Marbled Swamp Eel - Synbranchus marmoratus

[shekes]

Just found out that the six 2' eels I bought for three bucks in a Chinese supermarket are Synbranchus marmoratus - Marbled Swamp Eels.

They are low maintenance. Don't care about water quality, eat well and if they don't eat they are still well. They rise a few inches out of the tank if I hold the food up und slurp like my father when he eats soup.

Anybody keeps them knows anything?

I'll post pics soon.

 

[guppy]

Never kept one of those Central and South Americans, cool!

 

[wayne the pain]

cant wait for pix

 

[superkimchiman]

chinese supermarkets sell live fish?

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

Oddball where are you?

 

[MANGCH1]

i know thats what im saying. chinese supermarkets sell those fish?!??

 

[shekes]

The eels are sold for food, $2/pound.

The guy who finally told me what species the eels were also gave me a recepee. But I don't like eating stuff like that. Salmon anytime, but eeeeeeels, eeeeeee!


I also got a tilapia there. Don't know what species yet.

 

[guppy]

We have an asian market not to far away that sells acouple types of tilapia and occasionally american eels.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

The following is a PM sent to me from Oddball....


Here's some info for you. As far as activity...it all depends on the individual eel. I've had specimens that swam constantly and others that preferred remaining buried all through the day.

Marbled Swamp Eel
Synbranchus marmoratus (Bloch, 1795)
Temperment: Aggressive
Sociability: Solitary
Min. Tank: 120 gal (although a larger tank is preferred)
Distribution: Central and South America
Max Size: 60"
pH: Neutral
Temperature: 75-80° F.
Diet: Carnivorous
Breeding: Unreported


Although technically not a true eel, S. marmoratus is a huge fish with a long, slender body. It is a true tankbuster, and shouldn't be trusted with other fish, including rival swamp eels. They are diggers, so a sandy substrate is recommended, and an undergravel filter is not. They can live in poor water conditions, if needed, in their native habitats. They can even survive on land for quite some time with no water. The tank should be large and have absolutely NO gaping areas in the canopy where the fish could escape. Decorate the tank with lots of rocks and plants and feed the fish a wide variety of meaty foods. They often live in brackish waters.

 

[shekes]

Oddball is an excellent poster. Actually he is one of the best on this forum and I appreciate his informative and witty posts. But, with all due respect, I believe that most of the information above is incorrect. While there is at least one website that stipulates this info, most websites and myself maintain that:

Synbranchus marmoratus is NOT aggressive.
Synbranchus marmoratus is NOT solitary.
Breeding in captivity and even farming are quite common.

A 120g for one "solitary" Synbranchus marmoratus would be a waste. I would say that a single specimen would survive in 1% of this amount of water and would be quite happy in 10%.
I am not sure what conditions these eels require for total happiness and reproduction. But in the Chinese supermarket hundereds of them are kept in a 15g barrel with no aeration nor filtration and apparently can survive like that for months. They "cuddle" into a ball and I would estimate that there is about one gallon of water for one gallon of eel in this barrel.

My eels climb out of their tank when they are hungry but they don't get far and can survive a night out without a problem.