Tank Size and Americal Eels

S

Spongiform

New Fish
#1
Dec 14, 2006
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#1
Last year I caught a couple eels while catfishing (Potomac river, North-Eastern Virginia). After reading up on them I've decided I'll set up a fish tank for one this spring.

I have 20 gallon long, a 20 gallon tall. And a 40 gallon. I don't know if its tall or long.

These eels can max out at 2 feet long for males and 5 feet long for females.

American eel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's hard to say what size I'll catch but the one's last year were between 18 and 24 inches (guesstimation).

Which of my tanks should I use for 1 eel or 2 eels?

Any general info I should know about keeping an american eel?

They just seem really cool and it's something I can catch myself which is my preference with pets if possible.

~
Spongiform
 

Seleya

Seleya

Superstar Fish
#2
Nov 22, 2004
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#2
Quite honestly, none of them. They require a great deal more space than you are prepared to provide. Keeping them and releasing them at a later date, if that is your intent, carries with it a number of major problems both for the fish and the environment (not to mention, legally). If you'd like to keep natives, I recommend you do your research and find more suitable species. There are a few members with extensive experience with natives, hopefully some of them will chime in (Seastar?).
 

Truckmuddr

Truckmuddr

Small Fish
#5
Aug 23, 2006
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#5
In my parents old 55 they had, we had a Amer. Eel in it, but was labeled as a Yum Yum Eel when we got it, it was about 1/4" dia and probably 6-7" long and before it died(major tank failure - everything died.) it was probably 14" long and about 1/2"dia. It loved burryin itself in the gravel and loved the bloodworms.
 

seastaar88

seastaar88

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#6
Feb 1, 2004
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i picked a great day to check into MFT.. although i have 20 pages of threads to read through.... ! i've been so busy for the past few weeks and haven't been on much, which is so unlike me hehe.

american eels are actually my favourite fish. :)

personally, i would NOT keep an american eel in anything less than 150 gallons. i'd be less hesitant if you were contemplating keeping, say, a 6" eel. that being said, it is possible to start off an eel in your 60G (go with smaller eels though!), with the idea that you will upgrade a few years down the road when it gets bigger. i'd only keep one eel.

i would recommend getting a salinity reading where you collect the eel. they are catadromous species and will move further into freshwater as tehy mature and eventually head back out to the sargasso sea to spawn and die. some eels will remain in tidal regions , some will move far up into headwaters. if you collect one from a tidal zone, you'll want to acclimate it to lower salinity levels throughout a day or two.

they do require a lot of bottom area, as most eels do. if i were to set up a tank for one, i'd put down a layer of sand, then cover most of the bottom with large rocks to create lots of nooks and crannies, and some driftwood, as during the day they will just hang out, out of sight. typically you will find eels either in riffle zones or in deeper pools within root-wads. they will take down other fish in the tank, just an fyi. so i would try to ween them on to frozen prawns or silversides. do not mix eels/natives with tropical fish. eels like cool water, so dont use a heater at all. you could keep other natives with an eel, like sunfish, shiners, dace, or killifish. i'd add a powerhead to create a current and make sure to keep the tank very clean. a big important factor is to comeplely cover the top as they WILL climb out otherwise. i'd suggest blue moon lights so that you can see them at night when it is more active.

you'll want to read your state's anglar guide and make sure that it is legal for you to collect/keep the eel. for instance, in ct, you can only take them if they are 6" or larger.

i'm personally very supportive of people that want to keep natives, as long as they know that they should NOT release a fish back into the wild after being kept captive (possibility of introducing disease, etc).

i'll be intersted in seeing your setup. :) happy collecting! :)
 

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