Leopard Eel

[John]

I have a member of the spiny eel family in my 55 gallon, which we are converting to a malawi cichlid tank. I bought the eel as a "Leopard Eel" but suspect that this is not its common name. Maybe it's a peacock eel? Anyways, it is about 5 inches long and looks pretty healthy, although maybe a little skinny. The weird thing is that he's been out almost all day lately, instead of acting nocturnal. Is it just that he's very secure and comfortable with the surroundings or is it that he is hungry and starving? Like I said, he looks healthy, but he isn't really what you could call fat. Maybe slim. I guess I'll get some ghost shrimp for him tonight, and see if he takes them. The cichlids always get the blood worms first.

[shev]

got a pic? pet stores seem to name any spiny eel they get a leopard eel, the internet is soo inconsistent with scientific and common names. its probably a Macrognathus siamensis since its spotted. thats a peacock eel.

try chopped night crawlers. or frozen chunks of them.

[TheOldSalt]

Yes, earthworms are a favorite treat.
Is your eel round most of the way down with a suddenly flat tail with spots on it, or is it more uniformly ribbonlike all the way?

[shev]

I'd stll like a picture. or a description, any yellow on it?

also, any spiny eel will appreciate mosquito larvae.

some moray eels are called leopard eels too. although the lfs would have to be pretty dumb to get a moray and spiny eel mixed up.

[John]

Originally Posted by TheOldSalt

Is your eel round most of the way down with a suddenly flat tail with spots on it?

Yes. He is yellow/tan/brown with a dorsal fin way down at the end of the body with blackish spots on it. I'm pretty sure now that it's a peacock eel. Nevertheless, I'll look for a pic online. (Don't have a digital camera anymore).

[shev]

im still betting Macrognathus siamensis.

edit: well... then again, there is another very yellow spiny eel. is there a caudal fin? or does the anal, dorsal and caudal all form one uniform fin?

[John]

He isn't very yellow, just a little. The caudul, anal, and dorsal fins are all connected.

[TheOldSalt]

yeah, Peacock Eel.

They usually stay buried or hidden by day, but they'll come out when hungry. Ambush predators, they like to wait for something yummy to come nearby before striking. Worms are a favorite food, but try other things as well.

[John]

So earthworms are okay?

[TheOldSalt]

Yes, but only in moderation. Find something else it will eat.

[shev]

If its out all the time it could just be well adjusted to its surroundings. I remember mine would be hidden all the time until I added a lot more decorations and plants. try adding some pvc pipe, then putting the food in there. they love pvc pipe. peacocks may or may not eat ghost shrimp, but will love mosquito larvae, blackworms, earthworms, brine shrimp, glassworms.

[John]

Thanks shev, I thought it might just be that he's feeling well-adjusted. He does have a whole bunch of places to hide, and I'll add some PVC piping for him too.

Just curious, would a peacock eel get along with a weather loach of similar size - at least temporarily?

[shev]

they should get along fine. both are pretty docile. peacocks I dont think are very territorial to their cave. only confrontation I can think of would be if both tried to cram themselves into the same hidey hole. but even then they may just share. my tire track wouldnt allow it, but the peacock probably would.

[John]

Excellent.

What about once the peacock eel is like a foot long and the weather loach is only 6 inches?