Lukebora
Community Member
I am considering getting an eel for my 150 gallon reef tank. Anyone have any suggestions on eels that are reef safe and not hostile or able to keep non hostile against other tank mates?
Wanting to get a eel
- Thread starter Lukebora
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I don't think any eel is truly reef safe because if they want to they can eat anything they can catch. There are definitely some safe-ER options, but none truly reef safe that I've heard of. Snowflake eels I've seen some folks pull off. Also keep in mind you'll need a secure and tightly fitting cover.
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Gumbies R Us
Another Fish in the Sea
There's a couple of people on here who have a lot of knowledge about eels, maybe they can chime in and help you out!
By all accounts that I've heard, the pebble-toothed species are generally the safest, with the zebra moray (despite its size) being the safest of them from what I've heard.
Chainlink, Skeletor, Banded, and Snowflake are all pebbletooths too - Snowflake is by far the most common that I've seen, but there are reports of them occasionally going on feeding frenzies and eating tankmates; I don't know if the others would be safer or not (since they're less common, there aren't as many data points to work with).
That said, all pebble-tooths are invert-eaters, so while they're safe with fish, they may not be with any inverts you want to keep.
Fang-toothed species are the fish-eaters, and to my understanding need large tankmates that can handle themselves.
Regardless, I'd really suggest looking through some of lion king's threads (like those below) on eels and predator nutrition here on R2R to get an idea of proper care for long-term health:
www.reef2reef.com
www.reef2reef.com
www.reef2reef.com
www.reef2reef.com
Chainlink, Skeletor, Banded, and Snowflake are all pebbletooths too - Snowflake is by far the most common that I've seen, but there are reports of them occasionally going on feeding frenzies and eating tankmates; I don't know if the others would be safer or not (since they're less common, there aren't as many data points to work with).
That said, all pebble-tooths are invert-eaters, so while they're safe with fish, they may not be with any inverts you want to keep.
Fang-toothed species are the fish-eaters, and to my understanding need large tankmates that can handle themselves.
Regardless, I'd really suggest looking through some of lion king's threads (like those below) on eels and predator nutrition here on R2R to get an idea of proper care for long-term health:
Eels as pets
I usually post in Predatory Forum, today I thought I would post here to get exposure. For some reason when people research eels, they fail to realize, these are awesome predators. I've seen alot of interest and failures of late, my lfs told me they sold 3 eels last week, that's alot for eels...
www.reef2reef.com
Eel Prepper
Eels and lions have alot in common; I have seen many posts lately concerning eels, so I thought I would pass on some information that I have learned over the years. !st off, know your source, do not get an eel from a source that runs copper in their system. Eels have sensitivity to copper...
www.reef2reef.com
Quality of food for predators
These statistics are even reported by the hobbyist magazines you are all familiar with, how predators in the aquarium have a dismal lifespan. Here are some of the numbers I've read; moray eels 2-4 years, volitan lions 3-5 years, dwarf lions 1-2 years, anglers 1-2 years, various scorps and others...
www.reef2reef.com
more FOOD for thought
Nutrition, maybe even more important than water quality, or at least equal to. I always give the disclaimer, that I am not an expert, because like myself, I expect everyone to do their own research. Oops, I forgot those were the 4 most dangerous words, "do your own research". I have over 3...
www.reef2reef.com
vetteguy53081
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Ribbon ideal but need GOOD water quality, snowflake, Zebra moray ,golden dwarf moray and stunning japanese dragon eel. Realize that most eels are messy housekeepers and will cause ammonia and other nitrogen byproducts tend to generate and have affecy on water quality and ironic is that they are sensitive to ammonia and nitrate at increased levels
Bj’s Reef
Valuable Member
My snowflake eel has been in my reef tank for about four years now. It has been a model citizen all this time. However it will eat any crabs it finds. However he hasn’t bothered any fish. In fact my fish bully him from time to time. My copperband even gets in on the bullying from time to time. But this is just my experience with this species of eel. I keep my eel well fed, and he knows what his feeding tong looks like. So he waits to be fed.
Bj’s Reef
Valuable Member
I have some Mexican tubro snails in the tank. He ignores them. However I do keep him well fed. He was the diameter of a pencil when I got him. Now he’s full grown and doing well.
Lukebora
Community Member
What do you feed him?
littlefoxx
5000 Club Member
Ive got a jeweled moray and a snowflake moray eel!
Bj’s Reef
Valuable Member
I feed my eel. Shrimp, scallops, squid and octopus cut into pieces. I like to vary his diet. I also get a frozen predator mix from my lfs. It has clams fish cut fish etc that I feed as well. The eels are really fun to feed.
Bj’s Reef
Valuable Member
My eel knocks over things every once in awhile. However he kinda stays in one little area of the tank. In my limited experience if they are well fed they don’t roam very much at all.
littlefoxx
5000 Club Member
I have an eel that does roam a lot. Shes my snowflake, she always comes out right before lights out and swims around and goes back to her hole. My jeweled eel doesnt roam much unless he is moving to a different burrow. I found my snowflake knocked corals over a lot. I dont keep corals in with her anymore lol
I am not a big eel fan but used to have a dwarf golden moray. Awesome awesome awesome but pretty tuff to find these days.
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