Okesa

It's usually hiding in its tube - I think this is the first time I've ever seen it move and look alert.

As promised, here is Una-chan. I did some digging and found a thermometer, so I went ahead and put that in the tank. Last I saw it was just under 25°C. I also found an air pump rated for a 60cm aquarium (which is the length of the current setup) that appears to be in working order, and I have a sponge filter that a co-worker didn't need any more, so I'm going to get some air tubing tonight after work and will hopefully have some filtration going by tomorrow. Fingers crossed that this is the first step of a much bigger upgrade.

The kids mostly leave the animals alone unless it's their turn to feed them. The tank upgrades have made everyone much more interested/invested in their respective occupants, so I'm hoping now that the eel has a name I can convince the school to spend some money based on the success of everything so far.

Perfect! I already have a big one of those that a co-worker bought for a project but it turned out to be too big for what they needed. I just need to get an air pump for it - does something around 2 watts seem powerful enough for a 65 gallon?

By bubble filter, what exactly do you mean? Something like this? Or something like this?

Thank you for the tips. The school, like most Japanese buildings, only has heating (and cooling) in the classrooms, and the tank is located in a hallway.The water temp is currently probably around 25°C, based on the temps of the other aquariums, but it doesn't have a thermometer currently. Now that I think about it, there might be an extra one from when I cleaned out a storage area. I'll have to put that in the tank tomorrow. Based on what I remember from last winter when I was working on the turtle upgrade, the water temp can get as cold as around 15°C (Don't worry - the turtle didn't move into the tank until it had a heater and a filter and a basking area with UV and heat. He had previously been living in a rectangular plastic box without even enough water to cover his shell entirely, while the 65 gallon tank I moved him to sat there with one fish in it). I'm hoping to convince the school to buy a 65 gallon tank identical to what the turtle is in, but between the tank and a stand big enough to hold it, it will be kind of expensive. I found a much more budget friendly 35 gallon tank that is a backup option if the 65 is more than they are willing to spend. I don't have any pictures of Una-chan on my phone, but I'll try to get some tomorrow. The kids just picked the name the other day - up until now, it had been nameless, like all the other fish and the turtle. Thankfully they almost all have names now! I've made introduction posters and fact sheets for all the tanks, and it's really helped to get the kids more interested. Until I can get some eel pictures, here's the introduction poster, and a bonus picture of Jimmy the Turtle chillin.

The fish shot is a little blurry, but it totally captures his personality.

Hello! I have a bit of a strange request, and given how informative the Aquarium Co-Op YouTube channel and website are, I thought I would see if the forum could give me some advice. I work in a school in Japan, and over the last 6 months have been working on upgrading the neglected fish and turtle tanks at the school. The last creature left that needs a life upgrade is the school's pet eel. It is a Japanese freshwater eel (unagi) who was gifted to the school around 5-ish years ago after the students took a field trip to an eel restaurant. From what I have been told, there were originally 2 eels, but the other one died (possibly was eaten by this one?). Because these eels are not commonly kept as pets, there isn't really much information available online about tank setups. It is currently in a tank that will hold a max of about 17 gallons (but is only actually filled up to around 12.5 gallons) with sand for substrate, a tube to hide in, and a bubbler. There is also filter, but it is broken. I know that this is way too small, as most recommendations I can find online for other eel species say you should use anywhere from a 30 to 50 gallon tank. From what I have read, eels prefer slow moving water, so I was looking at getting a large sponge filter, but I have also read that eels are messy and might need something more powerful. Most places also recommend a tank heater, but I'm not sure if unagi are quite as tropical as most species normally kept as pets. Basically, if anyone can give me any kind of recommendations for filtration, if a heater is necessary or not, tank mates that are the least likely to be eaten (even if fish are all not ok, some kind of snails or something to act as a cleanup crew would probably be a good idea), etc. Una-chan (the eel) and I would really appreciate it.