fire eel + oscar

Question
i have a 65 gallon tank set up and i was wondering if a fire eel and an Oscar could live there happily? i was also wondering how to make water less alkaline? because for some reason nothing i do seems to work.

Answer
Hi Eli,
Fire eels are usually peaceful fish.  The fire eel is not for beginners, but if you really want one, care should be taken so that your tank is set up properly.  You must have a sandy bottom, as they dig in the sand.  Do not use gravel as the fire eel will hurt himself, and they easily get fungus.  You must check him every day just in case he is hurt.  This often goes unnoticed.  You must not have any rocks at the bottom of the tank, but you must have driftwood.  Driftwood is very good for bringing down the PH.  The fire eel may not eat in the beginning, so you must use a turkey baster, to bring the food down to him.  He eats tubifex, brine shrimp, bloodworms etc.  Be careful not to overfeed.  
I don't think there would be any problems with the Oscar, but one thing bothers me, and that is that one Oscar would need the 65 gallon tank all to himself.  The fire eel gets very big, so you must keep this in mind.  Seeing as the eel is a bottom fish, you may get away with putting them together.  I personally would keep the Oscar alone.  The Oscar likes rocks, and decorations, and once he gets bigger, he will redecorate his tank.  The eel's water temperature should be around 80 degrees, the Oscar should be in temperature around 76 degrees.  This is important for an Oscar because they could get seriously sick in higher temperatures.  Since the fire eel needs special care, and a tank set up for him, I would either keep the eel or the Oscar.  If you do get these two fish, make sure to check your eel daily for cuts, because bacteria easily settles in the eel, and often goes unnoticed until it is too late.
Driftwood would bring your PH down.  Never use chemicals, they do not help, and make matter worse.
I hope this helps
Lynda