[Shrimp Johnson]

Hello there,

I recently made the grievous mistake of browsing fish profiles....and I came upon the very beautiful Peacock Eel. I was hoping some of the members here might have some concise information about them (there are so many conflicting "facts" on the internet, I have no idea what's right

). To be more specific, I was wondering:

Are Striped Peacock Eels the same as regular peacock eels? They have different scientific names (Macrognathus aral and macrognathus siamensis, respectively), but everything I've read online makes me think it's all one eel. Can anyone confirm/deny this and if so, what are their differences?

Also, would fish that range from 2-3" be safe with this type of eel? IE: Are they too large to fit in it's mouth? Ideally, I'd like to keep praecox rainbowfish, black ruby barbs, and possibly harlequin rasboras (would these be too small?) in the same tank.

Lastly, I've read that they can be quite variable in size, anywhere from 6" to 16". Would one be able to live happily in a 55g?

Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[jameshill247]

I have a peacock eel in my 50g discus tank and it hasn't taken any Interest in my tetras neons or any of the small stuff

Seems pretty calm and tends to hide under a big root I have

Shy when feeding and I have read this is common so it's worth aiming some
Of the food it's way or burying blood worm for it

As far as size goes I'm not too sure as I was given it by someone getting rid of their tank but I would say its about 6" at the moment

Seems happy enough in the size tank and it doesn't bother or get bothered really

 

[mistergreen]

looks like 2 different species to me. Siamesis is from SE Asia. Aral is from Pakistan area.

 

[Shrimp Johnson]

Thank you for the input! I'm glad to hear they don't seem to go for smaller fish, I wouldn't want one of the rasboras to be snack for the eel.

And you are correct mistergreen, they are two separate species. I did a little more digging last night and it seems the "One Stripe" Spiny Eel (Macrognathus aral) grows larger than Peacock eels. The only thing I can't seem to find is how much larger they get in home aquariums.

I've read it can get up to 24" in the wild. Does anyone happen to know the average length/growth rate of Macrognathus aral in captivity?

 

[jameshill247]

I think it's the case of if they are hungry enough they can get a bit... Bitey lol but the fact they tend to shy away from competition of food... Even from cory's I wouldn't worry too much

 

[Shrimp Johnson]

Ah, so a fed eel is a peaceful eel, eh? I know the larger eels eat earthworms, but what should I feed them when they're small (around 3 inches)?

 

[jameshill247]

In my case it would appear so

I would say blood worm are good I feed my discus them and push some under the sand

I have seen mine take brine shrimp frozen again when the Discus have missed it

You can get freeze dried earthworms on eBay they might work

 

[cah925]

I had an eel that was sold to me as a porthole peacock eel. Real neat fish, but mine ate everything. I put some large platies in the tank as breeders figuring the eel would go after the smaller fry. One by one, the platies disappeared along with all the otos.
Here's my thread from a few years ago.

 

[jameshill247]

That eel looks a lot like mine so I assume mine may be the same

I haven't had anything happen yet but maybe mine is too small to eat anything yet it sits on top the sand and fish swim right by it my corrys knock into it and never even a move but I spose I may find out