apparently my new SFE is a monster

[hotrodolds]

Been feeding a few pieces of krill every other day or so. I guess that's not enough. Last night watching the tank, lights were on btw, he swims through his pvc tunnel to the far side of the tank, pops out the tube and without hesitation goes straight to the watchman goby's den. Sand storm and he pops out with the goby in his mouth (pics to come). How he ate it I have no idea. At one point just the goby's head was hanging out and it was bigger than the eels own head :hmm4:. So today I'm trying to see if hes still hungry after devouring a 2" goby 12hrs ago so I offer a piece of krill. Without a second thought the krill was gone, I break a big silverside in half offer that and instantly he takes it and disappears into his pipe.

This is a ~10" eel who is definitely not as thick as a sharper but slightly more than a pencil. So much for being a safeish eel, this guy sounds more along the lines of juvenille fimbriated and undulated eels.

Me and my roomate jokingly were calling him Kraken Jr. since I bought him about 2weeks ago. Im thinking he has graduated to just Kraken alot sooner than expected.

Gonna set up a little ten gallon nano and move my clown goby into it, I love that little guy.

 

[j4mypets]

OMG! Panicking again!!!! Did you see any other signs from it there was going to be an aggression problem??

 

[hotrodolds]

OMG! Panicking again!!!! Did you see any other signs from it there was going to be an aggression problem??

0 signs of aggression. I was on the loveseat that faces the tank doing calc ii homework and see the eel come flying out of the tube pretty quick goes right to the goby's home base. A little bit of sand and then see the goby hanging out of his mouth with a chunk of his side missing.

It was kind of scary in a way to think of how good the memory was on the eel. Kind of like he was hanging on one side of the tank then decide he wanted a snack then just b-lined to the goby like he was going to a drive trough for a burger. There was no stalking, no searching just popped out went over and bam.

 

[hotrodolds]

Pic.

Goby was the size of the damn eel. I thought if anything went itd be the cleaner shrimp in a few months when the eel was bigger I was wrong

 

[NewJerseyreef]

I wouldn't worry too much because they are both sand dwelling animals and it could have been a teritory dispute and by looking at the picture he didn't try and eat him so I think this was a conflict of space

 

[LisaD]

I've never trusted SFEs. Especially with fish that can fit in their mouths. SFEs are not territorial, IME. This was predation.

 

[Stuart60611]

I've never trusted SFEs. Especially with fish that can fit in their mouths. SFEs are not territorial, IME. This was predation.

Completely agree and have read many similar accounts. Long thin fish like a goby are prime targets. Also, bottom dwellers are also easy hunting.

 

[namxas]

I agree with Lisa and Stuart...it's predation.

Sleeping fish are easy prey for SFE's at night, so the predation is not limited to bottom dwellers. My SFE even snatched a Canthagaster puffer out of the water column in broad daylight. The puffer inflated, but the eel's teeth tore a hole in its side and it died.

 

[hotrodolds]

This was not a territorial dispute and it was day time as far as life in the aquarium was concerned. The eel has spent the last week or so happily living in his pvc network I put in when the tank was set up. The eel did eat the goby, whole btw, too. It was just like watching a snake, insane how big he got his mouth to be to get the gobys head in there. I really thought he was going to choke and die. He knew exactly what he wanted and where to get it. I knew it was a gamble adding an eel but SFEs seemed to be a relatively safe one at a minimum until they get larger.

I'm mainly concerned at the moment with my clown goby. I dont miss the watchman to much. He was a new addition (was still 2months older than eel though) and extremely secretive. The Clown Goby is an awesome little fish though so I'm setting up a 10g nano. Probably will get another watchman for that and throw in a shrimp and some snails.

If the eel snatches an open water fish like one of the clowns, my tang or the 6line then hes going to get sold because I don't have room to set my 55g back up just for him.

 

[Stuart60611]

This was not a territorial dispute and it was day time as far as life in the aquarium was concerned. The eel has spent the last week or so happily living in his pvc network I put in when the tank was set up. The eel did eat the goby, whole btw, too. It was just like watching a snake, insane how big he got his mouth to be to get the gobys head in there. I really thought he was going to choke and die. He knew exactly what he wanted and where to get it. I knew it was a gamble adding an eel but SFEs seemed to be a relatively safe one at a minimum until they get larger.

I'm mainly concerned at the moment with my clown goby. I dont miss the watchman to much. He was a new addition (was still 2months older than eel though) and extremely secretive. The Clown Goby is an awesome little fish though so I'm setting up a 10g nano. Probably will get another watchman for that and throw in a shrimp and some snails.

If the eel snatches an open water fish like one of the clowns, my tang or the 6line then hes going to get sold because I don't have room to set my 55g back up just for him.

I think your clown goby is toast unless you remove the eel fast. From what I have read, once a SFE gets the taste for fish they never stop preying upon fish. I also think you tang is at risk. However, your sixline is fast enough to maybe avoid the eel, however, sixlines sleep in cocoons at night. I could definitely see the eel snap up the sixline from its cocoon at night which is when eels like to hunt most.

 

[anbosu]

I think the tang is likely fine, it should be big bodied enough that the eel won't even try (until the eel gets huge). I think the six line could get chomped at night though.

 

[hotrodolds]

I think your clown goby is toast unless you remove the eel fast. From what I have read, once a SFE gets the taste for fish they never stop preying upon fish. I also think you tang is at risk. However, your sixline is fast enough to maybe avoid the eel, however, sixlines sleep in cocoons at night. I could definitely see the eel snap up the sixline from its cocoon at night which is when eels like to hunt most.

10 steps ahead of you but down a different road. Set up my 10g today some base rock, a piece of live rock from the display and some sand from the display. Got a Watchman/tiger pistol shrimp on hold at the store as well. Now the quest to catch the clown goby begins.

Im aggravated but at the same time its not like I didnt know there was the chance of this eel munching fish. Was just hoping I'd get one of the more fish friendly ones. I was okay with losing crabs and pep shrimp once in a while, not fish though. Unfortunately that sixline is gonna have to just stick it out. I dont have room to rehome him.

 

[LisaD]

are you putting the watchman goby/pistol shrimp with the eel or in the 10? The eel will get both of them for sure if its in the same tank.