Oh and as the hermit grows he has to find a new shell, not too big not too small, and with 4 eels in the tank I'll go out on a limb and say his time is imminent. Just on a side note, many that keep hermits fail to supply various shells for their hermits to relocate, they can't survive long outside of a shell.
Eelysium
- Thread starter Slocke
- Start date
-
- Tags
- build thread
- Tagged users None
Oh and as the hermit grows he has to find a new shell, not too big not too small, and with 4 eels in the tank I'll go out on a limb and say his time is imminent. Just on a side note, many that keep hermits fail to supply various shells for their hermits to relocate, they can't survive long outside of a shell.
OP
OP
The crabs now in the old eel tank with nothing but a bunch of macroalgae. I did purposefully got the smallest crab compared to shell for that exact reason. Don't know where I'll find new shells but I got time.
OP
OP
I'm really enjoying the tank now. Haven't changed much just added a male BTT but everything is super active these days and its a real joy to watch.
A couple notes:
A couple notes:
- The guppies seem to be doing well and even breeding, thought the triggers would have them but not so far as I know. I also thought they'd suffer in full salinity.
- As for algae so far its been really unnoticeable. I added a jar of ecopods to get ahead of it but so far I've seen almost nothing. Had a week of very light diatoms and some light film algae on the rocks but as you can see above it's really not noticeable. Obviously won't last but its sure nice for now.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Had that happen to me just now except it wasn't a trigger it was the goldspotted and it wasn't a piece of shrimp it was my finger.
I try not to hand feed despite my videos to the contrary, that's mostly just for show. However today I was getting impatient with it biting the tongs rather than the food so I went with fingers and of course it missed the food again.
This time however he was determined to get some food one way or another and just would not let go even after I pulled it halfway out of the tank.
Good news is I now have a good bite impression. Still no blood though enough skin damage to tell. They seem to have two small teeth right next to each other on the top jaw; on the bottom it felt rough and hard but nothing that felt like specific teeth.
I tried to take a picture but damage was too minimal to even tell I was bitten and that's despite it thrashing and pulling full force.
My new tessa is getting pretty bold at feeding, I wouldn't dare stick my hand in there. I'm thinking I need to have a net handy just in case he comes out of the tank. Trying to pick him up with my hands may not end well for either of us.
OP
OP
Ooooh yeah. I don't think I can be trusted with a gymnotherax. Had a run in with a wolf eel when I was checking on that robin for you and I think the staff were relieved it didn't quite manage to bite me. It was either that or being a regular that prompted them to give me live rock at 5$/lb.
In other news I'm quite ticked off at a different LFS. After repeatedly asking them about 'all' their eels and especially snakes for months guess what I found: A leopard snake eel.
Apparently they forgot they had it and hadn't fed it for 2-3 months. I asked if they'd give to me for free so I could try and save it but they said they didn't have that authority. I probably wouldn't have succeeded but still.
Last edited:
OP
OP
My LFS got me a selection of Red Coris wrasse today and I was very happy with their health so I got one!
@lion king When I was there they also tried to sell me on one of their ghost eels, Pseudechidna brummeri. Thoughts?
@lion king When I was there they also tried to sell me on one of their ghost eels, Pseudechidna brummeri. Thoughts?
Last edited:
My LFS got me a selection of Red Coris wrasse today and I was very happy with their health so I got one!
@lion king When I was there they also tried to sell me on one of their ghost eels, Pseudechidna brummeri. Thoughts?
They are a ribbon eel, so same rules apply, some say not as difficult as the black ribbon, but most don't have long term success. I suspect the same difficulty in providing the proper diet as the black ribbon. It can be done, just providing the proper foods. Whether some of dead foods I've recommended and supplementing with live mollies if necessary.
OP
OP
Thanks, good to know!
My research today seems to say that they eat prepared foods better and that they have a more varied diet than the true ribbon eels eating crustaceans as well as fish. Though like you said they are still a difficult fish with many of the same issues as the ribbons.
I am tempted. My guppy population is increasing rather than decreasing despite the full salinity. We'll see, hopefully I can observe a successful feeding.
Last edited:
Here's the caveat, "long term success". It doesn't matter what someone says about ease of feeding if they still barely live a year and never really even reach 2 years. So there's still something not being done right.
Although ghost can be temperamental, I think the bigger issue may be the pitfalls of the diet that most eels are being fed. While they may eat more crustaceans than other fang tooths, it's the quality of the crustaceans being fed, Live crustaceans will have enzymes and nutrients to counteract the effect of thiaminese, most crustaceans that people feed in captivity usually contain too much thiaminese and lacking in vitamin B1. The silversides most feed are "fake" silversides and also contribute to a high thiaminese level. Their diet usually also lacks a fattyy fish and their required fat intake is lacking. If not being fed a live fish or live shrimp in captivity they also lack the minerals of shells and bones, people usually feed cleaned shrimp.
OP
OP
The only article that mentioned at least some long term success said it fed mainly krill (though it doesn't specify the nature of the krill and as you say that surely matters most) and supplemented with various other seafoods. It also mentioned live grass shrimp: https://reefs.com/magazine/aquarium-fish-the-white-ribbon-eel-pseudechidna-brummeri/
Its a shame they don't actually tell you the length of their success or give more detail on the diet.
On the subject though I'm trying to give mine the biggest variety I can and I like your SFB silversides. Got them last week and its nice having a food with all the bones and guts. They're now on a diet of fresh squid, salmon, and shrimp, and SFB krill and silversides. (Can't find fresh krill despite living next to an H-mart and a massive market.)
Its a shame they don't actually tell you the length of their success or give more detail on the diet.
On the subject though I'm trying to give mine the biggest variety I can and I like your SFB silversides. Got them last week and its nice having a food with all the bones and guts. They're now on a diet of fresh squid, salmon, and shrimp, and SFB krill and silversides. (Can't find fresh krill despite living next to an H-mart and a massive market.)
Krill is the most common source of high thiaminese, very unlikely anyone feeding a krill dominant diet to have long term success. I can see if krill was being fed when live ghost shrimp was unavailable; but you would still have to include a fatty fish or live fish. Human grade krill would obviously be a better choice; the reason I don't feed lfs krill is that it is long dead, treated with ethoxyquin, and enhanced with chemical preservatives. My inclusion of the SFB silversides is minimal, by no means the dominant part of their diet.
On another note. All the research so far I have not food any other dead fish that fits the bill, as available and affordable as wild salmon. Fatty fish, or a live fish supplement does need to included imo.
BTW, that's the same mag that I read an article about the lifespan of moray eels in captivity. They touted 2 years as if that was good and a success. They pointed out the main issue was nutritional, but gave no advice. I've known eels into the teens, even high teens; and the secret was always human grade seafood bought fresh and frozen in small batches as the dominant part of their diet.
OP
OP
The banded jumped the tank twice consecutively while I was out of town. It hopped out while he was feeding pellets and once he caught it and returned it did it again but luckily just got on top of the tank and not to the floor. Very lucky the person looking after my tank is both a fisherman and a snake keeper. (He's got a great story about fishing on a boat in the Maldives where a tourist hooked and pulled aboard a large green moray which then went and chased everyone around the small boat.) I don't what I would have done had I lost the banded as it is the whole reason this project got started. Luckily it's fine though it lost some of its slime coat.
Video taken after I got back:
Video taken after I got back:
Yeah I keep my big eel net by the tank now, the tessa deems like he's going to come right out of the tank. Think I should put my eheim tongs at the ready also. You can't use your hands on that beast. Glad you had someone there that handled it.
OP
OP
Jumped out the opened lid while he was feeding other fish. I thinks its because both snakes have started competing for food at the surface now and it just went a bit too crazy that day.
Yes. Now have a net by the tank at all times too. Lesson learned.
OP
OP
Got a new but old addition. My murderous Falco hawkfish has finally been caught after 3 months of trying (I had to tear down my reef tank to do it). Now he's in this tank where there's nothing for it to beat up.
Similar threads
