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will they go ok in a 55 galon? large driftwood with hollow center for easy access hiding space, many plants will be added, 5 light strips will be added, 2 made for 20 longs, one for 20 high, and i might have to suffer with 2 from a 10 gallon to get all the light i can for the plant's sake.

the substrait will be small gravel, the ph will not change because i figured it would be safer to keep a stable ph than a correct ph, whatever it is for these fish....i know that peacocks can get rather large at around 15 inches, but i figured that sence it is bendy it wont matter too too much, and if it does, it is insured a place to go (200+ gallon tank at the lfs)

i have watched how the peacocks interact, and its fassinating how they blend into the plants, and almost "grow" from the plant, just looking like another leaf!

I am not sure about how they would do in a 55g.

But, I do think peacocks would prefer sand. My ex-boyfriend had one and it liked to bury in the gravel all the time. Sometimes I worried about it being scratched from the gravel. I think they would do better in a sand substrate. They hide alot.

Then you could put some DW and rocks in there and tie anubias and java fern to them. And put some crypts (maybe?) in there and you wouldn't have to worry about having alot of light.

*Kristin*

well, the gravel is very small, and is the size considered sand, but its not a fine grain. im not sure how to describe the size, other than its the pool filter sand from walmart. lovely colored, light and doesnt compact like sand does, and doesnt trap the nasty bacteria, or turn my rocks black...many good/better things about this than fine sand, and i saw the whiptails at my lfs burried in their gravel, and it was kinda big, around pea sized, maybe bigger, i dont remember, its been a while lol

I would just like to warn you about the driftwood. My friend has a 120 gallon tank with driftwood. He has only seen his peacock eel the first two days he got it and like a week ago. They hide in the holes. If you get driftwood my advice is to stay away from holes.

Chris

Well if its pool filter sand that should be ok.

Peacock eels do hide alot, whether you have DW with holes or not. They spend most of their time buried, so you probably wouldn't see it very often.

They are cool though. The one my ex had would bury in the gravel and have about 3 inches of his head sticking out like he was waiting to catch something. They like little guppies and ghost shrimp.

The profile for peacock eel says 20g per fish so you could probably have a couple in a 55g.

I looked up the profile for a whiptail cat...which one is it that you want? The one like a twig or like a pleco?

*Kristin*

Farlowella vittata is the one im getting, so i will probly get a few of those, and possibly a few peacock eels.

i have a bunch f guppies that, like any guppy, enjoy breeding so i suppost if i clean up the 20 gallon, i can trade them over there, add a bunch of fake plants, and just net out all the littleones and put them into the 55, even though i have fancys, i sometimes get uncolored fish, even males, but sometime i get luckey, and get a yellow fish from an uncolored fish. all just depends, but i realy only like the adults i have now, and am not interested in keeping any fry, but, obviously, its kinda hard to fix a guppy lol. so possibly i will, after i move them to the 20 gallon, get some platys or somethig, because they make more fry. great....now i have ideas lol

I think you could do 2 eels and the cat, but make sure you move the guppies first. You could probubly add a few other fish though that are too big to become snacks.

Inky

the 55 is completely empty...not even water lol. just got the wood to fit today (my hand shows it from all the sawing) but, first im gunna give it a blast with the hose, and then i have to clean up all that gravel, and possibly even get more, i want a good ammount of gravel for the eels to burry in when they are older, and for the swords to spread their roots far and deep! i want the plants to flourish, and im gunna add a smaller bit of drift wood with some yummy green algea to cover the large drift wood..and then i have to fix the middle support.. (yea, i broke it, had to get the wood in there somehow) so yea, alot of work ahead of me, andi may have to actualy move the guppies tomorrow so i can make room to get the fish soon, and just add them to the established 20 long, before walmart sells out (getting new fishtanks in everyhting must go! YAY!!!!)

You really should to get at least 3 peacock eels as they are sociable and dont do as well by themselves. If you do happen to get some make sure you treat them for internal parasites (which my eel died of), as they commonly have them.

well, you realy shouldent treat for internal parasites unless you are sure they have them.

but i havent read they are sociable, even though i noticed that in the aquarium, but they are also young, and in a 7 gallon...and i believe i read they should be either kept alone, or with 5 others, or they will fight.

I can't picture eels as being very sociable. If they are anything like the SW eels, then they should be kept alone as they may show aggression twords one another. I'll go ahead and check the web a little bit and see if I can find anything, but I'm pretty sure it is the same with all eels.

Inky

it even says in the good beginner fish faq

all are likely to have internal parasites

, so it wouldnt be such a bad idea to give them a small dosage of internal parasite medication while in quarantine. As for being sociable, i have read many websites with mixed reviews on whether or not they should be kept in groups, so i guess it would be okay to keep one

On the profile here at FP it says they are sociable but need their space. It says 20g per eel. Which is why I suggested 2. You might could get away with 3 though, since 55g is pretty close to 60g. Just make sure you have the wood and lots of hiding spots.

I suggest only getting one or two, since you will be getting the whiptail, which is also a bottom feeder. You don't want it to be too crowded on the bottom.

You could also get some larger bodied tetras...just make sure when you add them that they are a good size. I would even get mid-surface dwelling fish so that they wouldn't be bothered...just to be safe. You could add them first, to cycle the tank. Just a thought....

*Kristin*

These "Peacock Eels" - I assume that they're a Mastacembelid Eel of some sort?

Do you have a scientific name for them? Only some species of Mastacembelid Eel grow fairly large. Tyre-Track Eels, for example, will reach 18 inches.

Preliminary Google searching says that your Eel could be Macrognathus siamensis, though it's possible that there are other species as well. Size for this fish is quoted as up to 15 inches, so that's a substantial fish. It's questionable whether you could have more than one in a 55 gallon, even without anything else in there, from the standpoint of long term maintenance.

Another problem you will face is that some Mastacembelid Eels, particularly if they're not happy with their surroundings, will make escape attempts from the aquarium. These things can be real Houdinis when they want to be, so you may find yourself having to fortify your aquarium like a maximum security prison to prevent the fish finding its way out of openings alongside filter tubes, etc., and taking a carpet excursion ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Peacock eels are generally one of the smallest of the spiney eels, rarely getting above 12-14 inches in captivity. They are distinct in that they have a fairly plain body coloring (grey-brown) with several ounced dots on the back of athe body (similar to a clown knifefishes spots). They are easily distinguishable from fire eels and tire-track eels. A 20 gallon tank (preferably a long one, rather than tall) is adaquate for one eel, and a 55 should be large enough for two, but they can be agressive towards their own species. A sand or small smooth gravel substrate is good, but if you use sand, don't make it deeper than 1", or you may never see your eel as it burrows in the sand with only the tip of it's head visible. PVC caves are also good hiding places for these eels, and you can make them look more natural by coating them in aquarium silicone and rolling in gravel, or sticking rocks and wood, and even tyng plants or moss to them. If you have more than one eel, multiple hiding places will be necessary.
Tankmates should be fish that are large enough to not get eaten, but should not be agressive like cichlids, because while the eels are carnivorous, they can be very timid.

I love these eels and hope to have some myself someday. Good Luck!

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

What is a "whiptail cat"? There have got to be like, a billion species of loricariids named thusly.

Two Genera spring to my mind when the words 'Whiptail Catfish' are mentioned ... the first is Rineloricaria, which has a fairly flattened body and a long caudal peduncle (I believe Rineloricaria castroi has been spawned in captivity), and the second (which has been mentioned above) is Farlowella, which is also known as a Twig Catfish because of its shape. I believe that FishyHelper has already mentioned a Farlowella species as being of interest for the proposed setup ...

However, I suspect that there are other Loricariid Genera with an elongate body plan that fall under the heading of 'Whiptail Catfish', though among the other elongate Genera, Sturisoma isn't known by that name in the UK.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Sturistoma are often found as royal whiptails/farlowella. Psuedohemiodon and Spatuloricaria are also quite common.

"I believe that FishyHelper has already mentioned a Farlowella species as being of interest for the proposed setup ... "

Oh, sorry, I skimmed over that part .

In any case, the two species would not fit. Masties need relatively warm water whilst farlos are strictly coolwater species. They also like a great deal of plantage and moderate current.

well, i think i decided to wait to get them, i still have to set up the tank and cycle it and all that happy stuff. but i think i only want a few whiptails and another species, the eels are interesting, but i think they may be too big for my likeing, i would rather get a bunch of smallerish fish for a larger tank, gives me more options also i heard they arnt too hard to breed so that would be fun for a species tank

how many can i fit for a full species tank? once they bred, if they do, all the babies will go to the lfs, who has already opened their doors to them. so whats the max size if it were to be only them? and maybe one or 2 more 2-3 inch fish?