Any Truly Fish Safe Eel for a 75g?

[SkullV]

My 75g Reef is quickly turning FOWLR with anemones and I would love to get an Eel. I used to have a Snowflake about a year ago that I had to get rid of due to a move.

I was wondering if there are any truly fish safe eels that I could get for my tank?

Primarily concerned about:

• Ocellaris Clown Pair (with anemones to sleep in)
• Helfrichi Firefish
• Swissguard Basslet
• Tailspot Blenny

 

[DoubleM 10]

i seriously doubt that you can find one. eels have instinct.

my ghost ribbon and black ribbon are thin and have smaller mouths. the ghost ribbon was less aggressive IME.

i think those would be the best option.

 

[AlexS95]

I'd say either a ribbon or GDM, but even then those small fish might not be safe.

 

[SkullV]

You guys think those are safer than a pebbletooth snowflake?

 

[DoubleM 10]

i would not choose a SFE. they get large enough to eat your fish.

 

[SkullV]

Bump, any experts mind weighing in?

 

[Stumped]

SFEs have a reputation for being hit or miss when it comes to eating fish. I believe namxas had a bad experience with one eating some of his fish. I'm not an eel expert by any means (nor do I own any), but I literally have never read anything that suggested zebra eels are a threat to fish. I also haven't seen any stories regarding that sort of behaviour on forums either.

 

[SkullV]

SFEs have a reputation for being hit or miss when it comes to eating fish. I believe namxas had a bad experience with one eating some of his fish. I'm not an eel expert by any means (nor do I own any), but I literally have never read anything that suggested zebra eels are a threat to fish. I also haven't seen any stories regarding that sort of behaviour on forums either.

I was looking at a zebra but they get pretty huge. Wasn't sure if it would be appropriate for a 75g.

 

[michael_cb_125]

I have kept a Zebra Eel with many fish without incident. The eel was around 28" and was kept with the following fish in a 120.

Declivis Butterfly
Yellow Tang
Swallowtail Angel
Yellow Head Sleeper Goby
Harem of Chalk Basslets
Harem of Royal Grammas

As long as the eel is well fed, you should be ok.

~Michael

 

[anbosu]

I wouldn't keep a zebra eel in a 75 gallon tank unless it was a juvie. It would be perfect with your stock list though.

I would go with a golden dwarf moray in that tank with those tankmates. It's not a guarantee but those fish would probably slowly disappear with a snowflake in there.

 

[Allmost]

Ive had a snowflake in my SPS tank for a year now, no ISsues, small fish are clowns, and trio of yellow wrasse, and pair of pipe fish. cleaner shrimp is fine too.

for your set up, if you have a sand bed, Id look into Garden eels, I have 6 of them in my FOWLR tank.

 

[Moray keeper]

I was looking at a zebra but they get pretty huge. Wasn't sure if it would be appropriate for a 75g.

A zebra would be ok in a 75 gallon. One of my zebras will eat live fish do althougj somewhat rare it does happen. All of my zebras love fresh fish more so then shrimp and squid which are other foods they get. Crab is at the top of the list for them.Golden dwarfs are safe for the most part with most fish but their is always a possibility of a problem. I had one years ago that did eat small fish.

 

[anbosu]

A zebra would be ok in a 75 gallon. One of my zebras will eat live fish do althougj somewhat rare it does happen. All of my zebras love fresh fish more so then shrimp and squid which are other foods they get. Crab is at the top of the list for them.Golden dwarfs are safe for the most part with most fish but their is always a possibility of a problem. I had one years ago that did eat small fish.

You are the first person I have ever heard of having a zebra eat fish. Interesting.

The biggest problem with a zebra in a 75 is bioload. They don't really move around much - mine was probably in the same 1'x1' part of the tank for 99% of the 3 years I had him.

 

[Stumped]

I was looking at a zebra but they get pretty huge. Wasn't sure if it would be appropriate for a 75g.

To be honest although you clearly stated 75g in the original post, for whatever reason I didn't catch that and was thinking it was for a larger tank. I will defer to the experts on whether or not that 75g will ultimately be too small for a zebra eel.

 

[Moray keeper]

You are the first person I have ever heard of having a zebra eat fish. Interesting.

The biggest problem with a zebra in a 75 is bioload. They don't really move around much - mine was probably in the same 1'x1' part of the tank for 99% of the 3 years I had him.

The one zebra with a couple of smaller fish wouldn't be that bad as long as he has a skimmer at least rated for that tank. I keep a much higher bioload with no issues but I go heavy on the skimming and keep up with regular water changes.

 

[Woogiekids]

I have a GDM, and he doesn't bother anything. Begs for food on a constant basis though.

 

[Boat_Drinks]

I have a pair of zebras in a 75g, and have had no problems with water quality. I have a good amount of LR, DSB, oversized skimmer, refugium, light mechanical filtration, lots of flow, and do 5 gallon water changes every 2-3 days. The eels are the only fish in the tank, but I do have several clams including a large squamosa, various zoanthid colonies, and a few Montipora capricornis, all of which are growing rapidly.

Both of my eels are still fairly small (the largest is about 22"), and I do plan on upgrading to a larger system within the next 6 months. (have the tank/system, just need to find the time). While I don't have any long term experience with keeping a zebra (or a large adult for that matter) in a 75g, everything has worked out very well for me so far.

 

[gmate]

I keep a Tomato Clown pair with a Green Wolf Eel and Snowflake Eel, keep them well fed and you won't have an issue.

 

[syrinx]

Any of the "peg tooth" morays will be likely fine. There are no hard rules when nature is put into a box- bit the odds are good zebras, snowflakes etc are going to be fine if well fed.

 

[SkullV]

This guy popped up on Divers Den today and I couldn't resist at 17" it's worth a shot!