Moray Eel in a reef

[Bellus Angel]

Looking to Push the Boat out in my 1000litre reef with generally Basic sps corals. The tank has been going 25 Years with ups as downs and various Changes
I avoided butterfly Fish and large Angels but now have three butterflyfish and three Lage Angels and a parrotfish without issues.
Considering a Moray Eel Anyone have experiences with one in a reef.
Looked at
Dwarf Morey Too expensive
Snowflake eel possible but risky with small fish as it matures and a escape risk
Zebra purchasing a small specimen only issue seems to be large adult size
White ribbon eel easier than a blue ribbon but still difficult to get feeding
Tank is covered but only with netting

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@littlefoxx @Slocke

 

[Slocke]

Looking to Push the Boat out in my 1000litre reef with generally Basic sps corals. The tank has been going 25 Years with ups as downs and various Changes
I avoided butterfly Fish and large Angels but now have three butterflyfish and three Lage Angels and a parrotfish without issues.
Considering a Moray Eel Anyone have experiences with one in a reef.
Looked at
Dwarf Morey Too expensive
Snowflake eel possible but risky with small fish as it matures and a escape risk
Zebra purchasing a small specimen only issue seems to be large adult size
White ribbon eel easier than a blue ribbon but still difficult to get feeding
Tank is covered but only with netting

So any eel needs a good lid.

GDE’s are not just expensive but often a scam as they are mostly from Hawaii where collection is illegal.

Snowflake are harmless with big fish as are any other Echidna eels and the zebra. Just make a better lid.

Only other suggestion is a snake eel. They need a good sand bed but are generally safe with fish. They do like to swim so are very interesting additions to reef tanks. Just be aware they will hide in the sand (or preferably PVC pipes a good amount of the time.

 

[littlefoxx]

Looking to Push the Boat out in my 1000litre reef with generally Basic sps corals. The tank has been going 25 Years with ups as downs and various Changes
I avoided butterfly Fish and large Angels but now have three butterflyfish and three Lage Angels and a parrotfish without issues.
Considering a Moray Eel Anyone have experiences with one in a reef.
Looked at
Dwarf Morey Too expensive
Snowflake eel possible but risky with small fish as it matures and a escape risk
Zebra purchasing a small specimen only issue seems to be large adult size
White ribbon eel easier than a blue ribbon but still difficult to get feeding
Tank is covered but only with netting

Snowflakes really only eat inverts, thats their main diet. Zebras are larger but very docile and very fish safe. They are larger but probably the most fish safe eel. Biggest thing about eels in a reef is they will eat CUC and inverts and can knock frags and corals off if they are not secure. I have 4 morays, but I attached some pictures so you can seen the size difference between the snowflake and zebra!

 

[littlefoxx]

Also I have two fang tooth eels that do eat fish. I keep them well fed. My little clown is under an inch and they dont mess with him when they could eat him easy. There he is and there is my dragon eel behind him. He is the most aggressive of my eels and he doesnt mess with fish usually, unless they are torpedo like (cleaner wrasse, small blennies)

 

[Keko21]

How do you keep the tank clean with an eel if it keeps eating the CUC? I am also considering a zebra ( I have had a snowflake in the past in a Fish Only tank and as expected it ate all the snails and crustaceans)

 

[GARRIGA]

Hopefully banana eel as friendly as my old snowflake as I've wanted that for decades and not even sure still obtainable but would add color to an already colorful reef and those I've seen seemed harmless enough. One store had a trio that hung out together which made that display even cooler. Guessing any CUC it can eat likely never to be seen.

 

[littlefoxx]

How do you keep the tank clean with an eel if it keeps eating the CUC? I am also considering a zebra ( I have had a snowflake in the past in a Fish Only tank and as expected it ate all the snails and crustaceans)

I get different CUC (sea hare, urchins, large and small hermits and a starfish usually). I do have to replenish my snails and hermits if they get eaten unfortunately. I also had a horse shoe crab for 2 years with no issues and she was wonderful in the sand. Ill probably be getting another, those dudes are almost indestructible. Lost mince cause she managed to get out of my small QT tank during an outbreak