Ribbon Eel, care and feeding ?

427HISS · Feb 8, 2015

I don't know if this is where we have questions about Eel's ?

Like other Eels, is their eyesight really poor to see food, so they react to movement and smell ?

Anyway, I purchased a beautiful,....young (still black, not blue) Ribbon Eel.
I trust the store owner when he said he's been eating like a pig. So last night I put him a our 55g tank
which at the moment, he's all alone until we get our 125g mixed reef up and running.

I tried feeding him a silverside, but he's not interested in food yet and I know he needs time, but is
there anything I can do to entice him to eat ?

Should I soak food with Ginger ?

I read to put a few small live freshwater fish in the tank to eat, like Molly's. Is that a good idea or not ?

Any other advise with types of food and care is welcomed.

Thanks.

NanaReefer · Feb 8, 2015

IMO do not feed fresh water fish to your Eel. I've read much on the Ribbon Eel being very difficult to keep. Getting them to eat being the main reason. Personally I would have had the LFS prove it was eating before hand.
I've never heard of soaking food in Ginger. Sure you don't mean Garlic?

427HISS · Feb 8, 2015

lol,...yep, GARLIC !

We always,....ask shop owners to feed any fish that we may buy, but this time, we did not. Most of the time,
he keeps fish that we like for a week or two, to see how well it eats and any parasite's that may appear, etc.

I wish I had put him in a smaller tank, so it's easier to feed and see, rather than in a larger tank with LOT's of rocks to hide in.

427HISS · Feb 8, 2015

WOO-HOO !!!

eace:

He just ate a good sized piece of a silverside fish !

It was funny watching him as it was a little too big of piece, but he
kept at it and now has a big BULBGE,..... in his tummy ! lol.....

I'm so,ooooo happy !

Now I can sit back and watch him ! :couch2:

Photo's from last night-

NanaReefer · Feb 8, 2015

Fantastic!! Your gonna need a bigger tank sooooon-lol.

427HISS · Feb 8, 2015

lol,.....

The plans are to put him in the 125g that we're currently working on setting up. (no baby fish) lol
I'm amazed he's eating very well already !

We've named him, "Merlin", as my wife thinks he's,.... magical as he swims. lol

tyler1503 · Feb 9, 2015

Great news! A lot of hardcore reefers can have issues feeding these guys! He'll quickly become your favourite fish, they can have a GREAT personality.
I would start him off on smaller pieces of food he can get down in one mouthful though. He needs this acclimation phase to be as easy and comfortable as possible. They can randomly stop eating if they eat too much too quickly and it often doesn't end well.
Just remember he will eat anything that fits in his mouth!

427HISS · Feb 9, 2015

I just tried feeing him again today, and at first he wasn't hungry, I assumed since he ate yesterday, and the first try, I soaked a small slice silverside in garlic and Selcon ,.....and the same for the second try and he wasn't interested.
Then, I thought maybe he didn't like the smell, especially the garlic, so I tried once more piece (if he didn't eat this larger slice, I would give it to a anemone) and he ate this time !!!

So, how do I know he's full, so he doesn't stop eating, don't force the food on him ?
Why does that happen ?

tyler1503 · Feb 9, 2015

Although this article is mainly aimed at snowflakes, the section on feeding is fairly universal among most moray species so hopefully you will find some useful info here https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=190769
Essentially the eel will tell you when he is full as he should return to his hideout. This can be a bit tricky to tell at first as the eel is probably still out a bit and exploring his new environment. But once settled, it should be very obvious when he has eaten a suitable amount as, like I said, he will return to his chosen hideout. At first just feed what you think is suitable, or perhaps a little less. A little less won't hurt right now, but too much can hurt. Especially with ribbons. I've found some of them to be tricky to feed even once reliably taking food.
You should never have to force food on the eel. Let him come to you and let him eat in his own time. Forcing the food towards his face too often can cause damage to his sense of smell as it is overly sensitive and can lead to issues in the future.
He could possibly stop eating if he eats too much as it can be difficult to digest a huge portion and this could stress him out to the point of losing his appetite. They're a very skinny eel and only have small stomachs compared to other species of moray. I've only witnessed this in ribbons, all other eels I've had experience with don't behave that way.
If after a few hours or so you can still see the food bulging from his stomach you've possibly fed too much. Just feed a little less next time an you should be ok.
This is all just my opinion however.
Just remember the hardest part is over and good luck!

NanaReefer · Feb 9, 2015

Wonderful seeing you take the time to share your knowledge Tyler. Kudos!

tyler1503 · Feb 10, 2015

Thanks nana! I'm always happy to share the little knowledge I have! What's the point in knowing something if you don't want to share it?

miyags · Feb 10, 2015

Try some frozen raw squid. cut it in skinny little strips. Make sure every inch of your aquarium top is covered. I lost mine,where the heater cord entered the tank 1/2in x2in space. I had filter floss stuck in it, and didn't notice I knocked it out.

miyags · Feb 10, 2015

Have you seen the video on youtube. Where they have pvc pipe buried under the sand bed for the eels home. Thats a great Idea.

427HISS · Feb 10, 2015

tyler1503 said:
Thanks nana! I'm always happy to share the little knowledge I have! What's the point in knowing something if you don't want to share it?

I agree my friend, share knowledge. (if it's good knowledge) lol :tongue:

Have you been keeping Ell's for a while ?

Please share,......anything, and photo's if you have them !

427HISS · Feb 10, 2015

miyags said:
Try some frozen raw squid. cut it in skinny little strips. Make sure every inch of your aquarium top is covered. I lost mine,where the heater cord entered the tank 1/2in x2in space. I had filter floss stuck in it, and didn't notice I knocked it out.

The tank he's in now, is a closed loop with glass lids. The only area I need to address is where the AquaMaxx HOB-1 skimmer is.
I need to get a piece of acrylic to cover up that area.

The squid is a good idea, because the silversides I have are quite large. When I slice one in half, the guts come out,
and I would assume,....that those are nutritious ? (icky) !!!

So sorry you lost yours buddy !

427HISS · Feb 10, 2015

miyags said:
Have you seen the video on youtube. Where they have pvc pipe buried under the sand bed for the eels home. Thats a great Idea.

Yes I have, and it's a great idea, like for new fish in the QT.

With having a lot of live rock, is a pipe necessary ?
When we get the 125g done and transfer him, I'm sure I'll put a long piece in.

tyler1503 · Feb 10, 2015

427HISS said:
I agree my friend, share knowledge. (if it's good knowledge) lol :tongue:

Have you been keeping Ell's for a while ?

Please share,......anything, and photo's if you have them !

Knowledge is power!

I've kept several different species of eel for pretty much my entire 4 years in the hobby. I think all up there's been about 6 months (most likely less) where I haven't owned or been looking after an eel of some sort. And that 6 months has always been during setup/cycling/stocking phases.
Check out that link I posted above. It contains pretty much all the knowledge i have that I felt was worth sharing. Although I do have some additional information I would like to add to the article, I just have to write it out first.
Here's my current snowflake

ImageUploadedByREEF2REEF1423606987.820446.jpg

427HISS said:
Yes I have, and it's a great idea, like for new fish in the QT.

With having a lot of live rock, is a pipe necessary ?
When we get the 125g done and transfer him, I'm sure I'll put a long piece in.

I would still invest in some PVC regardless of how much rock you have. Extra hiding places will make your eel far more comfortable. I'd go about 2 inches wide and at the very least long enough to contain his entire body, plus several inches.
Assuming he takes to the pipe, you'll always know here he is and that makes feeding a lot easier!