possibilities i suppose. 

My wife enforces strict fish tank rules and the kids are rather obedient. they are not allowed to touch the glass. I fhtey do,they are not allowed to feed the fish (pre-portioned by my wife). It has become a great incentive and teaching tool.


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## Ibn (Oct 20, 2004)

Stay away from the ropefish, unless you really feel like feeding them. They're a highly predatory species that consume feeders like candy.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I've heard of lots of people having good experiences with the tiretrack eel, and if I remember right, they may not get too big for a tank of that size.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

No experience with these guys whatsoever, but they sure are nifty!!

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=2241


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## lailastar (Aug 28, 2006)

Does anyone who has one (an eel or an eel like fish) ever feel a little shiver when they stick their hand in the tank? Those Bichirs give me the chills. I love horsehead loaches- but you'll probably never see them either...


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## Cassie (May 27, 2006)

I have 8 kulhis and they are pretty visible in the tank, even with a dark substrate. They LOVE the algae wafers and come out to feed all the time. I can also recommend dojo loaches, as I have two with my goldies. I'd say they are a bit less entertaining than the kulhis, but they are bigger


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## Ransom (May 3, 2006)

Years ago, I had a "rubber eel" which is really a legless amphibian called a caecelian. It didn't bother my fish at all. See http://members.tripod.com/~Tropic_Cove/aquariums/ceacilians.html


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