Snowflake Eels, an intermediate hobbiest's dream fish

HookedReefing

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I've been wanting a Snowflake eel since I was a kid, but never really had a fishtank for salt water or one large enough... now I have a spare thirty gallon I think I want to set up for a reef and I want to know If having only the eel and some inverts would be fine. Any recommendations or advice would be very appreciated! It would also be cool if you guys could share your experience with these beauties and some pictures as well!
 

Zionas

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I have never kept an Eel myself and I’ve dabbled on the fence with wanting one, may well want to try a Snowflake in the future but worried they’ll need lots of live / fresh food though could be wrong.

However I’d say a 30 gallon is too small and I personally wouldn’t do one in anything less than a standard 4ft 55, maybe even a 4ft 75.

Maybe if you only have the Eel that could be just fine. They do produce lots of waste though.
 
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HookedReefing

HookedReefing

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I have never kept an Eel myself and I’ve dabbled on the fence with wanting one, may well want to try a Snowflake in the future but worried they’ll need lots of live / fresh food though could be wrong.

However I’d say a 30 gallon is too small and I personally wouldn’t do one in anything less than a standard 4ft 55, maybe even a 4ft 75.
Thanks for the quick response! After looking into it a bit more I does seem alot safer to invest into a larger tank. Maybe I could use the 30 gallon breeder as a sump...
 
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Yeah why not? :) I’d say maybe a 40 breeder would probably be fine for the Eel alone. If you want to keep it with other fish I’d probably do at least a standard 75 gallon. :)
Eel only for me! I just want something different. I've always had fishtabks growing up and figured having an eel would be bad butt!
 

uhgster1

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I had one in a 125. I had to hand feed because it would not eat anything that looked “dead”. I would put a minnow or piece of fish on the end of tongs and waved it in front of it and it worked for three years until I decided to go the reef route and traded all my predators away. You MUST keep a lid over the tank. Mine escaped at least three times before I got a good screen top that covered every square inch of the top. They are cool but if you have really boisterous fish around it you’ll rarely see it out in the open.
 

sp1187

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your fine with a 30g for an eel up to 10".
in nature they pick a hole and generally stay there only to venture out to feed.
and since you'll be supplying a food regularly they don't need a lot of space to go hunting.
put a top on the tank. they like to go exploring occasionally.
 

dvgyfresh

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I’ve had a snowflake eel and yes you need a top that covers every inch , they are escape artists just like a snake. Mine mostly chilled and was fed krill and silversides by tongs. Housed with clowns damsels cleaner shrimp hermit crabs with no issues he only would eat off the tongs. Loved to lay in the pvc pipe and just watch lol
 

dvgyfresh

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Thanks. Think I’ll pass on the Eel or any fish that requires lots of fresh / live foods. Plus like you I’m going for a reef.
They are reef safe and just eat frozen food like everyone else, only difference is you have to use tongs or skewer with the food
 

lion king

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Snowflakes are pebble tooth eels, they eat crustaceans as part of their natural diet. Larger ones will also eat small fish, they are predators by nature. In smaller tanks even more so, the old "feeding well" notion, us just that, a "notion". They do need at least a 55g to be kept alone; urchins, starfish, and similar will be fine. Snails possible, but usually need to be replaced, which is no biggie. Shrimp, crabs, lobsters, and the like will eventually become food; providing he is well taken care and actually reaches maturity. Sadly people can only keep them a short while, research says 2 to 4 years in captivity, and they think that is fine. A poor diet usually leads to premature death. In the wild snowflakes live as long as 20 years, so 2 to 4 years is an abomanation, please do your research into proper nutrition to keep these guys for long term
 
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HookedReefing

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Thanks. Think I’ll pass on the Eel or any fish that requires lots of fresh / live foods. Plus like you I’m going for a reef.
I agree, but since
Snowflakes are pebble tooth eels, they eat crustaceans as part of their natural diet. Larger ones will also eat small fish, they are predators by nature. In smaller tanks even more so, the old "feeding well" notion, us just that, a "notion". They do need at least a 55g to be kept alone; urchins, starfish, and similar will be fine. Snails possible, but usually need to be replaced, which is no biggie. Shrimp, crabs, lobsters, and the like will eventually become food; providing he is well taken care and actually reaches maturity. Sadly people can only keep them a short while, research says 2 to 4 years in captivity, and they think that is fine. A poor diet usually leads to premature death. In the wild snowflakes live as long as 20 years, so 2 to 4 years is an abomanation, please do your research into proper nutrition to keep these guys for long term
Thank you for the valuable information! I may rethink about purchasing an eel. From the information that everyone has provided it seems much more difficult and rather cruel to house these eels in my available tanks. I appreciate the information you guys have compiled and provided! Mnay thanks!
 

paul barker

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30 is to small for them and if you can get them to eat good for you they are hard to keep and sometimes they will eat anything they can fit i there mouths I had one 5 years love him but it was a lot of work at first to get him to eat and when he did finally made my 75 gal his home he eat all my shrimp and snails and a couple small fish
 

Hadla

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I have two in my 225, the smaller one stays in his rock home and the larger one likes to swim around occasionally. They both eat whatever thawed leftovers they find after my greedy Stars and Stripes is full. I’ve never had to hand or tong feed them. I’ve always loved eels also and love having them now!
 

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