Expert: timm irvin - 2/2/2007

Question
i picked up a stripped peacock eel about 2 months ago. he's very active at day and night (unlike lots of people think)and the problem is i have seen him eat a piece of frozen bloodworms 1 time in 2 months and thats it. i tried wax worms, no luck. when i put a piece of a night crawler in there he went nuts but was too big to eat and i worry about chocking. the smaller pieces of crawlers dont move so no interest. am now trying red wrigglers and 1st try no luck. love this little guy and need help . please hes about 4 inches long and lives in a 30 gal planted tank seems happy but i would like to make sure he is healthy thank you

Answer
hi and thanks for the question as for foods i reccommend plus addition info is as follows:...............please note peacock eels belong to a group of eels known as spiny eels....................

Foods.  If you feed your spiny eels flake foods, they will last about three weeks before they starve to death.  Start yours on live black worms – their natural food.  Well, they never met a California black worm until they arrived in the U.S., but you get the picture.  Then add frozen tubifex worms, frozen blood worms, and/or frozen brine shrimp.  If you can find mosquito larvae or glassworms, you will have happy eels.  The bigger eels graduate to earthworms and then nightcrawlers and fish.

You need clean water to keep peacock eels.  If you have murky water with crud on the bottom, pick a different fish.  Also, vacuum your gravel, change part of the water, and add a power filter.

eels have no scales, so they appear more susceptible to “fungus” diseases.  Beware of most fungus and parasite cures.  Because of their delicate skin, you’ll want to net your spiny eels in very soft nets.
Keep Covered.  All eels and eel-shaped fishes jump out every time they can.  Keep yours very well covered.

Water.  Our “moderately hard” pH 7.5 Des Moines water works fine for spiny eels.  Avoid making sudden chemical changes to your water.

Gravel.  Avoid large or sharp-edged gravels.  They will slice into your eel’s skin.  They dig in the gravel searching for worms and security.  Providing several hiding caves will help alleviate the scratchy-gravel problem.

Hiders.  Small spiny eels usually dig into the gravel to hide.  The larger guys need caves or ledges to lurk under.  They just don’t feel comfortable in bare tanks.  We’ve seen PVC tube condos in wholesaler tanks with one eel sticking out of each tube.  In bare tanks, they just bunch up together.  Lean a piece of slate against your front glass for an instant cave.

Small Spiny Eel Appeal.  Each type of spiny eel appeals in its own way.  Smaller eels – especially the peacocks with their “eyed” tails -- appeal to community tank owners.  They burrow below the gravel with their flexible noses sticking out to sense food.  The smaller spinies also cost less than the big lunkers – another plus for many people.