What is up with my Puffers and eel?

[Terrorizer777]

So about two months ago I bought a green spotted puffer fish and a snowflake eel (so they think). The two were fine in the shop tank ignoring each other and all. Went I got home they were fine together for a month and a half. Then my pufferfish vanished. I searched around the tank in the filter in the tubes everywhere. But it was just gone. I didn’t think much of it after a while bummed me out and all but I got over it. I put a new puffer fish in the tank today and woke up to check it only a few minutes ago. My eel who usual stays in the tubes under the sand was out and inside the decoration. I thought nothing of it looked for my pufferfish before seeing it and the eel what looked to be fighting. The Pufferfish was fully inflated and trying to escape. At the time and even now I think he just wondered in and got spooked. But do y’all think I should be worried? I mean kinda strange my first one disappears and the eel remains. Then that happens. I dunno may just be overthinking it after my tang just died. Got any answers? Anything would be helpful thank ya!

 

[blaxsun]

Your puffer certainly seems concerned (even if you aren’t!)

 

[Terrorizer777]

I am concerned just not horribly concerned because if the eel did eat my first one and was trying to eat the second that would mean he poisoned himself the first time. But it’s been almost a month since my last one vanished and the eel is perfectly fine

 

[lion king]

While snowflakes usually play fine with fish of an appropriate size, a smaller fish can be food. A small greenspot would likely not poison an eel if they have a little size on them. You sounded not sure about it being a snowflake, fang tooth eels and puffers certainly do not mix. It sounds as if there was some sort of tussle between, if it is a snowflake and you are properly feeding them, they should leave the puffer alone after a puff up. A well fed pebble tooth eel would much rather take food from you than wrestle for a meal. A fangtooth eel is a different story.

 

[TheDragonsReef]

How big is the eel?

 

[Terrorizer777]

The eel is 6 inches. It hasn’t grown much since I’ve had it. The puffer is nearly a inch and half. It’s bigger than the Eel’s head.

How big is the eel

 

[Terrorizer777]

While snowflakes usually play fine with fish of an appropriate size, a smaller fish can be food. A small greenspot would likely not poison an eel if they have a little size on them. You sounded not sure about it being a snowflake, fang tooth eels and puffers certainly do not mix. It sounds as if there was some sort of tussle between, if it is a snowflake and you are properly feeding them, they should leave the puffer alone after a puff up. A well fed pebble tooth eel would much rather take food from you than wrestle for a meal. A fangtooth eel is a different story.

The eel has no Fangs at all. I’m unsure of what it is because they told me it was a snowflake eel. Yet he sounded puzzled and instead of the usual white to a snowflake it’s black with little orangish dots. It’s only 6 inches and the puffer is bigger. It’s well fed cause I watch it eat. I even used to feed it ghost shrimp. As of now I don’t see my puffer. But it is early so usually it’s under something sleeping like my other did. And before asked there is no way it got in the filter it has the smallest gaps in it. I’ve even watched my puffer get against it and the hole is way too small for him. And jumping out would be easy to find.

 

[lion king]

The eel has no Fangs at all. I’m unsure of what it is because they told me it was a snowflake eel. Yet he sounded puzzled and instead of the usual white to a snowflake it’s black with little orangish dots. It’s only 6 inches and the puffer is bigger. It’s well fed cause I watch it eat. I even used to feed it ghost shrimp. As of now I don’t see my puffer. But it is early so usually it’s under something sleeping like my other did. And before asked there is no way it got in the filter it has the smallest gaps in it. I’ve even watched my puffer get against it and the hole is way too small for him. And jumping out would be easy to find.

It's unlikely a smaller snowflake would eat a green spot, sounds like they may have had a territorial dispute. As far as what may have happened to other one, what kind of cuc do you have, he could have died and been cleaned up as it were. The other could also have wedged itself behind the rocks and you just cant find it. As far as any hole, regardless of how small, cover it, an eel will squeeze through anything.

 

[Terrorizer777]

It's unlikely a smaller snowflake would eat a green spot, sounds like they may have had a territorial dispute. As far as what may have happened to other one, what kind of cuc do you have, he could have died and been cleaned up as it were. The other could also have wedged itself behind the rocks and you just cant find it. As far as any hole, regardless of how small, cover it, an eel will squeeze through anything.

All my holes are covered so he can’t escape. That’s why I say escape is impossible. Wouldn’t the eel be poisoned if he ate my Pufferfish? Or could he be immune to it or just hardly effected. I have no Clean up crew in my take because the eel will more than likely eat them. Tho at some point I may try putting something small and hard in. Like a crab but one that won’t fit in his mouth. And I’ll have it a Little Rock tower to hide on/in.

 

[lion king]

All my holes are covered so he can’t escape. That’s why I say escape is impossible. Wouldn’t the eel be poisoned if he ate my Pufferfish? Or could he be immune to it or just hardly effected. I have no Clean up crew in my take because the eel will more than likely eat them. Tho at some point I may try putting something small and hard in. Like a crab but one that won’t fit in his mouth. And I’ll have it a Little Rock tower to hide on/in.

While puffers are poisonious, I have known eels kill and eat them without incident. I mentioned the fang tooth eel being a no no, because I have seen this hapoen a few times. It likely comes down to size of each involved and maturity of the puffer. It is a gland in the pufferfish that is poisonous not the whole fish, so maturity and maybe even diet comes into play. There may be something in the wild that is in the puffer's diet that makes it more poisonous. Perhaps a captive diet overtime makes them less so, as an example; the poisonous dart frog is not poisonous at all in captivity because their poison actually comes from a beetle in their diet in the wild.