reef safe eels?

[jweed9379]

I have heard that snowflakes and a couple other eels can be reef safe...is this true? My wife is dying to get an eel for our tank but its already in the works of becoming a reef tank, has anyone ever kept an eel in a reef tank?

 

[tyler1503]

All eels are perfectly safe for corals but most will eat inverts and a large amount will eat fish.
Snowflakes are a good start, but can get snappy when hungry. A great fish safe eel if you want larger fish, but if you want smaller fish you'll need to keep an eye on him. They can be kept in a 30 gal but should be kept in a 55 or bigger. I have one in a 24gal with a valentini and he chases the puffer when hungry. Once he realises it's a fish he's chasing and not food, he settles down a bit.
Zebras are great too. They're known as the most fish safe eel in the hobby and can grow to a nice size. I wouldn't put one in less than a 120 but most people seem to say 180.
The trick with keeping eels calm is never feeding live foods, always using a pair of feeding tongs to give him food from and never use those tongs for anything else in the tank.
Edit: I should have said all eels are perfectly safe for glued down corals. They can be clumsy and knock down corals that aren't secured to the rocks.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Its pricey, but the golden dwarf, melatremus eel is very well behaved and stays small. It is much more trustworthy than the snowflake.

I had a snowflake that once it got larger would hunt any new fish added, and even climbed into an acclamation box to et at a new arrival.

 

[sageblade24]

Garden eel but not as menacing looking as others.

 

[tyler1503]

Garden eels need a DSB. Atleast 6 inches deep. Tricky to pull off, especially in a smaller tank. Morays are (usually) your best bet.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Garden eels need a DSB. Atleast 6 inches deep. Tricky to pull off, especially in a smaller tank. Morays are (usually) your best bet.

This is actually a pretty common misconception. Their bodies are quite flexible. I have seen them successfully kept in a tank with 1.5-2" depth. They just keep the buried portion of their body horizontal. The biggest issue with garden eels is they extremely timid and will not leave their burrow for food, so they dont like active tankmates and tanks need to be overfed.

 

[Kworker]

Eels are reef safe. They will not eat coral, the will only eat your inverts or your fish. The only reason I can picture eels negatively impacting corals is by knocking them over.

If money isn't an issue, look into getting a golden dwarf moray eel. They top out at about 12" and are pretty IMO. The price tag may be well worth it for that woman in your life that is actually into the hobby with you!

Just keep in mind what the eels may or may not eat before you put it in so you can catch and move any fish that may be eaten.

 

[Kworker]

Drs. Foster and Smith Diver's Den® - Gymnothorax melatremus

 

[Reef Keeper 18]

If you want a REALLY sweet eel that can be harder to find buy a skeletor eel. They have one on divers den right now and the things are just gorgeous. They're a bit pricier but the pattern and colors are awesome! my brother had one for a while and the thing was great. It was in a "larger fish" reef with corals and did fine. Obviously you just need to make sure the fish isn't snack sized because its an eel, and inverts are a no go as mentioned above

 

[misael888]

I have a 3ft zebra eel in my 150 mixed reef and he is stunning. He's a model citizen!! Doesn't mess with my fish or corals!!

 

[guidedbyechoes]

Also most eels have poor eyesight.

 

[tyler1503]

This is actually a pretty common misconception. Their bodies are quite flexible. I have seen them successfully kept in a tank with 1.5-2" depth. They just keep the buried portion of their body horizontal. The biggest issue with garden eels is they extremely timid and will not leave their burrow for food, so they dont like active tankmates and tanks need to be overfed.

Thanks for clearing that up for me I was looking into them a while ago. I might do some more research into them.

And +1 to the poor eyesight. I see my snowflake shake his head from side to side almost violently. I take it to mean he's getting hungry as supposedly they will do this to sniff out food and shake their heads to find what direction the food source is. That being said, small fish, ornamental shrimp they haven't taken in interest in yet and even fingers can look and smell like food. So be careful!