1 reply to this topic

[Tucker Caldwell]

I have a cycled 55-gallon setup and I'm hoping to create a stream community tank with a variety of small shiners and dace. I live in Northern VA. There's only one problem, my brothers recently brought home an American eel about 14" long from a local bait and tackle shop. It's doing well,(loves frozen cut sunfish, krill, shrimp, etc...). I read the NANFA care forum about eels which was helpful. Will a tank this size even hold an eel for long? I've heard about them reaching lengths of over 4' but would one even get that large in a 55? How much time would I have to upgrade if I kept this fish. Since they have such a long lifespan I'd suspect that they grow pretty slowly.

Edited by Tucker Caldwell, 20 March 2019 - 10:15 AM.

[littlen]

14" in a 55 is ok for now.  You'll find that it will grow much faster than you expect.  It could hit the 2' mark by the end of the year with regular feedings.  Your biggest issue will be containment.  They are masters at escaping.  If there is a hole in the lid, plug it.  And add clips or weights to keep it from pushing the lid open (as it gets longer and has leverage pushing off the bottom).  You could end up with a 3 foot monster in no time.  I would upgrade to a 125.  That'll give you a lot of floor real estate, although they like to explore all over the tank and will use some of the vertical space if you have larger pieces of driftwood.  You could get away with a 75 imo, but a large eel in a tank that size will produce a lot of waste and water quality could be all over the place.  They are very personable once they get settled in.  You'll not have success keeping it with anything that'll fit in it's mouth.  Good luck.