40 breeder eel tank idea

[armison89]

im thinking of making my empty 40 breeder an eel tank. can i keep these eels in the 40 breeder?

Wolf Eel (Congrogadus subducens)
Jeweled Moray Eel (Muraena lentiginosa)
Snowflake Eel (Echidna nebulosa)

 

[museumguy]

I personally would feel wrong putting any of those in a 40g breeder, and definately not all three. They get really big, the snowflake moray we used to have was over three feet long. They also eat a lot, and that would be a ton of nutrients going into just 40g of water.

 

[boosted chemist]

what about a chain link eel, they stay smallish for a bit iirc.

Bu

 

[armison89]

i have a 29 gallon sump so its 69 gallons of water. LA says snowlakes max at 2 feet.

 

[oneradtek202]

swimming space and total gallons isnt the same thing

human equivalent to keeping you alive in a small bathroom that you cant leave , but there is a room right next door you cant get to.

 

[armison89]

i was reffering to this from museumguy
They also eat a lot, and that would be a ton of nutrients going into just 40g of water.
i was saying its not just 40g of water. nothing about swimming space.

 

[museumguy]

i have a 29 gallon sump so its 69 gallons of water. LA says snowlakes max at 2 feet.

We had a snowflake for years that was much larger than 24".

In my opinion the conscientious aquarist should look at the adult size of any animal they purchase and make sure they have a home available for an animal of that size before buying it, even if it is a much smaller juvenile. I receive calls regularly from hobbyists who have had animals outgrow their tanks or cages and are looking to rehome them, and sadly I almost always have to turn them down.

There is nothing wrong with having an eel tank, but having been down the road of a heavily stocked predator tank myself, I can tell you that it is not easy to keep everyone healthy longterm even when they have ample swimming room (which a 40g breeder would lack IMO). Our 180g reef tank used to be a predator tank but it was so frustrating that we changed it over to a reef.

Not trying to be preachy, just sharing the mistakes I've made in the past so that hopefully they don't happen again.

Cheers

 

[armison89]

thanks

 

[GMaquarium]

Eels are not open water swimmers and most of the time don't need tanks as large as it seems. But still have to be reasonable here. Three in 40g is too much. Mixing eels has alway ended up bad for me so I stopped trying. Also having more than one in a small tank adds to risk of you getting bit. Speaking from experience moray bites hurt a lot.

Personally think you should be fine with a young snowflake alone in the 40 breeder. Make a cave with rocks or pvc pipes and feed it frozen.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I've always had an interest in eels and they're on my list of "species-specific tanks I want to set up some time." Here's an interesting article:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-12/fm/index.php