Electric eel mixed exhibit

[SealPup]

This is a strange question as it goes against recieved wisdom, but have there been any mixed exhibits that involved electric eels? After watching mine and those in other collections, its pretty clear they have the normal New World knifefish temperment: quite gentle and inoffensive to non-prey animals, with a small enough mouth that a number of placid fish ought to co-exist with them well. Of course boisterous species such as arowanas and certain cichlids would be out of the question, lest they grab one of the eels, but they seem suitable for mixing with placid fishes that won't produce a shocking reaction.

 

[Chlidonias]

I've only seen them in species-tanks, but in one of the old International Zoo Yearbooks (Mid-70s? Mid-80s?) there is an article on one of those newfangled indoor rainforest buildings which says that there are electric eels in one of the pools and they only electrocute the food given to them and not any of the other animals. That's from a vague memory of the article and I can't remember which American zoo it was (I read it about twenty years ago, but someone else might have access to it).

I think the volume might have had rainforest buildings as the main topic.

 

[lintworm]

Many zoos have some small fish like guppy and sometimes even some smaller catfish species with their electric eel.

 

[SealPup]

Chlidonias: I expected so much. It would still be nice to know more details as to the sizes/species of fishes involved. So if anyone can help pls do.

Lintworm: such fishes are usually clean up crew and regarded as expendable, so people put them in with piranhas etc as long as they breed fast or can be replenished. I imagine the big eels not to be interested in very small prey, mind you, but the typical NW knifefish temperment involves ambush predation of much smaller prey animals ie. black ghosts and centipedes will prey on small tetras, although they are extremely placid and can become reclusive when not in groups. So my question was more regarding fish too large to swallow, of which there are many, and which won't stress the eel.

 

[Chlidonias]

Chlidonias: I expected so much. It would still be nice to know more details as to the sizes/species of fishes involved. So if anyone can help pls do.

They may have been referring to land-based animals coming to (or into) the pool rather than other fish - I can't remember any of the details.

 

[SealPup]

Chli: I assumed this would be the case too, as they don't go for your hands in the aquarium.