Should I buy a caecilian?

Kohm · #1 (**permalink**) 10-25-2003, 03:51 PM

Hi All, some petshops I visit have been stocking caecilians, and I'm interested to know more about them, and whether or not they make good pets. They are affordable, though not very cheap. They are probably of the Typhlonectidae family, South American species. I know they are virtually fully aquatic and burrow in mud or similar substrate. I know they feed to a large part on earthworms, but what else? How big do they grow? Can they be kept in a community tank with ornamental fishes? What kind of setup do they need? Fully aquatic or with land space? The petshop owners don't know very much themselves.

Well just curious, I don't want to buy an animal, and let it suffer because I know nuts about it. Thanks!

JuliusSqueezer · #2 (**permalink**) 10-25-2003, 04:16 PM

Should you buy one? perhaps. Should you buy one right now? no. Learn all you can about them first. Scour the web. I'm sure there is something out there. If it turns out that you can set them up properly and keep them happy and alive...sure, why not. but like anything else, buying first and learning later is not a good thing to do.

telefrag · #3 (**permalink**) 10-25-2003, 04:36 PM

http://www.caecilian.org/

JuliusSqueezer · #4 (**permalink**) 10-25-2003, 05:37 PM

link doesn't work frag...some good caecilian names ... Joey, Tony, Frank, Guido, ...if female...Maria... and they only eat worms if you tell them that that it's pasta :P

telefrag · #5 (**permalink**) 10-25-2003, 06:24 PM

thats wierd, works for me.

JuliusSqueezer · #6 (**permalink**) 10-25-2003, 06:56 PM

hmmm works for me now too. I clicked it 3 times earlier and got error msgs...must been a server burp

Bry · #7 (**permalink**) 10-25-2003, 07:22 PM

Are those the water dogs I see in pet shops from time to time, with the tree-looking fins behind their head? If so, don't bet too much money that they will beg, roll over, and speak on command.

Bry

eddie · #8 (**permalink**) 10-25-2003, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Rubber eels are dumber than most tropical fish,

Hehehehehe!!
Now that's funny!

Kohm · #9 (**permalink**) 10-28-2003, 09:48 AM

Thanks for the site frag, it's really good. I'm thinking that I may set up a community tank with tropical fish, along with a caecilian.

Quote:

Are those the water dogs I see in pet shops from time to time, with the tree-looking fins behind their head? If so, don't bet too much money that they will beg, roll over, and speak on command.

savannah_babe · #10 (**permalink**) 10-28-2003, 01:53 PM

thats funny, we used to have a community fish tank with eels and such. they are pretty nifty, although you dont get to see them too much, like other freshwater eels, they bury themselves..he he. we had a kuli loach that was neat looking, small, but he was cool. there is actually quite a variety that you can put in a freshwater community tank, so dont let any petstores fool you. and im sure if you do some research, and you find something the local pet store doesnt carry, they should be able to order it for you

good luck

Kohm · #11 (**permalink**) 10-28-2003, 04:34 PM

thanks Sav! My original intention was to keep some spiny eels in a community tank, but they're predatory and don't do very well with other smaller fishes, or rather, smaller fishes don't do well with them.

Then I discovered the aquarium shop I visit has been stocking caecilians, which I think are far more interesting than real eels, and definitely will do better in a community aquarium, since apparently they hardly feed on fish. Seems like they can't catch them. So, yep, I'm doing my research to see if a caecilian is what I want. :P

savannah_babe · #12 (**permalink**) 10-28-2003, 04:43 PM

not all of them are. you can find some that arent..tire track eels arent. well, ive never had a problem with them anyways. if i were you, i would go with a big tank, like 46 gallon, or even a 55 gallon, and get some neons, mollys, plattys, and what ever eels you want, or whatever. if you get it set up right, it looks awesome. the neons school together..and if you get good lighting, it will look awesome. if you need help or have questions just let me know..i love fish tanks

Kohm · #13 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 03:20 PM

Thanks! I've never tried keeping an eel, and a tire track eel was actually one of the eel species I was considering. But it's only their size that's the problem. I don't have much space, and considering that tire tracks can grow to almost 3 ft or more, I'm not sure I can manage an adult comfortably. Whether or not I get a caecilian, I'll probably be doing a small to med size community tank in the near future. Yep, I'm thinking fish like neon tetras, guppies and corydoras.

savannah_babe · #14 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 03:53 PM

there are some pretty mollys, and plattys that would look nice

Kohm · #15 (**permalink**) 10-30-2003, 11:12 AM

My mom likes little colourful fish, so I'll have to give her some of those once in a while, instead of filling the place with all other sorts of crawling, hopping, scaly and slimy animals.

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