Will half-banded spiny eel eat small tankmates

Will an adult half-banded spiny eel be able to eat panda cories or penguin tetras?

 

I haven’t had experience with them but from a quick google search it says they aren’t aggressive but can easily take smaller fish as a meal overnight

 

I know they will eat fish that can fit in their mouths, but how big is that? 1 inch? 2 inches? 3 inches? Possibly 4?

 

Pretty sure you'd be alright with the pandas and penguins, at least for a long, long time.

Most of the spiny "eels" (they're actually a type of modified minnow) will go after small fish like neon tetras - not necessarily chunkier small fish. I think it's more about shape than size - a Rasbora Heteromorpha at 2" will be much larger and harder to swallow than your average neon tetra, just due to body shape. The fish you're listing are pretty tall, robust fish, so I wouldn't be worried.

 

Pretty sure you'd be alright with the pandas and penguins, at least for a long, long time.

Most of the spiny "eels" (they're actually a type of modified minnow) will go after small fish like neon tetras - not necessarily chunkier small fish. I think it's more about shape than size - a Rasbora Heteromorpha at 2" will be much larger and harder to swallow than your average neon tetra, just due to body shape. The fish you're listing are pretty tall, robust fish, so I wouldn't be worried.

Penguin tetras? I mean they might be slightly plumper than neons, but they are by no means tall.

 

Penguin tetras? I mean they might be slightly plumper than neons, but they are by no means tall.

Sorry - I was thinking of Black Widows in my head. I've kept spiny eels with black neons before, and didn't lose any that I know of. But YMMV.

 

Sorry - I was thinking of Black Widows in my head. I've kept spiny eels with black neons before, and didn't lose any that I know of. But YMMV.

How big were the eels?

 

How big was the eel?

He was around 11" at his max size while I had him. It was a peacock.

 

He was around 11" at his max size while I had him. It was a peacock.

Interesting. So I will get one, and see how it goes. Maybe I'll get it small so it can get used to the idea of the tetras as tank-mates and not food, and so I can feed it mostly frozen food over time so it does not see living things as food?

 

Will an adult half-banded spiny eel be able to eat panda cories or penguin tetras?

Straight up no. I keep otocinclus with one 7 inch half banded spiny eel and another like 3 inch half banded spiny eel. They only get around 8-9 inches at most and the only thing they’ve ever attacked was shrimp. I’m sure fish fry would get eaten too. But I’d say at least a 1-1.5 inch+ fish would be left alone.

 

My girlfriend has one. It doesn't eat shrimp or fish. The only food it takes from the frozen ones are bloodworms.

 

Pretty sure you'd be alright with the pandas and penguins, at least for a long, long time.

Most of the spiny "eels" (they're actually a type of modified minnow) will go after small fish like neon tetras - not necessarily chunkier small fish. I think it's more about shape than size - a Rasbora Heteromorpha at 2" will be much larger and harder to swallow than your average neon tetra, just due to body shape. The fish you're listing are pretty tall, robust fish, so I wouldn't be worried.

modified minnows? really dude?
they are a relative of loaches, not a minnow.

Straight up no. I keep otocinclus with one 7 inch half banded spiny eel and another like 3 inch half banded spiny eel. They only get around 8-9 inches at most and the only thing they’ve ever attacked was shrimp. I’m sure fish fry would get eaten too. But I’d say at least a 1-1.5 inch+ fish would be left alone.

8.9 inches is their normal full length to be exact. Also: Yes, fish fry will get eaten too.
Anything larger than a fully-grown male feeder guppy will be left alone under normal, healthy conditions.

 

modified minnows? really dude?
they are a relative of loaches, not a minnow.

8.9 inches is their normal full length to be exact. Also: Yes, fish fry will get eaten too.
Anything larger than a fully-grown male feeder guppy will be left alone under normal, healthy conditions.

posts are more than a year old.

 

posts are more than a year old.

Surprised that I missed this the first time around. But to clarify the relationships of Spiny Eels: they are in their own Order - Synbranchiformes - and not related to minnows or loaches at all. They are related to other Eels.