Ribbon Eel, care and feeding ?

merlberg

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I tried garlic and he hates it lol. He smells it and moves away which is odd. But he loves the thong lol. And I have tried frozen clams but he spit it out but Thts all. He seems so picky I try to stick to what I knw :/.

Glad to hear frosty is doing good :).

I love yellow tails damsels but everytime I buy one my eel eats it or they just die:(

Wow you had a puffer for how long? And Sry to hear about his passing :/.

I recently got a dog faced puffer n thank god I put him in a QT first because the next day he had ich n I had to go back to where I bought him from so they can house him smh.

I am also praying when I do put him in my DT he will not bother my domino damsel which can be feisty or my green chromis. I'd be so ******. I've had both of them since the beginning of the year and I've lost somany fishes starting this hobby as I was so excited to get pretty fishes without really knowing how to keep a salt water tank :( [emoji85].

Would you get another puffer to put along with your damsel?
 
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427HISS

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Merlin the GREAT,....is doing GREAT ! :bigsmile:

I was a little concerned yesterday. The night before I gave him a pretty large silverside and yesterday,
he was at the back bottom of the tank all day and hardly moving. I even took a piece of hard airline
tubing to see it I touched him, if he would move ?

Happy to report, I think he was just too **** full ! lol
I put a Pepto-Bismol tablet in for him ! :tongue: (kidding) lol,....
 

merlberg

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**** glad to here Merlin is doing great as well.

That is hilarious about him just being to full because that def happened to me one time with Spinny and he literally was in 1 spot and wouldn't move at all. I got worried and started messing with him only to find out that he was fine but prob just really full since that day he ate about 2 or 3 silversides lol.

Umm are you sure you are only joking about giving him the tablet [emoji12][emoji13] lol
 

tyler1503

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I tried garlic and he hates it lol. He smells it and moves away which is odd. But he loves the thong lol. And I have tried frozen clams but he spit it out but Thts all. He seems so picky I try to stick to what I knw :/.

Glad to hear frosty is doing good :).

I love yellow tails damsels but everytime I buy one my eel eats it or they just die:(

Wow you had a puffer for how long? And Sry to hear about his passing :/.

I recently got a dog faced puffer n thank god I put him in a QT first because the next day he had ich n I had to go back to where I bought him from so they can house him smh.

I am also praying when I do put him in my DT he will not bother my domino damsel which can be feisty or my green chromis. I'd be so ******. I've had both of them since the beginning of the year and I've lost somany fishes starting this hobby as I was so excited to get pretty fishes without really knowing how to keep a salt water tank :( [emoji85].

Would you get another puffer to put along with your damsel?
Fair enough. If something's working, why mess with it right?
I had him for about three years or so. He became one of the family. He had a better personality than some dogs do. He was definitely more of a pet as opposed to just some fish.
I like the dog face puffers :) I'm yet to keep one, but they are super cool! From my experience most puffers are pretty docile towards other fish, so you should be ok.
I'd love to get another puffer. I wouldn't put one in with the damsel and eel though. That tank is overstocked with just the eel, so it would be a bad idea to add more fish lol. I'd put it in my 120 :)

Haha I love how some eels like to play dead after a big feed. Frosty does it constantly. She just wants to hide out and not be bothered by anyone. Much like when a human has a tummy ache!
 
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merlberg

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Haha Thts what I say if it ain't broke dnt fix it lol.

Awee 3 yrs, I can't wait to say I've had my fish for a year let alone 3 :). Lol @ his personality being better than some dogs.

And you knw what Thts how I feel about all my fishes :) they are not just fishes to me lol. My siblings thinks I'm a weirdo because I'm literally doing something to my tank like everyday lol. I need help [emoji24][emoji30][emoji85] lol
 

tyler1503

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Haha Thts what I say if it ain't broke dnt fix it lol.

Awee 3 yrs, I can't wait to say I've had my fish for a year let alone 3 :). Lol @ his personality being better than some dogs.

And you knw what Thts how I feel about all my fishes :) they are not just fishes to me lol. My siblings thinks I'm a weirdo because I'm literally doing something to my tank like everyday lol. I need help [emoji24][emoji30][emoji85] lol

Exactly!
I almost give up the hobby because I kept losing fish and couldn't figure out why. Then I found this little puffer in the LFS and just HAD to own it! Best $25 I ever spent! Lol. He's actually the reason I stayed in this hobby, I was going to sell all my stuff to the LFS until I saw him. I wasn't leaving that store without that fish! Actually, he had a more interesting personality than some humans I know lol.
I become attached to my fish too :) they're not just disposable pets to me like they are to some people. Hahaha no one needs help for being obsessed with their tanks! What we do need is more time to spend on our tanks!
 

merlberg

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That would of def. Discouraged me as well if I kept losing fish constantly as it did once I first started. Not sure what I was doin wrong but I've lost a few and still can't figure out why I can't seem to keep any yellow tail damsels alive :/

Wow $25 bucks!! That's a great price... I paid 55 for my puffer for it to have ich smh.

Yea they def. Are to some people. My younger brother makes fun of me all the time because of how much time I give my fishes lol but I'm ok with it :). I agree w/ us needing more time to spend on our tanks [emoji51]
 

tyler1503

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I was nearly going to give up again when I lost the puffer, but couldn't bring myself to get rid of frosty. This hobby is really hard sometimes.
I'm sure now that there's been a few fish in the tank for a few months you could keep a damsel :) that's if spinny behaves himself!
I was stoked when I saw how much he cost! Some guy previously owned him and shut the tank down so he took him back to the LFS where they sold him at a discounted price to move him on as quick as possible. I cashed in and got a great deal!
Lol maybe he's just jealous that you have an awesome tank and he doesn't :)
 

merlberg

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Wow... Realy after the puffer. I def knw the feeling :/ just discouraged after a few losses and not knowing why can def. Do that. Esp if you continue to lose after you think you are doing everything right! Ugh this was def. Me when I first started but after getting Spinny I was so determine to get him to eat but wasn't very hopefully up until this forum and with the help of you guys [emoji4][emoji4][emoji51]. After doing so much research on black ribbons it can def. Discourage one but you guys gave me hope and it worked [emoji51]. This hobby is def. Not easy :/ but well worth it when everything is going well [emoji4]

Haaa exactly Thts if he behaves himself lol. I feel like he won't but I'm going to try 1 more time eventually or not depending on my puffer lol.

Yea you got a great deal but listen to this. So I bought my puffer for 55 and the fish store I usually go too rarely have puffers but sometimes they do.

I went there yesterday and I seen 3 puffers, dog face, a 2 different kinds not sure of the names but one was yellow.

You wouldn't believe the price they were going for smh grrrr. They were going for like 37 bucks man when I looked at tht price I couldn't believe I paid 55 lol.

They also had that yellow box fish you just purchased for a pretty good price [emoji30] I wanted to buy it so bad but I'm not tryna get anything else until my puffer is clear of ich.

**** haha He is def. Jealous ... my bro is actually into reptiles [emoji19] lol he has a huge that he had since tiny. To each's own I guess lol!
 

tyler1503

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Wow... Realy after the puffer. I def knw the feeling :/ just discouraged after a few losses and not knowing why can def. Do that. Esp if you continue to lose after you think you are doing everything right! Ugh this was def. Me when I first started but after getting Spinny I was so determine to get him to eat but wasn't very hopefully up until this forum and with the help of you guys [emoji4][emoji4][emoji51]. After doing so much research on black ribbons it can def. Discourage one but you guys gave me hope and it worked [emoji51]. This hobby is def. Not easy :/ but well worth it when everything is going well [emoji4]

Haaa exactly Thts if he behaves himself lol. I feel like he won't but I'm going to try 1 more time eventually or not depending on my puffer lol.

Yea you got a great deal but listen to this. So I bought my puffer for 55 and the fish store I usually go too rarely have puffers but sometimes they do.

I went there yesterday and I seen 3 puffers, dog face, a 2 different kinds not sure of the names but one was yellow.

You wouldn't believe the price they were going for smh grrrr. They were going for like 37 bucks man when I looked at tht price I couldn't believe I paid 55 lol.

They also had that yellow box fish you just purchased for a pretty good price [emoji30] I wanted to buy it so bad but I'm not tryna get anything else until my puffer is clear of ich.

**** haha He is def. Jealous ... my bro is actually into reptiles [emoji19] lol he has a huge that he had since tiny. To each's own I guess lol!

Eergh. I know right! I lost a lot of fish early on thinking I was doing things right and not knowing what was happening. Frustrating I tells ya! It's a good learning experience though.
I agree, I have/had quite a few hobbies and this is definitely the most frustrating, yet satisfying of the lot!
Lol eels are too unpredictable like that. You can buy enclosed breeder boxes designed for guppies, mollie's and other livebearers. Maybe you could use one of them to house the damsel for a few days with spinny to see how they react to each other? I don't know how well the lids seal though. They're like an acclimation box but fully enclosed.
Argh the price difference of fish is so bad here in aus. I've read in certain parts of the US damsels can cost like $3 each. They're so much more here in aus!
Do you have my pics of the Cowfish you bought? :)
Haha I've always had a soft spot for reptiles. I'd love to own an Aussie moloch and a bearded dragon one day. Fish come before lizards though!
 

merlberg

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Yes I agree it is a good learning experience tho.

I've seen those before, I feel that he just can't stay with one. He always goes for them :/ but it's worth a shot to try.

Yes, damsels are pretty cheap. I think the cheapest I ever paid was 4 bucks. How much are they in Aus?

I'm going to final take a pic now :).

Ahh Thts what he has a bearded dragon n he had it tiny and he must be doing something right because I am afraid of it now lol haaa its huge but yes fishes before any reptiles lol
ImageUploadedByREEF2REEF1427030421.076657.jpg
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tyler1503

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Yes I agree it is a good learning experience tho.

I've seen those before, I feel that he just can't stay with one. He always goes for them :/ but it's worth a shot to try.

Yes, damsels are pretty cheap. I think the cheapest I ever paid was 4 bucks. How much are they in Aus?

I'm going to final take a pic now :).

Ahh Thts what he has a bearded dragon n he had it tiny and he must be doing something right because I am afraid of it now lol haaa its huge but yes fishes before any reptiles lol
ImageUploadedByREEF2REEF1427030421.076657.jpg
ImageUploadedByREEF2REEF1427030599.115211.jpg

Sorry, I missed this post the other day.
That sucks, maybe a larger species of damsel? Then you might have aggression issues as most damsels are cranky.
Awesome! $4 marine fish would be way cool. I've never seen any marine fish for less than $12 and that was a one off, sick, dying, domino damsel. Damsels usually start at around $14-$15 here.
Nice fish! The horns on yours look longer than mine :p
Haha I like how spiky they are! Some can be pretty scary though :S
 
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427HISS

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Does anyone know where I can buy small,.....silversides ?
The ones from Hikari are too big (even their small sized fish pack) so I have to cut them in half or more, so he's not getting the fish
innards that are rich in protein etc....
 
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Ro Bow

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WOO-HOO !!! :peace:

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-
was the silverside frozen or live?
 

LB_Reef30

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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!
I just got a ghost ribbon eel on Wednesday and although it states it might take a few days for them to eat, I’ve been trying anyway. I’ve been offering him shrimp or clam meat but he doesn’t seem at all interested. He does since yesterday have this medium bulge in his tummy as if he’s eaten something. Does that mean he’s eaten if there’s a lump in the tummy or… please help!!
 

lion king

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I just got a ghost ribbon eel on Wednesday and although it states it might take a few days for them to eat, I’ve been trying anyway. I’ve been offering him shrimp or clam meat but he doesn’t seem at all interested. He does since yesterday have this medium bulge in his tummy as if he’s eaten something. Does that mean he’s eaten if there’s a lump in the tummy or… please help!!

You may want to make your own post to get some traction on your question. A bulge could be from something large that he has eaten which could also be something that has caused a blockage. Are any of your fish missing, ghost eels many times will need something live to get them eating initially, and may present a challenge in feeding. Maintain mg at reef level or as high as 1600ppm to help with digestion, mg will also help to pass any blockage. Did you get him from a lfs and do you know what they were feeding him. Once he becomes active it will be an indication that he is hungry, and hunting. At this point you can try to offer food again, make sure the pieces are not too large, they will take slivers as wide as their nose rather than fat chunks. After a few days if he doesn't show interest in dead food, you may need to offer him something live, they are fish eaters and an appropriate sized molly would be a good offering.
 
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