Garden eels

[Dead2Me]

What’s your thoughts on whether to qt garden eels? I’ve read conflicting information. Some recommend observation for 4-6wks. With possibly treating with prazi or metro if needed. Others recommend just adding them to DT. Mainly due to them being sensitive to environmental stress.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

What’s your thoughts on whether to qt garden eels? I’ve read conflicting information. Some recommend observation for 4-6wks. With possibly treating with prazi or metro if needed. Others recommend just adding them to DT. Mainly due to them being sensitive to environmental stress.

That’s a tough one. IMO, unless your quarantine is set up with a deep sand bed, just put them onto the display. We would use observational quarantine for 45 days if we were adding eels to a display that already had eels in it (to help protect the existing fish).

Garden eels are known to develop Neobenedenia flukes ( years ago, we wrote that up in a paper because other eels don’t develop that). You can treat that in your DT if it shows up because praziquantel is reef safe.

In case you haven’t seen my article on them:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/garden-eels.1080/

 

[Dead2Me]

What’s your thoughts on whether to qt garden eels? I’ve read conflicting information. Some recommend observation for 4-6wks. With possibly treating with prazi or metro if needed. Others recommend just adding them to DT. Mainly due to them being sensitive to environmental stress.

I’ve read your article. It’s very informative. I’m doing a mixed garden eel tank. I added two splendid today. However, one seems to have a bubble in its throat
View attachment 1783989199

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Not sure what a "bubble" would be - can you post a pic or video?

 

[Dead2Me]

Not sure what a "bubble" would be - can you post a pic or video?

Sorry. I’m not sure why it didn’t load

 

[Dead2Me]

 

[christinna77]

These are my dream fish, I'd love to have a garden eel tank in the future. Hope your little guy can pull through!

 

[Dead2Me]

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry - that doesn’t look good. It isn’t burrowing properly and is breathing too fast. The bubble is swelling in the area of its anus. That indicates some internal issue like a blockage. There isn’t anything that you can do for it though.

I always found that the green hass’s eels are sturdier than these preclaras.