? on adding an eel

[Trandall]

? About adding an eel
Hi everyone~
I have a 210 G. that is pretty much a FOWLR. At least it started that way but I've added a few hardy shrooms, softies etc.
My fish include....a Bluechin Trigger- Regal Angel- flame Angel- Purple Tang- Lemon-peel mimic Tang- Porky Puffer and a Lawnmower blenny.
All are pretty good sized, healthy, etc and have been residing peacefully in my tank now for at least 18 months together.
I'd like to had a smaller eel. Have several I'm considering. i know they are not considering reef safe as they will eat inverts. that'sd not a problem really.
I do have one big, gorgeous, green Brittle Star. I would not want him to be eel food!
So my question is, do you think an eel would take on a large brittle star?
Do any of you here successfully keep eels with larger inverts, etc with no problems?
thank you~

__________________
Terri Randall
Hobby Experience: In salt for a few years, reef a year & 1/2
Current Tanks: Have a 210 gallon reef and a 67 gallon reef
Interests: Pets, dogs, cats fish keeping, hiking & camping

 

[seascape]

i have a friend that has a FOWLR and he has 3 eels in his with other fish including smaller ones hes having no probs its a 250g.RJ

 

[Trandall]

That's good to know, thank you. But what about inverts or my Brittle star?

 

[stunreefer Verified Sponsor]

The eel will not bother a Brittle Star.

I wou highly advise against ever keeping large inverts such as large hermits. They can and will catch fish and eat them, or the eel might catch it and eat it. I have personally seen a red leg hermit (don't know species) catch and split in half a ~12" snowflake eel. He cut it right in half and went to town...

Stick with your current livestock, and you'd be fine with most eels... what species are you considering?

 

[JGoslee]

I have a 30" zebra moray eel in a 120gal with a few larger fish. I also have a brittle star in there somewhere that I've had for a wile. Steve the eel never pays any attention to him. Just don't plan on having any crabs or shrimp.

 

[seascape]

crabs and shrimp cant have

 

[Trandall]

Ah..... Well I might need to rethink this plan. I do have a very nice Sally Lightfoot in my tank too and I would hate to lose her. I've had her for a year and she's nearly the size of a dinner plate.

 

[JGoslee]

I don't think you have to worry about a dinner plate sized crab unless your planning on getting a 4' or larger eel!

 

[JGoslee]

My 30" zebra moray eats mithrax crabs and crayfish that are only about 3" or smaller.

 

[Trandall]

There are 2 at my LFS that I've been thinking about. 1 is a Snowflake <Echidna nebulosa)> and the other is a chain eel <Echidna catenata>. They are both around 8 to 10 inches long.
They both seem like o.k. choices. Would one be better than the other?

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

There are 2 at my LFS that I've been thinking about. 1 is a Snowflake <Echidna nebulosa)> and the other is a chain eel <Echidna catenata>. They are both around 8 to 10 inches long.
They both seem like o.k. choices. Would one be better than the other?

As for the snowflake with the information I have collected, they are quite aggressive and will hunt down most fish and even eat a fish which can be twice the size of its mouth but since I have never kept a snowflake, I can't tell exactly. I currently have a few species of eel's not all of them have the same personality and the same goes for my zebra moray

 

[littlefoxx]

As for the snowflake with the information I have collected, they are quite aggressive and will hunt down most fish and even eat a fish which can be twice the size of its mouth but since I have never kept a snowflake, I can't tell exactly. I currently have a few species of eel's not all of them have the same personality and the same goes for my zebra moray

This is not true for snowflakes. A fed eel is a happy eel. Snowflakes are probably the most docile eel you can get. Snowflakes are pebbletooth eels, they dont really eat fish, they eat inverts like crabs and shrimp. The rouge snowflakes that do eat some fish are usually due to poor care on the owner’s part and not feeding them enough.

 

[littlefoxx]

I have a jeweled moray and a snowflake eel. Jeweled eel is a fang tooth, he will eat fish. He eats wrasse and blennies I try to add to the tank. He wont mess with fish 2 inches and up. My snowflake will eat crabs and shrimp in the tank. If your crab is the size of a dinner plate probably would be fine for a snowflake as most are around 12 inches when sold and get to 24 inches fully grown. I have a sea hare, urchins, cucumbers and stars as my clean up crew. Neither eel messes with them. I have hermits in there that stay in my rocks, any that venture out to the sand bed get eaten, usually by my tusk. Both those eels would probably do fine in your tank, both are pebbletooth eels so they would eat crabs and shrimps. My eels last night :)

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

This is not true for snowflakes. A fed eel is a happy eel. Snowflakes are probably the most docile eel you can get. Snowflakes are pebbletooth eels, they dont really eat fish, they eat inverts like crabs and shrimp. The rouge snowflakes that do eat some fish are usually due to poor care on the owner’s part and not feeding them enough.

Really tempted to get one now Lol, I've literally set a whole goal to keep almost all eel species, I might aswell just set up a whole 'eel gallery' in the future, i alway's wanted an eel since a kid and here I am now with an obsession, thank you for proving me wrong if that's the case though I would confidently say that not all eel's have the same personality since my Tess would just not have anything in his way unlike with the other tesses I have seen living with multiple eel's

 

[littlefoxx]

Really tempted to get one now Lol, I've literally set a whole goal to keep almost all eel species, I might aswell just set up a whole 'eel gallery' in the future, i alway's wanted an eel since a kid and here I am now with an obsession, thank you for proving me wrong if that's the case though I would confidently say that not all eel's have the same personality since my Tess would just not have anything in his way unlike with the other tesses I have seen living with multiple eel's

Your tess is a fang tooth, so they naturally eat fish. Snowflake, zebra, and chainlink are all pebble tooth, they eat inverts. The scientific name will tell you which kind the eel is, pebbles tend to be more mild mannered. Like I said people who have snowflakes kill fish and eat them is usually because they are not feeding them the diet they need. My snowflake will not go for silversides at all but my jeweled loves them. My jeweled wont eat the shrimp I feed him but my snowflake will.

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

Your tess is a fang tooth, so they naturally eat fish. Snowflake, zebra, and chainlink are all pebble tooth, they eat inverts. The scientific name will tell you which kind the eel is, pebbles tend to be more mild mannered. Like I said people who have snowflakes kill fish and eat them is usually because they are not feeding them the diet they need. My snowflake will not go for silversides at all but my jeweled loves them. My jeweled wont eat the shrimp I feed him but my snowflake will.

Yes, my zebra doesn't even look at my mackerel which my fine spotted moray love's, yet, my fine spotted moray (which is infact) a fangtooth also loves shrimp's which just show's the differences between their preferences, i feed my fangtooth's clam's, squid, mackerel, shrimp yet, even being a fangtooth it amazes me that they love shrimp my Tess especially gobbles about 7 whole pieces of shrimp! Big one's aswell and since my fine spotted moray is a bit smaller him about 3!

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

I have a jeweled moray and a snowflake eel. Jeweled eel is a fang tooth, he will eat fish. He eats wrasse and blennies I try to add to the tank. He wont mess with fish 2 inches and up. My snowflake will eat crabs and shrimp in the tank. If your crab is the size of a dinner plate probably would be fine for a snowflake as most are around 12 inches when sold and get to 24 inches fully grown. I have a sea hare, urchins, cucumbers and stars as my clean up crew. Neither eel messes with them. I have hermits in there that stay in my rocks, any that venture out to the sand bed get eaten, usually by my tusk. Both those eels would probably do fine in your tank, both are pebbletooth eels so they would eat crabs and shrimps. My eels last night :)

Their colour's match so much! What size tank are they in? Do you plan to keep them in that same tank for a life time?

These are mine, they look so cool together! My god i just realised that this thread was made on 2009 haha!

 

[littlefoxx]

Their colour's match so much! What size tank are they in? Do you plan to keep them in that same tank for a life time?

These are mine, they look so cool together! My god i just realised that this thread was made on 2009 haha!

Lol I only commented cause it came up on the thread! But they are in a six foot 125 for now, Im planning and saving for an upgrade by the end of the year