Are electric eels any fun to keep?

[Deadeye]

Question to anyone whose kept an electric eel - outside of how cool the species itself is, was there anything rewarding about the fish? Do they do anything but sit around, beg for food, or any of the other fun behaviors?
Would love to have one some day, but I can’t imagine them being worth the risk if all they do is lay around except for feedings.

 

[tlindsey]

Question to anyone whose kept an electric eel - outside of how cool the species itself is, was there anything rewarding about the fish? Do they do anything but sit around, beg for food, or any of the other fun behaviors?
Would love to have one some day, but I can’t imagine them being worth the risk if all they do is lay around except for feedings.

I remember going to the old Cleveland Aquarium where they put probes in the Electric Eel exhibit every once in awhile flickering of lights. That was exciting to me as a youngster. Had a friend who had a small one that zapped feeder Goldfish before eating them but he never mentioned anything about activity. I wanted one but never got one.

 

[SharptoothBass]

love these they are probably my favorite knife fish. Only knife that I have kept that comes close is the aba aba I was thinking of getting one of each when I move and finish my fish room.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

jjohnwm

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

According to Seriously Fish they can become something of a wet pet. I'm curious whether what jjohnwm has to say is in accord with this.

If kept in suitable conditions and cared for properly, captive specimens can actually become very tame and, if you’re really crazy, will hand feed willingly.

Electrophorus electricus (Electric Eel) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[jjohnwm]

Mine was certainly not sedentary. He would occasionally sit still but was generally cruising around with that mesmerizing anal fin rippling backwards and forwards to control his movement. My father had built an apparatus that registered his electrical discharges (the eel's, not my father's ) on a series of light bulbs and a speaker; very cool display. The irregular clicking of navigational discharges, increasing in tempo when food was introduced, followed by the loud BZZZ when the killing discharge was produced was very impressive. But the novelty wears off quickly.

I grew tired of watching live fish being electrocuted or otherwise killed by predators; didn't sit right with me and still doesn't. The eel was a pretty crappy example of a wet pet otherwise; virtually blind, and largely unaware of and unresponsive to stimuli from outside the tank. Work in the tank is difficult and dangerous, because the fish is unafraid and actively seeks out a hand or a tool lowered into the water. Growth was fairly rapid, feeding is easy as any meaty foods are taken without hesitation. Tankmates? No, even if a fish manages to survive in the same enclosure I think the constant electrical shocks would be an advanced form of animal abuse.

The day will come when the eel has outgrown its enclosure and needs to be moved on or rehomed. Good luck with that; capturing the eel without harm to either it or its handlers is difficult and dangerous. The zap you got from your cute little 12-inch eel when you got him is quite different from the jolt the three or four footer will deliver. And who do you pass the thing on to? Liability issues leap to mind if the next owner gets hurt.

I'd not get another one, and IMHO very few people should even consider maintaining this species. It's a bit like affording a yacht: Anyone who feels the need to ask the question likely doesn't fall into that category.

 

[xenacanth9]

I can only imagine they're similar to other large knives... except for two obvious differences, being size and electricity

 

[Cowturtle]

Mine was a great pet. Unfortunately it died not long after this.

 

[jjohnwm]

Mine was a great pet. Unfortunately it died not long after this.

That's a shame. So, what...three or four months with it? If you intended to feed it like that as it grew, you missed out on a truly astonishing and educational experience for yourself...

 

[SharptoothBass]

Mine was a great pet. Unfortunately it died not long after this.

Damn to bad you lost him that was a nice one. I definitely want another when I move. I had a big one before my daughter was born he was one of my all-time favorites. The little one I had was coming along nice until he was crushed by a rock. If I run across another small one before I move I'll snatch it up, the last couple I saw were already large.