The Aquatic Caecilian Care Cheat-Sheet
Bognookhonest amphibian care · bognook.com
Aquatic Caecilian — Care Cheat-SheetIntermediateNot an eel and not a snake — a limbless amphibian, often mislabelled 'rubber eel'.
📋 At a glance
- Tank
- Aquatic 20 gal+ (1–2), planted, tight lid
- Temp
- Warm 72–79°F
- Water
- Dechlorinated, gentle filter, soft sand
- Food
- Bloodworms, chopped earthworms, sinking foods
- Lifespan
- 5–10+ years
✅ Peaceful, hardy and genuinely bizarre — a rewarding oddity for a gentle planted tank.
🛒 Before you buy
- A warm, filtered, planted aquarium with a TIGHT lid (they escape)
- Soft sand + plenty of hides
- Gentle flow + target feeding (they hunt by smell, not sight)
- The knowledge it is an amphibian that breathes air — not a fish
A healthy one: Dark, glossy, worm-like body · well-fleshed · smooth skin · actively nosing the substrate.
🚨 See a vet / act now if…
- Not eating / weight loss
- Skin lesions, fungus or cloudiness
- Floating or bloating
- Gasping
Cool them down, reduce stress, and contact an exotics vet — most issues are reversible if caught early.
⛔ Never
- Treating it like a fish (it needs surface access to breathe air)
- Gravel
- An open-topped tank
🌿 Golden rules (all amphibians)
- Cycle the tank BEFORE the animal (ammonia = 0).
- Always dechlorinate tap water.
- Cool beats warm — most amphibians are cool/cold species.
- Look, don’t handle — their skin absorbs oils & soaps.
- Buy captive-bred, never wild-caught. Quarantine new arrivals.
- Never release a pet into the wild (it spreads disease).
- A real setup costs more than the animal — budget for it.
- When in doubt, ask — no shame in learning. 💚
