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Some questions about eels

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Bela, Sep 20, 2010.

  1. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    I am working on my stocking list for the FOWLR and was considering an eel (or a few). I am actually curious if they get along well or if it is best to just have one in a tank. I was thinking of something simple, like a snowflake, but thought it would be neat to have 2-3 of them in the tank. I am also looking to add a trigger and a tang of some sorts, which would probably max me out on stocking. If more than just one eel would work, can species be mixed? I am also looking into the chain link and blue ribbon varieties. I just want something that will add character to the tank if I have to end up going pretty species specific.
     
  2. adampottebaum

    adampottebaum Experienced Reefkeeper

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    Ribbons have TERRIBLE survival rates. The only way I'd ever order a ribbon is if it was ordered from Live Aquaria's Divers Den, so you know it's eating, and if it was the first fish put in to a cycled tank... I hope you've researched Ribbons if you're going to give one a try! Not saying you couldn't handle it Bela, I'm just saying I'd stick to a snowflake or two. It would be pretty cool to have a few small snowflakes!
     
  3. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    I am totally open to multiple snowflakes, just thought it would be cool to have a couple eels instead of just one. So I take it they do well in multiples unlike some fish that don't like their own kind? Any other species that I should consider or stay away from?
     
  4. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    Thought I should add, there is NOTHING in the tank yet (as far as fish). It is in the cycling process now, so I can add fish in any order necessary.
     
  5. stew Well-Known ReefKeeper GIRS Member

    520
    Ankeny, IA
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    FlyingMoray had a dwarf golden (I think) for sale a while back.  I was thinking about putting it with my snowflake but my tank was being flakey and I was out of $$.
     
  6. APStorm17

    APStorm17 Inactive User

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    Eels are incredible fish and make fantastic aquarium specimens (unless you get a ribbon or snake eel). They can survive almost anything and are amazing to watch. Some things to know about them though is that they HAVE to have lids because otherwise you'd have a half-dead eel on your floor in the morning. Make sure all your rocks are stabilized because they constantly move through them and they can get crush by unstable rocks, and that despite their sedentary lifestyle, they are huge waste-producers! Don't feed them everyday, they don't need it. Those are just things I wish someone would have told me when I got my first eel. That first one convinced me to get two more!
     
  7. FlyingMoray Experienced Reefkeeper

    Minburn, IA
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    Bela,

    There are many great eels out there. The real question is how big of a tank are we talking and how agressive do you want it to be? Eels can vary greatly in agression that is why it is important to figure these things out first.

    Joe
     
  8. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    The tank is 150g. As far as aggression, I prefer something that won't go gunning for my hand, but at the same time I am not going to say I am afraid of them. I have dealt with various monitor lizards that can have a tendancy to be a bit nippy. I don't mind having to feed with tongs or forceps at all. I am considering vodka dosing down the road too, as it is something I have always been curious about and figure the best time to get a handle on it would be in a system without coral. Pricing is also somewhat of a consideration. Plenty of eels are well under $100, which is where I suppose my price point for a single animal would be. Most everything I looked at was in that price range aside from some of the really rare stuff. The question that I still have is whether or not any species can be mixed? I would love to have a couple of different eels in the tank if at all possible.
     
  9. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    I forgot to add... my tank is acrylic with fully enclosed lid. Escape shouldn't be a problem at all. The rockwork is also very stable with tons of tunnels and such (I made it myself). I have about 200lbs of rock in there and that is comprised of about eight pieces. The only thing I did not do that some people keeping eels have done is lay down PVC tubing underneath the sand as a tunnel structure, which I realistically could still do seeing as how there is nothing in the tank that I could possibly bother.
    A CUC suggestion would be great too. I know some CUC critters will just get eaten up, so if anyone has some experience with what they have used in a tank with eels that would be great!
     
  10. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    Another thing I wanted to ask is if any angel fish would be compatible with these guys? I am liking the flame angel, however I am thinking those might just be too small to put in with eels? I have seen it done, but what people SHOULD do and what they ACTUALLY do tend to be two different spectrums /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/wink.gif
     
  11. CoryB

    CoryB Inactive User

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    I had a foot long snowflake eel last year for a few months. VERY interesting animal. The thing about the lids is VERY true. Mine jumped out twice, the second time he died. The first time, I found him in the morning and amazingly he was alive. It is awesome to watch them "hunt" for their food. Ensure you don't have a fish too small in the tank either. It will have no problem eating it as a damsel found out. I may look into getting a small snowflake when I get back...
     
  12. ninjazx777 Experienced Reefkeeper

    Des Moines, IA
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    I had a 3 foot snow flake (Joel has him now) he was great very active always swam around and I could feed him by hand he got along with every fish. Even a small maroon clown. He didn't eat snails or hermit crabs I was even able to keep a cleaner shrimp with him until I put a trigger into the tank. I plan on adding a snow flake when I set up a softie only reef next summer
     
  13. tasha6

    tasha6 Inactive User

    188
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    I personally like the zebra eel.  You don't have to worry about their tankmates as they are crustacean eaters.  Having said that he/she have left the cleanup crew alone (snails, hermits, brittle stars, etc).  The only thing I would be worried about are some different types of crabs, emerald, porcelain, etc.  But if you are looking at a trigger you would probably have the same problem. 
    The golden dwarf would be another favorite due to their smaller size.  They can be quite aggressive but with their smaller size they don't seem to bother anything. 
    After the first couple of days and knowing that they have found a home, I have never had a cover on the aquariums where the eels have been keep but they need to have a place where they can get their entire body in and feel secure.  For the golden dwarf, a large conch shell worked well and for the zebra, when we aquascaped we left a tunnel through all of the rockwork that the eel could easily move thru.  HTH
     
  14. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    Of the eels mentioned I am unable to find much about the golden dwarf. I do like the looks of the zebra and the snowflake, and their hardiness is also leaning me towards them. Sounnds like the ribbon eels are out, which is a shame since they do have a very attractive coloration. Anything else colorful that I may consider? One question that nobody has really touched upon is the multiple eels in one tank. Can/should that be done? Can species be mixed?
     
  15. FlyingMoray Experienced Reefkeeper

    Minburn, IA
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    Bela,

    With that size of tank, you can do just about any eel. Do not get a dwarf angel if you plan on getting any eels or other big fish. You need to have all of your fish in the tank be about the same size so nothing will get eaten. Almost any eels of the gymnothorax genus are very active and great eels for an aggressive tank. As for clean up crew, about the only thing you can get are some of the very large hermits. They do a great job of scavenging for leftover food though. Your main clean up crew will be a large skimmer. Golden dwarf morays are probably not something that you would want to get either. They stay small and would most likely be eaten by any larger eels. They are best for reef tanks and smaller fish only tanks. My all time favorite eel is gymnothorax miliaris they are very colorful and if you find the variety that is not all gold, they are cheaper. With eels, just like fish, you want to keep them all similar size and not mix sizes. They are known to eat other eels that fit in their mouths. Snowflake eels are nice in that they can be mixed with some of these more aggressive eels as long as they are the same size. Zebra eels can not be mixed with these aggressive eels. Different species can be mixed with some exceptions like I just mentioned as well as mixing other very aggressive ones with non-aggressive ones. Just remember to make sure everyone is the same size. And with fish, if it can possibly fit in an eels mouth (they expand twice the size) they will most likely eat them at some point.

    Joe
     
  16. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    Thanks for the input Joe. I take it tangs would be a safer bet to add in with these eels? I am really thinking of going with a couple snowflakes, maybe a powder blue, perhaps a trigger if I can grab the niger trigger that a member was wanting to sell and then be maxed out on fish, at least for a while. It's a shame they won't work with angels, but I think I am more wanting to go with some predators since it is something new to me.
     
  17. FlyingMoray Experienced Reefkeeper

    Minburn, IA
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    Bela,

    They will work with angels just not the dwarf ones. The large ones would make fine tankmates. I think it sounds like you are on the right track. Snowflakes are very cool eels and pretty mellow compared to most. Tangs would be fine with all eels as long as they are large enough to not get eaten.

    Joe
     
  18. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    The reason I was trying to stick with dwarf angels was because of tank size. I was lead to believe that only dwarf angels were suited for a tank in the 150g range. Any suggestion on some colorful angels to put in there then? I was thinking of restricting myself to one, maybe two at most. I am new to heavy bioloads. I have kept fish, but never anywhere near max bioload capacity so it also isn't yet second nature to me to figure out the bioloads of a system.
     
  19. matt1971 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    397
    Waterloo
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    Last week there was an awesome large blue angel at aquatic enviorments for around 150. Hon at Sea of Marvels had a nice big tesselata (sp?) eel. Not sure of the price.
    Ive have a 4ft leopard eel with a large scopas tang and yellow tang for years in a 75. I've had this eel with a fimbriated and snowflake eel with no problems although they were similar in size. I had a ribbon eel but had to feed it with shrimp on a stick to keep it alive... very tedious. I've always wanted a green moray but they get very large, around 6ft. They had a nice one at the mall of america aquarium.
     

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