Care Level: Moderate

Temperament: Peaceful

Live Plant Safe: Yes

General Description: The Fire Eel has a large distribution across floodplains and slow-moving rivers in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Fire eels are part of the spiny eel family, Mastacembelidae, that is comprised of three genera with 86 species found across tropical Asia and Africa. These spiny eels can be identified by the spines along their dorsal side (i.e., back) in addition to their long nose and tubular nostrils. Perhaps one of the most ubiquitous of all eels, the Fire eel catches the attention of new and seasoned hobbyists alike with their unique appearance and personality. Fire eels vary from dark brown to black in color, with a few horizontal red-orange stripes in the face that transition to large spots or dashes as you move toward the base of the eel’s body. Some individuals have a red trim on their pectoral and dorsal fins, while others do not. Additionally, there is considerable variation in the color intensity and amount of patterning among Fire eels. If the proper environment and diet are provided, Fire eels are one of the easier spiny eels to care for. Fire eels are scaleless, which does make them more susceptible to disease and sensitive to medications and deteriorating water parameters. Hobbyists should also take into account the large adult size, approximately 3 feet or 36″, and long lifespan, approximately 15 – 18 years, of a Fire eel before considering one for their aquarium. For its large size however, the Fire eel is a relatively peaceful inhabitant so long as it is not kept with small fishes that can become a meal. Like most eels, the Fire eel has poor eyesight and caution should be exercised when feeding this species to avoid being biten accidentally, though no harm would come from it.

Diet Requirements: Fire eels are omnivorous in nature, however tend to desire a diet of meaty foods in the home aquarium. Offer frozen foods such as bloodworms, mysis shrimp, krill, prawn, silversides and mussels. These options are subjective according to the size of your Fire eel. Dried foods are typically ignored. Variety is the spice of life in order to maintain color, immune function and longevity of your eel.

Care Requirements: An established minimum 75 gallon aquarium is ideal for a small Fire eel. Even though most Fire eels offered for sale are < 12″, this size aquarium allows for some room to grow. Ultimately, the tank will need to be upgraded upwards of 200+ gallons to accomodate a mature specimen. A tight fitting lid is absolutely necessary to prevent this eel from escaping out of the aquarium. Fire eels should be added only into a biologically established aquarium, as they cannot tolerate nitrite or ammonia. Weekly partial water changes should be done to keep water chemistry pristine (Nitrates < 20 ppm) and the aquarium should be equipped with efficient filtration to handle the bioload of this species and its tank mates. Aquascape the aquarium with a sandy soft substrate, smooth rocks, driftwood or branches, floating plants to dim the lighting, and live plants for cover. Anubias plants will thrive in dimmer lighting conditions. Eels may also like a couple of plastic tubes, or PVC pipe, to house inside of. While Fire eels are peaceful, they should not be trusted with fish or invertebrate species that can fit in their mouths and become a meal. Their poor eye sight and dietary needs should be taken into consideration when choosing tank mates. Avoid overly competitive and aggressive fish that could stress your Fire eel, and stick with somewhat docile and larger growing species such as knifefish, severums, geophagus, datnoids, oscars, prochilodus, tinfoil barbs, angelfish, arowana, bichirs, and silver dollar tetra for example. Recommended water conditions, 74-82° F, KH 5-18, pH 6.0-7.5.

Purchase Size: Small: 2-1/2” to 3-1/2”, Medium: 3-3/4” to 6”, Large: 7” to 12”, XLarge: 13+”

Note: Your item may not look identical to the image provided due to variation within species. Purchase sizes are approximate.