Help ID spiny eel

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 17 May 2005, 15:05

Hi!

Bought 2 of these fellows labeled as "African Spiny Eel" for 3 euros/each. The bigger one shows blue and red markings on the dorsal fin. About 8 and 5 cm long.
Any ID help would be apreciated.

Heres some (big+crappy) pixx:
eels in bag
eel
eel
eel
eel

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 17 May 2005, 16:46

closeup of head

Post by **Silurus** » 17 May 2005, 17:00

I would guess Mastacembelus frenatus.

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 17 May 2005, 18:56

thank you

do i see that right that this is a rarely kept species? havent found much about them...

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 17 May 2005, 22:16

2 update pics with much darker body
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... Aal007.JPG
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... Aal008.JPG

Mike_Noren · Post by **Mike_Noren** » 18 May 2005, 10:42

I can't ID mastacembelids (except for some of the most common), but you're aware that if that is C. frenatus then it'll grow quite large and have a tendency to consider any fish that fits in its mouth as lunch?

Oh, I forgot - if you're looking for info, that species has also been called Afromastacembelus frenatus and, if I read Eschmeyer correct, the present name is Caecomastacembelus frenatus, so you may want to do a search for those names too.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 18 May 2005, 11:41

definitely not frenatus!

frenatus has tiny eyes (these have bulging eyes!), and frenatus has a lightcolored band on the back and dark sides wich gives the impression of the colors being "up side down".

Also frenatus is a very elongated species.

are these African or Asian? the proportion remind me a bit of Asians wich tend to be less elongated than the spaghetti-like species of Africxan rivers.

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 18 May 2005, 11:43

Hi!

The wholesaler said they came in from Nigeria.

If they get that big they get into a tank with the big Synos
Erwin wrote to me that all african Spinyeels have been moved back to Mastacembelus
M.spp. from the Niger River
M.nigromarginatus
M.loennbergii
M.decorsei

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 19 May 2005, 00:58

made some more pics
small fish
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... Aal010.JPG
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... 09tail.JPG

bigger fish
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... Aal011.JPG
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... 12tail.JPG
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... Aal014.JPG
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... Aal015.JPG

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 24 May 2005, 10:28

Hi!

I ordered a few more and this is what they received...they were very pale in the bag...
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... neu001.JPG
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... neu002.JPG
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... neu003.JPG
http://www.students.uni-mainz.de/hauzc0 ... neu004.JPG

i hope its not M.armatus??

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 24 May 2005, 10:59

nope, those are Africans allright.

I think Caecomastacembelus frenatus or C cryptacanthus.
I've kept exactly those fish, as shown in your last post!

unfortunately they're not that easy to keep. they're quite fragile, escape-artists (the tiniest hole in the hood and you'll find them dried up on the floor!), slow eaters (easily outcompeted for food by catfish) and highly territorial to each other!

a 500 L tank was too small for three 5" specimen....

unfortunately I couldn't get more; 3 was all they had.
And IME many Mastacembelids are best kept single or in a group of at least 5 (7-8 is better), to spread all that pent-up nastiness.

Mika · Post by **Mika** » 24 May 2005, 11:13

Sid i`ve send to you pm a week ago. Sorry to intterupt this thread, but this seems to be only way.

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 24 May 2005, 12:03

eases my mind a lot that its not armatus...

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 25 May 2005, 16:00

Mika, that pm never made it....I just checked and no pm with your nametag on it.

armatus can be vicious devils; agressive, piscivore and downright nasty.
not to mention 3/4 meters in length when adult.....

but armatus doesn't have the dark flank and light dorsal region these have; they have a very typical brown "net" print superimposed on a light background.

highly variable fish, but this pic shows what an adult armatus looks like