Spaghetti Eels

[Bufo Bill]

I have had the idea of getting a brackish tank set up, mostly in order to keep spaghetti eels, which are superb fish IMO! As they can be qquite secretive would I be best to keep them in a species set up in the hope that they will get braver as they realise they are alone or could it be better to have some other fish in the tank so as not to be keeping a pet sandbed as it were.

If you think a community set up is best, what fish would people recommend?

All the best from Bill

 

[nmonks]

Spaghetti eels are harmless fish, and they work well with small, brackish water-tolerant surface-feeding fish like livebearers and halfbeaks. They may eat fry, but that's about it.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Bufo Bill]

Thanks so much for the reply. I had pictured a tank with vallis actually, which I had read about in an article on your site linked to the above link. I was astounded that one of my favourite freshwater plants would do well in brackish conditions. Would a tank with a stand of vallis be detrimental to the health of surface dwellers such as those you mentioned... I have often been tempted by halfbeaks in the past but have never taken any on before, but a tank with spaghetti eels, vallis and halfbeaks would be a winner for me, but my question is would this be a workable set up or not?

Thanks for your time.

All the best from Bill.

 

[nmonks]

Vallisneria do fine in brackish water, but only up to a point. So it depends on the salinity. I'd not take them above SG 1.003, which may or may not be acceptable for the Moringua species you're keeping.

Surface-dwelling fish not only don't mind Vallisneria, they actually like them! The shade provided by their leaves will be welcomed by halfbeaks and small livebearers. My halfbeaks like floating plants even better though, with the fry hiding away among the Indian fern long enough for me to rescue them. As it happens, Indian fern tolerates slightly brackish water quite well too.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Bufo Bill]

Thanks for the advice, You've been very helpful.

All the best from Bill.