Feeding Zebra Eel
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brmreefer
Well-Known Member
I feed mine frozen bait shrimp that is labled "Not For Human Consumption."
My guess for the label is because they don't treat it with any preservatives like some frozen bagged shrimp I've found in grocery stores. Info can be found on the bags.
Fresh caught shrimp maybe a whole different story though.
Live shrimp would be the ultimate, not saying to put live shrimp in the tank, but at least one knows it has not been treated with anything prior to personally freezing them for storage after dying off.
Been feeding mine this way for over a year now at least and it is at or over 3 feet in length.
My guess for the label is because they don't treat it with any preservatives like some frozen bagged shrimp I've found in grocery stores. Info can be found on the bags.
Fresh caught shrimp maybe a whole different story though.
Live shrimp would be the ultimate, not saying to put live shrimp in the tank, but at least one knows it has not been treated with anything prior to personally freezing them for storage after dying off.
Been feeding mine this way for over a year now at least and it is at or over 3 feet in length.
OP
OP
Beautiful eel. What do you think if I go to the fish market and get fresh shrimp clams or squid? Would that be ok? Or is getting it from a bait shop better? Idk lolI feed mine frozen bait shrimp that is labled "Not For Human Consumption."
My guess for the label is because they don't treat it with any preservatives like some frozen bagged shrimp I've found in grocery stores. Info can be found on the bags.
Fresh caught shrimp maybe a whole different story though.
Live shrimp would be the ultimate, not saying to put live shrimp in the tank, but at least one knows it has not been treated with anything prior to personally freezing them for storage after dying off.
Been feeding mine this way for over a year now at least and it is at or over 3 feet in length.
OP
OP
Your zebra is huge, how big was he when you got him? Does he bother any of your fish? I did my research and was told zebras aren’t fish eaters but I want to hear it from experience too
brmreefer
Well-Known Member
Zebra Eels have blunt plated teeth for crushing. I think it was around 2 ft when we got it.
It's funny, we have a convict tang that tail whips the eel back into it's hole. The most agression I've seen from the eel is when it gets irritated at the convict tang from getting in it's face and lashes out to try and scare the tang away. Other than that, it has been really peaceful.
I would caution about keeping crabs or shrimp with it though. It could decide to have a snack.
It's funny, we have a convict tang that tail whips the eel back into it's hole. The most agression I've seen from the eel is when it gets irritated at the convict tang from getting in it's face and lashes out to try and scare the tang away. Other than that, it has been really peaceful.
I would caution about keeping crabs or shrimp with it though. It could decide to have a snack.
OP
OP
Human grade seafood is best, as any seafood sold for the pet trade is treated with Ethoxyquin unless specifically stated, that's why "not for human consumption". This preservative is bad news and may be one of the contributing factors of the dismal captive life span in specifically predatory fish, eels included. Shrimp with shells, scallop, squid, clams and mussels. Mussels have great nutrients including a high amount of B1, which is a common deficiency which effects eels. Although the zebra is a pebble tooth, some chunks of salmon if they will take it, tremendous amount of efa's and B1. If you buy fresh and freeze in small batches that you use within a few months, you could have that eel for as long as 20 years, where most only keep them a few years. Overfeeding, usually in the form of too frequent feeding is also a leading cause of death; this creates fatty liver disease. Eels do best on a gorge fast eating schedule; feed their full, then a few days between for digestion, eventually getting into something like a weekly feeding. They also appreciate a live fiddler crab and as I mentioned, shell on shrimp, just trim any sharp edges. Shells are vital for ca and other minerals, maintaining reef levels of ca and mg, fish do use nutrients from the water column.
OP
OP
Wow thank you for this information. I’m taking everything you said into consideration. I picked up squid and shrimp today from my local fish market, I’m gonna go back and get muscles too, obviously muscles need to be pulled out of the shell right and feed him the insides? Putting my eel on a strict feeding schedule every 3 days feed until he’s full and that’s it.
Yes I pull mussels and clams out of the shell. Every 3 days is fine while he's growing but eventually a weekly schedule seems to work best. They will let you know when they are full and let them cruise around for a while before feeding again. As I stated earlier, too frequent feeding is a top reason for an early demise. Don't just start feeding every time they poke their head out and start begging for food, You'll also enjoy a more active eel by not overfeeding.
OP
OP
When you say a weekly schedule you mean for example to only feed on like specific days of the week and that’s it?
brmreefer
Well-Known Member
That's good info there. I'm going to have to change my source and head to the market for our eel.
Again big thanks!
I mean like around every 7 days. I have found people with the most success with eels, don't feed more than once a week, I know some going to 10 days between feedings. Certain fish, predatory fish that eat on a gorge/fast routine in the wild, have a tendency to succumb to fatty liver disease in just a few years if fed too frequently. Juveniles, growing boys and girls can be fed more frequently, maybe twice a week; but when reaching adulthood the feeding schedule should get further apart.
brmreefer
Well-Known Member
Just sharing the following info I got.
I reached out to Killer Bee Bait company (Walmart Frozen Bait - Headless Shrimp) and this is what they replied with.
Hopefully it is the truth, but you never know for sure.
I reached out to Killer Bee Bait company (Walmart Frozen Bait - Headless Shrimp) and this is what they replied with.
Hopefully it is the truth, but you never know for sure.
Just sharing the following info I got.
I reached out to Killer Bee Bait company (Walmart Frozen Bait - Headless Shrimp) and this is what they replied with.
Hopefully it is the truth, but you never know for sure.
I seriously doubt that is true, the fda rules are different for products "not for human consumption, and they do not have to list all the ingredients. You can do a search on preservatives used on fish products in pet foods, etc industry, etc. The Ethoxyquin I mentioned is sprayed on the fish products at the dock and Walmart may not actually be the one using it, so they are able to say, they don't use perservatives. It is pretty standard for all fish products "not for human consumption", unless explicitly stated, "does not contain Ethoxyquin".
brmreefer
Well-Known Member
I am going to have to see about getting me some live bait shrimp. Seems like a safer bet in my opinion since they are live when purchased. Should not be too bad to find in my area here in Florida.
Here's the main pount. Moray eels live 20 to 30 years inbthe wild. The "so called" experts state that eels live 2 to 4 years in captivity, and even worse, they make this statement as being acceptable. They also point to diet and nutrition being one of the primary reasons for such a dismal captive life span, yet they offer no solutions. Somebthe things I've stated in this thread have contributed to me seeing some eeks living well into the teens.
Lion King makes some great points and I feed mine a fairly similar diet. One thing I like to do is mix it up occasionally by using "rods predator blend" this food has a mixture of clams, scallops, shrimp, fish, and other things. It's large grain size is suitable food for most medium-large sized eels.
I believe LRS also has a chunky blend for predators, but i've yet to find it as not many stores carry it.
I believe LRS also has a chunky blend for predators, but i've yet to find it as not many stores carry it.
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