Fish
Fire Eel
Mastacembelus erythrotaenia
Origin: The fire eel comes from Southeast Asia — the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It inhabits large rivers and floodplains with soft bottoms.
Also known as: Red-striped spiny eel, Mastacembelus erythrotaenia
Fact sheet
- Size
- 70 cm
- Lifespan
- 10 years
- Minimum tank size
- 600 L
- Temperature
- 24–28 °C
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
- Hardness GH
- 5–15 °dH
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Jumps out
- Yes
- Eats plants
- No
Overview
The fire eel is the largest and most striking of the spiny eels, reaching 70–100 cm. Its dark, almost black body is adorned with bright red-orange longitudinal stripes and spots, which are especially rich in young fish. It is a nocturnal bottom predator that needs a very large tank with soft substrate and large cover. Over time the fire eel becomes tame and takes food from the hand. It suits only experienced keepers with spacious systems.
Appearance
The body is strongly elongated and snake-like, 70 cm or more long (usually 50–70 cm in captivity). Colour is dark brown or nearly black with bright red-orange longitudinal stripes and rows of spots along the flanks; the pattern is brighter in juveniles. The snout is drawn out into a mobile proboscis. The dorsal and anal fins are long.
Care
A tank of at least 600 L for an adult, with soft sandy substrate, large cover, and a sealed lid as the eel is strong and escapes easily. Temperature 24–28 °C, pH 6.5–7.5, hardness GH 5–15. Powerful filtration, flow, and impeccably clean water are needed (the species is sensitive to pollution).
Feeding
A nocturnal predator. It takes live and frozen foods — earthworms, shrimp, pieces of fish, and bloodworm. It can be trained onto sinking carnivore pellets and hand-feeding. Feed in the evening, 3–4 times a week.
Compatibility
Peaceful toward large similarly sized fish, but it eats small ones. Companions are big calm species. It is territorial toward its own kind and similar eels. It needs open space near the bottom and cover for each fish.
Breeding
It very rarely breeds in captivity, only in isolated cases in very large systems. In nature spawning occurs on floodplains in the rainy season. Fish in trade are usually wild-caught.
Fun facts
The fire eel is the largest of the aquarium spiny eels. The bright red stripes fade a little with age but remain striking. The fish is sensitive to copper-based medicines and to pollution, so it needs an especially clean environment.