Banded Snake Eel help

[Chrisv.]

Does your lfs normally carry these? If so, I'd start by telling them everything you posted here and ask for their advice. Most hobby fish keepers will have had a maximum of one or two experiences with a species that's this uncommon (if any at all), but if the store owner brings these in on the regular they may have substantial experience to share.

 

[Slocke]

Does your lfs normally carry these? If so, I'd start by telling them everything you posted here and ask for their advice. Most hobby fish keepers will have had a maximum of one or two experiences with a species that's this uncommon (if any at all), but if the store owner brings these in on the regular they may have substantial experience to share.

No, I don't think its a common eel, (Lion King?). I asked them as much as I could and pretty much all I got was that they eat ghost shrimp. They could tell me a lot about the snowflake and ribbon eels but then those are a lot more common I believe.

 

[lion king]

Eels overall need consistency, they can suffer stress from changes, but also are ver resilient. I'm not sure what is going on with your tank conditions, but you really need to get him settled in.

 

[lion king]

I did say in my 1st post not to move him, this many changes in such a short time does not bode well. I hope your observation tank is fully cycled, if so I would arrange the rocks to provide him cover, turn the lights off, and let it ride untill he is cruising around. If not, then it's in the reef, again making sure the scape is such to provide cover and turn out the lights. That is really my only suggestions.

 

[Chrisv.]

I've never kept this specific delicate fish but my experience with other delicate fish is that the best way to kill them is to screw with them too much. This fish will either live or die, but changing things every 6 hours will not help. It almost always hurts.

 

[Slocke]

You both May be right but it seemed to be going downhill fast in that tank. No idea why the parameters looked perfect

 

[Chrisv.]

You both May be right but it seemed to be going downhill fast in that tank. No idea why the parameters looked perfect

It's still alive, let's not count this as a loss yet. I'd probably wait a day or two, and then add a live ghost shrimp to the tank. The pics you posted show a plump fish that can go a few days without food. Love food can be stressful too, so better to let it settle in before feeding. It's a very good sign that it was eating and lived more for more than a month at your lfs .

While you wait, consider being SUPER hands off with the tank. Avoid the tank. Maybe even put up some cardboard over the glass to make it feel more secure.

 

[Slocke]

It's still alive, let's not count this as a loss yet. I'd probably wait a day or two, and then add a live ghost shrimp to the tank. The pics you posted show a plump fish that can go a few days without food. Love food can be stressful too, so better to let it settle in before feeding. It's a very good sign that it was eating and lived more for more than a month at your lfs .

While you wait, consider being SUPER hands off with the tank. Avoid the tank. Maybe even put up some cardboard over the glass to make it feel more secure.

Im thinking leave it in its container overnight ( its in a dark room with little traffic). S
Start a slow drip tomorrow.
Add after several hours
cover in dark sheet
leave for another day or so

 

[Slocke]

Also it looks far better now.

As for the aqua scape. I was told it was a sand dweller which is why it has that big open area of sand. But on the other side is a large cave.

 

[lion king]

There are sand dweller but do use a den like other eels, building their dens with rubble and such.

That's actually some really good info in the link in your first post. The reason I mentioned dens is because they do need a place to feel secure, you could also provide a deep sandbed. But a low ceiling rock den could provide a safe place to feel secure in lieu of a deep sand bed. I wonder if they would benefit from a pvc pipe, while I usually don't care for them , I did use them for ribbon eels, and the ribbon eels did seem to enjoy them.

 

[Slocke]

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Nice! I'm glad to see it on the path of recovery.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I hate eels… but I love your enthusiasm and admire your dedication. Great to see all your fellow R2Rers there for you, and it’s nice to see him swimming so well now. Keep up the good work!

 

[Slocke]

Yeah thanks everyone for the help and support.
Not out of the woods yet but looks good so far. Much better than I'd ever expected.

 

[Slocke]

May 29, 2022

youtube.com

Certainly looking much better then last time though he seems more determined to escape then settle down

 

[Duncan62]

I want to get a banded snake eel. The issue is I'm finding care guides and proper feeding hard to find and contradictory. The only care guide article I could find says they are scavengers and should be fed dead/frozen krill, silversides and bits of shrimp (https://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/eels/banded.php). However my LFS says they only eat live foods.

Does anyone have some experience that could help?

Also as a sand dwelling eel will it get along with a sand dwelling wrasse and sand dwelling CUC?

I've raised several groupers and one yellow moray without ever feeding live food. They will take appropriately sized portions of the same shrimp and fish you eat as well as other quality frozen foods. My eel never ate a tank mate but the groupers will eat anything that it can swallow. Lol. Enjoy your eel.

 

[Slocke]

Early observations is that it’s much longer than I originally thought.( It was crammed in a small tank with 5 other eels so it was hard to tell.
I’d say it’s over two feet and they’re max size isn’t much more than 30”.
Also it’s much less flexible than moray eels. I think may need more rock and look at getting a bigger tank. It also hasn’t gone into the sand at all as I’d expected as a sand dwelling eel.

Also I doubt you can tell from the videos and pictures but under the right light it’s obvious the stripes are in fact a light gray and a very dark crimson. It’s a very beautiful animal.
Let’s hope I can improve my keeping ability and I’ll have myself a happy eel!

 

[lion king]

https://youtube,.com/shorts/NX_l90nUaAY?feature=share

Certainly looking much better then last time though he seems more determined to escape then settle down

Humans interpretation of escape is not understanding the nature of these animals. These guys cruise around poking and squeezing into crevices looking for food or a place to chill. They have no concept being in a glass cage, they do not understand that on the other side of that glass wall is death, it's another place of discovery. That tank is super small for him and will not do well keeping him in there for long. He does need spaces like I mentioned before to squeeze into to feel secure, that will help settle him down. If it were me I would place a pvc pipe with a couple of elbows to give a length that he could completely put his whole body into, make sure it is wide enough.

 

[lion king]

You can bury the pvc in the sand along the length of the back wall with elbows turning up at an angle. I believe given time he will find this and settle into it. All eels do not take pvc, but with the nature of this he might. He may also over time use the sandbed to try and bury himself.

To relate to your experience in Africa, I have worked with rescued wild animals off and on for over 30 years. I've worked with groups that recued wild animals that people tried to keep as pets or from shows, and yes even zoos. People don't know that zoos even kill their old animals, they want oohs and aahs from the young ones and they don't want to take care of the old ones. And I'm sure you have heard of canned hunts. My specialty was big cats and wolves.

 

[Slocke]

You can bury the pvc in the sand along the length of the back wall with elbows turning up at an angle. I believe given time he will find this and settle into it. All eels do not take pvc, but with the nature of this he might. He may also over time use the sandbed to try and bury himself.

To relate to your experience in Africa, I have worked with rescued wild animals off and on for over 30 years. I've worked with groups that recued wild animals that people tried to keep as pets or from shows, and yes even zoos. People don't know that zoos even kill their old animals, they want oohs and aahs from the young ones and they don't want to take care of the old ones. And I'm sure you have heard of canned hunts. My specialty was big cats and wolves.

Oh wow. Not to dissimilar. Mine was cheetahs and painted (wild) dogs mostly. With various others when needed.

One reason I really like your feeding tips is that many of the cheetahs we got we’re failed pets that were fed chicken. And chicken causes liver failure in cheetahs.

Is canned hunts similar to staged trophy hunting? Because that was funny. Get a rich person to spend tens of thousands to kill a pre chosen animal (like an old male that had been driven from its pride by a younger male and was dying anyway). All of the money then went to conservation efforts saving far more animals than the one killed.

Anyways thanks for all the help. Don’t know where I’d be without it.
(I will use that pvc tip too)