Cant find my eel!!

[littlefoxx]

Hey guys, saw my little chain link eel yesterday morning. Came home from work and looked for a hour with a light to check on him and I couldnt find him. Checked this morning and I still cant find him. I looked all over the floor, the over flows and checked the sump (I dont think he could get there with the piping but checked anyway) and I cant find him at all!! Im worried about him and Im also paranoid about him jumping so I check the lid every time I walk by the tank. Not sure what to do, the dude is so small he could be anywhere

 

[ParadoxicalReef]

I'm sorry to hear! I know the frustration. Could he be hiding in your rockwork or under the sand?

 

[blaxsun]

Is it possible he found an awesome lair in the rocks somewhere? Other than in the floor, overflow or sump - I don't have any additional suggestions...

 

[littlefoxx]

Is it possible he found an awesome lair in the rocks somewhere? Other than in the floor, overflow or sump - I don't have any additional suggestions...

Its possible, he is so so small. Been in 3 days now so maybe he found something like that where I just cant see him with how thin and short he is.

 

[littlefoxx]

I'm sorry to hear! I know the frustration. Could he be hiding in your rockwork or under the sand?

Maybe under the sand, I looked and looked at the rockwork and cracks with a flashlight. The dude is a baby so he is super tiny

 

[blaxsun]

Its possible, he is so so small. Been in 3 days now so maybe he found something like that where I just cant see him with how thin and short he is.

I have seen them curl up into ridiculously small spaces at my LFS.

 

[Slocke]

I’ve gone days without seeing mine

 

[Mr_Knightley]

Eels are very good at not being seen when they don't want to be. I'm sure you'll find him.
Keep in mind, moray eels can go several days out of the water! So if you do end up finding him outside the tank, put him in a bucket of saltwater and leave him for a bit. No matter how dry and wrinkly he looks! The record for a snowflake is four days out of water, but Chainlink eels are intertidal fish that often hunt on land, so I wouldn't be surprised if they could go longer.

 

[littlefoxx]

Eels are very good at not being seen when they don't want to be. I'm sure you'll find him.
Keep in mind, moray eels can go several days out of the water! So if you do end up finding him outside the tank, put him in a bucket of saltwater and leave him for a bit. No matter how dry and wrinkly he looks! The record for a snowflake is four days out of water, but Chainlink eels are intertidal fish that often hunt on land, so I wouldn't be surprised if they could go longer.

Thats good to know, I keep checking around my tank for him!

 

[littlefoxx]

I’ve gone days without seeing mine

Oh okay that makes me feel better. I just dont want to lose the little guy!

 

[littlefoxx]

Also side note I saw my horseshoe crab today!!! He survived the tank apocalypse. He was a hitchiker into my tank when I first put it up… thinking he came in the sand, not sure how.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Normal. A tiny baby moray eel is food for pretty much everything on the reef, so its instincts are telling it to find cover and stay there. Once it realizes that nothing's going to eat it, you'll start to see it more.

 

[littlefoxx]

Normal. A tiny baby moray eel is food for pretty much everything on the reef, so its instincts are telling it to find cover and stay there. Once it realizes that nothing's going to eat it, you'll start to see it more.

Ah okay. Yeah he did seem surprised when he saw my two adult clownfish for the first time and dove in a hole!

 

[littlefoxx]

Im nervous about my little eel! Havnt seen any sign of him at all. And Ive fed the fish too and he doesnt come out for food!

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Give it a while. They can hide for a very long time feeding off of food that gets blown into the rockwork. I wouldn't worry until you don't see it for a month or so.

 

[littlefoxx]

Give it a while. They can hide for a very long time feeding off of food that gets blown into the rockwork. I wouldn't worry until you don't see it for a month or so.

Oh wow okay I just am nervous he got hurt or something! Lost my first snowflake over night (when I bought my 125 he came with and died the first night, no clue why)

 

[kevgib67]

Fingers crossed!

 

[littlefoxx]

Im still looking for my eel! Ive searched with a flashlight, took the sump apart, overflows, keep checking behind the tank like everything. Im just worried the little guy isnt getting food! I know people have said that this can be normal but Ive searched so hard and I cant even see a small part of him!!

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

It's normal. It will either show up, or it won't. Odds are that shining a flashlight around through the rocks is scaring it even more. A tiny eel can hide very well, you won't be able to find it like that. Just leave it alone.

 

[littlefoxx]

It's normal. It will either show up, or it won't. Odds are that shining a flashlight around through the rocks is scaring it even more. A tiny eel can hide very well, you won't be able to find it like that. Just leave it alone.

Ah okay Im just super paranoid after my tank crash and want to make sure all my little friends are accounted for! But I will leave him alone. Tore apart the sump so at least Im sure he didnt get in there