Advocating A New Frontier

[Gankutsuou]

many people say eels should dig. Digging and eels go hand in hand, so they like a soft substrate and so on....

Thus, due to their digging nature, it would be assumed they would dig plants up and so forth. It wouldn't work... right?

I'd like do say that it can, has, and will work. and Not depending on the eel. All three of my eels have taken to plants. but the plants need to have certain traits. Wisteria is a great example, it branches out and allows them comfort.

I believe not only will plants that branch like this make the tank look better, but be better on the eel as well, as their body won't have applied pressure, and they can look down on the tank, waiting for possible food and remain in a comfortable predatory stance. I have a sand substrate, yet they PREFER the plants.

Just relaxing and feeling secure

eel 1: "Is that food?" "Eel 2 "I don't know... but the weird food guy is pointing something at us...."

"Where's Waldo?"

Those are all three of my eels, which are two different kinds of peacock eels.

They're either in my slate cave or plants usually, and they seem to dislike digging, and only do so when extreemly stressed. Sometimes they won't even do it while I'm aquascaping and rearanging the entier tank.

Still... I'd just like to advocate this frontier for smaller spiney eels.

 

[Gankutsuou]

... I thought it was a good point.... I'd at least like to hear a rebutle if anything

 

[Themuleous]

I'd like to comment but know nothing about tropical eels. But one point you have made very well is that you shouldn't always believe everything you read/hear. If you want to understand/find out something, test it yourself! Then you'll know for sure

Sam

 

[three-fingers]

Yeah, it sounds like a very good point and is interesting, but its lost with me because i knew nothing about eels .
Very good pictures though .

 

[Gankutsuou]

Basically, it's usually a bad idea to plant and have eels. Because eels dig, and digging with plants is bad, right?

But I want to prove that wrong. Because of their nature of digging, I think I can create a habitat where they'd rather be surrounded IN plants than under them. Here... check this out. It's my new christmas/java moss (ID anyone?) and look who's able to go digging in it, but not tearing it up or detaching it!

Also, here's a full tank Shot. they have room to dig in soft sand in the front if they like, but they choose the plants. I think it's great!

(and excuse the mess. 2 cubes of cut up brine had just been tossed in in this Full tank shot)

 

[Gankutsuou]

I really had hoped for more enthusiactic responses.... or at least a response

... someone... please at least ID the moss..... at least?

 

[jayjay]

I'd like to see if there was a difference if you took everything out, then only added the eels back, with more caves etc. Then at a later point at the plants.

Just to see if it's actually the plants they like or if they are scared from other fish or haven't enough hiding places.

 

[Gankutsuou]

Jayjay, actually funny that you mention that, because that's how they started out.

First they came from petsmart, where they were hidden in the gravel 24/7

and the normal one you see was in my 10 gallon, which was unplanted at the time, dug in there quite a bit.
They always dig around the first 3 days. And the brochis do keep the sand soft enough for them to dig (I love the constant softness of my sand now.), and they always dig the first week they come in, but stop.

They have been using the underside of the bog wood half the day, but are out a lot more, in the java moss and wisteria as the pictures show. I don't think there's anything that could terrorize them besides the bichir, and they had this trait before the brochis came in, so it's not them bugging them either. The only time they dig now is when I do complete tank make overs.

They are on the floor a lot too, scavenging. I think it's because the brochis act like it;'s a constant feeding frenzy But honsetly, I see a lot more of the normal one than the two stripped ones in the plants. one of my striped ones has a weird habbit of making itself like a pencil and floating against corners or plants, and the other acts normal but hangs out around him.

I may actually have a chance to do as you say when I get the 30 gallon.... but I'd perfer the elephant nose stay in safe waters