Eel Tank

[picwic56]

hi`,i have a 10 gallon aquarium with 1 dragon eel ,2 dinosaur eels,and 1 peacock eel.they are each a inch in lenghth. and i need a 50 gallon aquarium . well i will get one on jan/14/06 but ime not sure where to put it since i cant afford a NICE wooden stand. I have a 1/2 inch thick glass peace thats 4ftx6ft and 2 little round stands at the end and i doubt this will hold a 50 gallon . so i have plenty of time but what should i do any advice would be help ful

thankyou,angela

go here to see how a dragon fish/ vilet goby looks

 

[Synirr]

You're going to need more than a 50 gallon in my opinion if you're planning to keep all those. They're all bottom-dwellers, so tank volume isn't nearly as important as the footprint, so you're gonna want a tank that is long and deep (from the front to the back, not top to bottom). "Dinosaur eel" is the name PetSmart made up for senegal bichirs, which are actually not eels at all and are more closely related to lungfish. 50 gallons would be large enough for a single adult (they grow to be a foot long,) but they are mildly territorial with one-another so I'm not sure how well two would get along together in one. Your dragon eel, aka violet goby, is also not a true eel. It does best in brackish water and can grow to over a foot in length. In my experience with them, I'd be very worried about the other fish out-competing it for food as it is not the most aggressive of feeders. Be sure to watch it very closely and make sure it is getting enough to eat. In the long run it should preferably be housed separately from the others in a brackish tank. The peacock eel too will get 10-12" long.

 

[SRC]

I know nothing about those fish, but I can tell you what I use for a stand.....my dresser . Who needs space to sit picture frames, hairbrushes, jewlery, and perfume...bah, all that does fine stuck off in a drawer! hehe.

Most dresser's (not a chest of drawers though) will hold a 55g quite nicely (mine holds a 20gL and a 32" tv just fine right now)..actually mine will be holding either a 40 or 55g soon (depends on which one is cheaper when I go to buy it after the 1st of the year...LPS is having a sale of sorts), but it could hold a 65g...if I wanted it to go end to end with no ledge (but I need the ledge for the food and cleaning supplies lol).

A chest of drawers will hold a 10g or even a 20gL quite nicely also .

I know pieces of furniture are sometimes called different names in different places, so here are some visuals

Example of Dresser

Example of Chest of Drawers

 

[nonot8946]

If you are handy you can build a stand yourself out of MDF.

If you are less handy, you can stack concrete blocks and put together a 2x4 frame to put on top of the concrete blocks and put plywood on the frame, then add your tank. It's really cheap that way too, maybe 12 blocks, 2 2x4s, and a fourth of a full sheet of plywood. Assuming you can buy a half sheet of plywood and have them cut it for you you could keep the cost under about $60. Some people even skip the plywood entirely.