JUST GETTING BACK INTO THE HOBBY

[FRANKENSTEINTANK]

So many things wrong here. Yes, the eel is found in all different types of water, from freshwater all the way up to marine, however, as an adult, they need brackish or full marine. The juvies are found in freshwater because, like a lot of "freshwater" fish that are actually brackish, it is believed that they spawn in freshwater and then the juvies live part of their life in the freshwater before venturing into brackish or marine conditions. Just because it was caught in freshwater, doesn't mean it is actually a freshwater fish.

Next, as a LFS owner/employee, the person you spoke with should know that it's entirely possible for a fish to live for several weeks, even months, without eating. Generally, the smaller the fish the less time they can go without eating. It is very possible, and given the stocking of your tank I would say probable, that the eel has not eaten anything. There are many members on here that lose new fish simply because the fish never settles in and starts eating.

I would not rely on anything further that the people at that LFS have to say without doing some independent research to confirm that what they are saying is actually true. They sound like the type of people that will sell a red tail cat to a ten year old with a ten gallon tank and tell him that "the fish will stay small as long as it's in the small tank."

Thank you very much for all the info!!!!! I'm going to buy aquarium salt today and add 3 tablespoons for now. What would you recommend so I don't damage my other fish

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

Thank you very much for all the info!!!!! I'm going to buy aquarium salt today and add 3 tablespoons for now. What would you recommend so I don't damage my other fish

Aquarium salt is not the right stuff. You need marine salt. It has a lot of different minerals in it that are part of making up the marine "salinity."

Also, it will not be possible to keep the eel with your other fish because they are true freshwater fish. The same way that not having salt will hurt the eel, having salt will hurt the other fish.

Unless you're willing to go grab at least a 55 gallon setup that you can setup as brackish, I highly recommend you take the eel back.

 

[FRANKENSTEINTANK]

Aquarium salt is not the right stuff. You need marine salt. It has a lot of different minerals in it that are part of making up the marine "salinity."

Also, it will not be possible to keep the eel with your other fish because they are true freshwater fish. The same way that not having salt will hurt the eel, having salt will hurt the other fish.

Unless you're willing to go grab at least a 55 gallon setup that you can setup as brackish, I highly recommend you take the eel back.

marine salt would hurt my other fish huh.. and i might have to take him back to the lfs and grab something else which sucks...

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

marine salt would hurt my other fish huh.. and i might have to take him back to the lfs and grab something else which sucks...

The marine salt has different minerals, salt being one of them, that your other fish are not able to handle with their biology.

It's the exact opposite for the eel. Freshwater doesn't have the proper minerals that it needs biologically.

They just cannot coexist without one of them being unhealthy and most likely will lead to death at some point.

 

[Grinch]

It sounds like the best solution for your situation is to take the eel back and focus on the other fish you have. In the future, always take whatever a fish-seller says with a grain of salt. You have to remember that their job at the end of the day is to sell you a fish, so beware the marketing gimmicks and "common" names.

Remember that second opinions and a wealth of knowledge are only a click away with a smart phone. It used to be much harder, standing in the fish store, to get any good information... nowadays you should be able to make a good decision about whether to buy the fish.

We all get carried away sometimes when we find something cool in the LFS, so just take it as learning experience