What small fish can be on the same tank as snowflake eel

[Rvs187]

I have a reef tank but really want a eel ... my go with a predator tank

 

[Sosuke]

What kind of fish do you already have?

 

[Rvs187]

What kind of fish do you already have?

Yellow tang , clown , mandarin , yellow watchmen goby, lawnmower goby , 2 fire fish

 

[Reef.]

Are you asking for suggestions on smaller fish than you have? As you already have some small fish or are you asking would the eel be safe with the fish you have?

 

[Rvs187]

Are you asking for suggestions on smaller fish than you have? As you already have some small fish or are you asking would the eel be safe with the fish you have?

If those fishes would be safe with the eel

 

[Sosuke]

From my experience with that no smaller clownfish such as ocellaris will not be ok unless they stayed by their anemone all the time my 7 inch snowflake eel was able to grab a 2 1/2 inch clownfish and pull it down. The yellow tang will most likely be ok because of their defense mechanism and body shape. Mandarins are slow moving and not so big so they're pretty easy targets for snowflake eels my old snowflake used to eat silversides which are the size of some of the fish you have, but it all comes down to the eel. Some eels can be aggressive eaters and overall aggressive while some are more on the passive side. Personally I would go against getting one and keep them in a predator type tank instead

 

[Reef.]

What size tank do you have?

I wouldn’t do it, adult clowns I would say may be fine but still a risk, the firefish and the mandarin I wouldn’t risk. The eel is nocturnal so when the fish sleep it has a good chance to grab them.

 

[Jrod381]

I have a ghost ribbon eel and while most fish have been safe within 3 weeks and even though it was fed daily frozen silversides 4 of my fire fish disappeared. From my understanding snowflakes can eat larger fish than my ghost ribbon can. I would say don’t do it unless your willing to take that risk or don’t necessarily care for some of the smaller fish.

 

[Picasso the Triggerfish]

I highly suggest a Shy Hamlet or a Indigo Hamlet, relatively small fish (can fit on 70G), not aggresive towards fish that don't fit on their mouth (warning, they are a small species of groupers), reef safe (warning, the hamlet WILL eat shrimp and other inverts), and very beautiful. The only 2 downsides are that they are hard to find and require an advanced filtration system (also needed for eels, so im sure that if you have an eel, you can easily deal with one of these guys)

If you are still not convinced by the Hamlets or you don't find any hamlet, then try a Coral Beauty, they stay small (70G too), quite friendly for being an angel, one of the most reef safe angels, and they are easy to find (not like hamlets).

 

[lefkonj]

The challenge with an eel, even a snowflake, is they are basically blind. When they smell food they move around until something is near their mouth and then they move quickly to consume it. An anemone will protect clownfish but anything else could become eel food. Years ago I recall the horror on my face when my snowflake grabbed my Niger Trigger during feeding. Did it eat it, no but what the heck.

 

[DaddyFish]

I've seen my snowflake grab the face of a puffer as they tugged at the same piece of food and then release it. When eels smell food and start to feed, they mouth everything close by. My first snowflake took a sample from a Picasso Trigger the very first night they both were in the tank together. Lost them both because the eel panicked and went carpet surfing and the trigger didn't survive the bruising to its abdomen.
All other fish are potential candidates for eel meals. Bigger is better but nothing is guaranteed.