Eels!

[Sdaji]

The ones I'm talking about are the Short-finned Eels, Anguilla australis (yes, I had to look up the scientific name!). By far, most of the freshwater eels I've seen around Victoria have been this species, although you're right, the Long-finned Eel also occurs in the area. The Long-finned Eels are more of a river thing, so probably wouldn't be as well adapted to surviving the nasty dry conditions, although I've had little to do with them.

picture and data here:
http://www.nativefish.asn.au/sfeel.html

That these things manage (as tiny babies!) to cross so much land to get into isolated bodies of water, then grow into great big eels and slither back into rivers and out into the ocean still astounds me.

The Long-finned Eel, Anguilla reinhardtii is fairly similar and their ranges overlap. Both do the same 'swim out to the ocean, breed, die and let the babies swim back to fresh water' reproduction.

Picture and data here:
http://www.mdbc.gov.au/subs/fish-info/native_info/longfinnedEel.html

I thought long-finned eels were the common ones.
It is amazing some of the places they are found, we swim with them regularly at a place that has at leat 50 rapids to navigate before they get there.

 

[Dan19]

some pretty cool stuff i didnt know about eels here...

 

[cockney red]

Stewed,or Jellied, they are one of the best fish you can eat. Pie, mash, stewed Eels and Liquor, my favorite nosebag.:lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[cris]

I have kept short fined eels before, i got rid of them though because im not sure if there is any legal way of obtaining small ones(30cm size limit). The short fin has a shorter fin on top than the one underneath, long fin eels fins are equal length.

Sdaji, I dont know why they would be dying as they are extremely hardy. Maybe they where fighting or something, I noticed they were quite bitey at times depending on how they are kept. Maybe stress from trying to escape :?

They are great critters to keep, far more interesting than any python IMO. They also become tame fairly quick. Its best to keept them in something they can burrow in too.

 

[bredli84]

i have been interested in eels ever since i saw them swarming in the lake at the melb botanical gardens.
would be interesting to keep, but i have never maintained an aquarium before and no longer have the time to bother now.

i have seen snow flake eels in pet shops and recently saw a ribbon eel. was a beautiful looking animal.

 

[ssssmithy]

iv got one big fella, bout 1.5mtres long, as thick as my arm lol caught him on a shark rig fishing the brissy river. just an old fresh water eel. cool pet though hand feed him and all. bit of a pain to get him out when it comes to cleaning. got him and some other big fish in a water tank cut in half about 1500ltres. run a bio filter on that along with some power head filters.

 

[Dan123]

dont even bother with a ribbon eel.
the best aquariests cant keep them alive for more than 6months.
people get sucked in becuase they are such damn good looking eels.

 

[fuegan13]

i had a freshwater spiney eel that unfortutunatly managent to sqeeze himself in my powerhead and got a bit dead ( they get in the most amazing spots....so make sure ur tank is like super safe before you get one )

i prefer ghosts knifes myself... kind of eel looking mine had a heaps better personality.... (would handfeed, and come up "begging" for food... although i dont even know how it knew i was in the room coz thier eyes are dodgy)

 

[s_vivo]

Any photos ??

 

[coxy]

i had a freshwater spiney eel that unfortutunatly managent to sqeeze himself in my powerhead and got a bit dead ( they get in the most amazing spots....so make sure ur tank is like super safe before you get one )

i prefer ghosts knifes myself... kind of eel looking mine had a heaps better personality.... (would handfeed, and come up "begging" for food... although i dont even know how it knew i was in the room coz thier eyes are dodgy)

GO THE EELS!!!!!!
had to say it.

Yeah my ghost knife is my fav fish in my tank love watching them swim , and the second i open the hood for any reason he comes up looking for food.
My favourite thing he does when he comes up for food, the cat fish sneak into his little spot to eat the algae and then he will go back down and chase them all out.
You could always get some kuhli loach, there like miniature eels

 

[Sdaji]

I don't know why they died on me either. I kept and bred countless fish for over 10 years, including a lot of the stuff which is very tricky to keep alive. I'd have thought it would be more difficult to kill an eel than to keep it alive, but something strange was obviously going on.

The good side to it was that when I caught them from then on, I could enjoy them barbecued :lol: They're certainly one of my favourite fish to eat

 

[Dinoizmadragon]

I have a backyard pond, could i keep a fresh water eel in there? and could he live with turtles and fish?

 

[reconeyez]

yeah i got a nice chain link moray

 

[thals]

Ribbon eels are truly spectacular looking creatures, with their vivid blue and yellow colouration but due to their limited success rate in captivity, they're best left in their natural habitat. Gorgeous animals nonetheless

 

[ssssmithy]

heres a pic of mine taken a while ago...

 

[aqua]

I had a common freshwater one for all of a day. It pushed the glass lid off the tank and crawled through the house trying to escape the first night. I decided with that sort of motivation it was better off free so let it go where I caught it. Never again.