Fire Eel

Fire Eels are not true eels.
Fire Eel Scientific Classification
Scientific name
Mastacembelus erythrotaenia
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Actinopterygii
Family
Mastacembelidae
Order
Synbranchiformes
Genus
Mastacembelus
Fire Eel Physical Characteristics
Color
Brown, Grey, Red, Orange
Lifespan
10 – 20 years (captive vs wild)
Fire Eel Distribition

Called an eel for its lengthy slim appearance, a Fire Eel in fact isn’t a real eel whatsoever.

Actually, it is among a species of extended freshwater fish with sharp noes referred to as spiny eels. These fish are preferred fish tank pets due to their uncommon shade and dimension. These nighttime, lower- residence fish have lengthy lives, both in the wild and as pets. Their rate differs hugely relying on their dimension, from tiny to big, so they can set you back just $20 or have a cost as high as a couple of hundred bucks. Though they hardly ever attack, they can be a little bit unsafe as a result of their backs and contaminants, and the means they whip around when caught.

5 Fire Eel truths

  • Fire Eels recreate by generating.
  • In the wild, a Fire Eel can get to sizes as long as a lawn.
  • Fire Eels are lower- residence omnivores, yet choose meat.
  • Male and female Fire Eels are tough to set apart, other than throughout breeding period, when the males obtain brighter and the expectant females obtain thicker.
  • Female Fire Eels can disable to 1000 eggs per breeding cycle

Fire Eel Classification and Scientific name

A Fire Eel is a kind of spiny eel, which is not a real eel, yet instead a type of freshwater fish. Their scientific name is Mastacembelus erythrotaenia, of the Family Mastacembelidae in the Class Actinopterygii.

Fire Eel Appearance

Fire Eels are long, slim, and dark brownish or grey with red or orange touches or lines of areas up both their sides. In the wild they can get to as long as 36– 40 inches in size, while a pet Fire Eel in a storage tank might just mature to be around 20 inches in size. They have no stomach fins, yet they have rather unsafe backs along their dorsal fins. Males and females are really almost similar, other than when a female is expectant and ready to lay eggs, at which time she is bulkier than her male equivalents.

Fire Eel Distribution, Population, and Environment

Fire Eels can be located throughout Southeast Asia, consisting of Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, and Malaysia. They are typically located in rivers that relocate a lot more gradually due to the fact that those bodies of water often tend to have muddier bases and Fire Eels like to tunnel in the mud. Though they are rather overfished in position where the fish tank profession is a lot more usual, they are taken into consideration of least concern and prevail throughout the area.

According to the IUCN Redlist, the fire eel species is of least concern.

Fire Eel Predators and Victim

Fire eels have couple of all-natural predators, as a result of the harmful scum they produce and the sharp backs on the dorsal fins. They are omnivorous bottom feeders that eat really tiny fish, shellfishes, invertebrates, plant issue and often also fragments.

Fire Eel Reproduction and Life-span

A Fire Eel in the wild can meet twenty years, with just a ten years anticipated life-span in a storage tank. Fire eels mate by generating. This suggests when Fire Eels get to mating period and sex-related maturaity, the shades on the males lighten up. When he discovers a female, he “friends” by pressing her to make her launch her eggs, which he after that feeds on the surface. She might lay as several as 1000 complete eggs. The eggs will certainly hatch out in just a couple of days and the fry will certainly live off the yolk as their initial couple of dishes.

Fire Eel in angling and food preparation

Though they are made use of in food preparation in some components of the globe, Fire Eels are a lot more generally located in containers than on plates.

References:

  1. How Do I Keep a Fire Eel in an Aquarium or Tank?, Available here: https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/how-do-i-keep-a-fire-eel-in-the-aquarium/
  2. Fire Eel Keeping and Feeding, Available here: https://meethepet.com/fire-eel/
  3. Fire Eel Is Not a True Eel, Available here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_eel
  4. The Complete Guide to Fire Eel Care, Available here: https://www.fishkeepingworld.com/fire-eel/
  5. 99 Facts about Keeping a Fire Eel, Available here: https://ustropicalfish.com/99-facts-about-fire-eel
  6. Mastacembelus erythrotaenia – Fire Eel, Available here: https://aquainfo.org/mastacembelus-erythrotaenia-fire-eel/
  7. What Do Fire Eel Fish Eat?, Available here: https://www.lifeforfish.com/what-do-fire-eel-fish-eat/
  8. Fire eel – Food how much and how often, Available here: https://aquariumworld.nz/forums/topic/33978-fire-eel-food-how-much-and-how-often/
  9. Fire Eel Mates Care And Breeding Guide, Available here: https://theaquariumguide.com/articles/fire-eel
  10. Fire Eel (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia), Available here: https://www.aqua-imports.com/product/fire-eel-mastacembelus-erythrotaenia/

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