Peacock eel care
Macrognathus siamensis · The Mekong and Chao Phraya basins: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
Peacock eels are spiny eels, not true eels: tan, with a row of black eyespots ringed in pale yellow along the back near the tail.
- Tank size
- 55 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 73 to 82 °F (23 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 12 in (standard length, without the tail; most reach about 8 in)
- pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 5 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 8 to 10 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 55 gallon
48¼ × 12¾ × 21 in outsideHow to keep peacock eels
Peacock eels are spiny eels, not true eels: tan, with a row of black eyespots ringed in pale yellow along the back near the tail. They bury in soft sand by day and hunt worms at night, so one needs a 55 gallon or larger tank with deep sand, a tight lid and calm tankmates too large to swallow.
Diet: Carnivore: frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, small worms. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Peacock eel tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Kissing gourami
12 in · 75+ gal · 72–82 °F
Uaru
9.8 in · 75+ gal · 79–86 °F
Blood parrot cichlid
8 in · 55+ gal · 76–80 °F
Severum
8 in · 55+ gal · 75–84 °F
Angelfish
6 in · 29+ gal · 76–84 °F
Giant danio
6 in · 55+ gal · 72–79 °F
Rosy barb
6 in · 29+ gal · 64–77 °F
Denison barb
6 in · 55+ gal · 64–77 °F
Keep apart
Chili rasbora: Adult peacock eels eat fish under about 1 in; chili rasboras grow to 0.8 in.
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: peacock eels need 73 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Oscar: Oscars are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as peacock eels.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Cherry shrimp: Peacock eels eat shrimp.
Amano shrimp: Peacock eels eat shrimp.
What a peacock eel tank needs
A tank of 55 US gallons or more (such as the 55 gallon) with a tight lid (they jump), and the equipment below.
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Aqueon QuietFlow Canister Filter 200
Rated by the maker for up to 55 US gal, which covers a 55 gallon peacock eel tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Seachem Tidal 55
Rated by the maker for up to 55 US gal, which covers a 55 gallon peacock eel tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon Pro 150
Peacock eels need 73 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding peacock eels.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 73 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 55 gallon tank · Heaters for a 55 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common peacock eel problems
- Sharp gravel scratches them; use soft sand.
- They escape through gaps; cover the tank.
- They may refuse flakes; feed frozen bloodworm after dark.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Macrognathus siamensis. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Peacock eel Zachary Randall, Florida Museum, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kissing gourami 5snake5, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Uaru Brent Tibbats, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Blood parrot cichlid Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Severum Trisha M Shears, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Giant danio Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rosy barb Kkonstan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Denison barb Anandarajkumar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Chili rasbora JoKrimmel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Oscar H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black ghost knifefish Vassil, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Senegal bichir Zhyla at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Elephantnose fish Jutta234, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- African butterflyfish Toniher, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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