Tire Track Eel true minimum tank size?

Supalah17

Candiru
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Within the next year or so I am beginning to set up my full fledged monster fish room, the main tank will be a 350g that's all planned out and going to have a Fire Eel (I am obsessed with FW Eels). And the other tanks are going to be: 2x 125g; 4x 120g; several 10-20g shrimp and black worm tanks for breeding food. I want to have as many various types of FW Eels as I can in this set up. I already have 3 of the eventual 7 tanks fully planned (the 350, 1 of the 125s and 1 of the 120s). I want to know if I can reasonably keep a Tire Track with maybe only 1 or 2 tank mates in an overfiltered 125 or 120g. Extra maintenance is not an issue, it's more a concern that the fish will be comfy. All scapes are being designed specifically around the Eels.
 

thefredpit

Goliath Tigerfish
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125 would definitely be too small for a full grown tire track since they are comparable in size to a fire eel you could probably do a Black spotted eel though
 

Supalah17

Candiru
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125 would definitely be too small for a full grown tire track since they are comparable in size to a fire eel you could probably do a Black spotted eel though
I have two black spotted heels in a 125, they've been there for a long while with no issues, both full-grown. My friend has a full-grown tire track in a 120 I'll buy itself that's been in there for about eight years, the thing doesn't ever seem to move. All of the places selling tire tracks say 125 gallons but I know they always aim Small to sell more fish... so thank you, that was the info I was looking for! Would a 150 work? Because I may be able to get a hold of one of those for as much as I would usually pay for a 120
 

Supalah17

Candiru
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Essentially the 3 tanks Eel populations are: 350 for a Fire Eel, 1 125 is keeping my 2 black spots, 1 of the 120s is going to be a group of peacocks, and another 120 is probably going to be half banded eels if my LFS can get them for me
 

thefredpit

Goliath Tigerfish
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I have two black spotted heels in a 125, they've been there for a long while with no issues, both full-grown. My friend has a full-grown tire track in a 120 I'll buy itself that's been in there for about eight years, the thing doesn't ever seem to move. All of the places selling tire tracks say 125 gallons but I know they always aim Small to sell more fish... so thank you, that was the info I was looking for! Would a 150 work? Because I may be able to get a hold of one of those for as much as I would usually pay for a 120
the big thing is going to be footprint. I just looked up standard footprints a 120 would be better than a 125 because of the 6" more in width. I wouldn't do a 150 because of 18" width but a 180 would work. I would say as long as width is 24"+ it should be fine as long as you keep up with maintenance but obviously bigger the better
 
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Supalah17

Candiru
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Feb 21, 2014
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the big thing is going to be footprint. I just looked up standard footprints a 120 would be better than a 125 because of the 6" more in width. I wouldn't do a 150 because of 18" width but a 180 would work. I would say as long as width is 24"+ it should be fine as long as you keep up with maintenance but obviously bigger the better
Alright, I'll keep that in mind, the 150 I was going to get is a custom built shallow hex, it's like 16" high and I can't remember the other dimensions cause it's a weird shape haha, but it's definitely got a nice wide area, only problem is I would have to make a new custom lid for it, the current one was treated wood and it's basically rotting from 8ish years of salt water and horrible maintenance...
 

thefredpit

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I found a hex calculator and that means the sides are approximately 29" and the tank is 58" across which would be perfect for a tiretrack if you can get a tight fitting lid
 
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Supalah17

Candiru
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Buffalo, New York
I found a hex calculator and that means the sides are approximately 29" and the tank is 58" across which would be perfect for a tiretrack if you can get a tight fitting lid
I still gotta do a full inspection of the tank before I pay him for it, just given the state of the lid pictures, I'm not certain it's going to be a good deal on my end... if I end up not getting that one, you said the 120g would be ok because of the footprint yes? Also my LFS does sell a 125 that's wider and shorter, just not sure if it would fit realistically in the floor plan for my fish room. But my goal is to have just about every spiny Eel species in my collection, so I may end redesigning my entire basement to fit another tank haha
 

thefredpit

Goliath Tigerfish
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the big thing is making sure there is a width of 24"+ height really doesn't matter and the length is 48"+. I know some people will say it's too small but that would be my absolute minimum and that is only if you truly do keep up with maintenance
 
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Supalah17

Candiru
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Feb 21, 2014
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Buffalo, New York
the big thing is making sure there is a width of 24"+ height really doesn't matter and the length is 48"+. I know some people will say it's too small but that would be my absolute minimum and that is only if you truly do keep up with maintenance
Medically retired, maintenance is basically my job haha, my tanks sparkle! Gonna be especially easy because all of these tanks are going to be plumbed! Like I said, probably only going to have 1 tank mate of an Oscar or some other good sized cichlid, but for the most part, it'll just be him in there, the bottom will have a couple places to hide to keep his stress down. Most people I know who have massive tanks with TT Eels say they barely move when they're older, even at night with no lights on.
 
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