Banana eel not eating

J

Josh193

New member
So I got a banana eel off DD a couple months ago he was eating every other day up until about about a month ago I'm not sure why he stopped and I've tried everything to get him to eat but no luck and he's swimming like he's hungry everyday I really don't want him starve so any suggestions on how to get him to end his hunger strike would be greatly appreciated
 
What was it eating before it stopped? Did you try feeding anything else? My JDM eel stops eating from time to time over the years. One time for 3 plus months then bam back to a eating machine. If it looks healthy it will more then likely be fine. I would keep trying to feed every day and offer different foods.
 
My snowflake did this too but sadly he starved himself to death and i dont know why. The water was good and I tried a varied diet but he never seemed interested


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He was eating shrimp and since he stopped eating I've tried shrimp, krill, squid and silversides he won't eat any of it. He looks healthy just don't want him to starve
 
Alexmmix111 said:
My snowflake did this too but sadly he starved himself to death and i dont know why. The water was good and I tried a varied diet but he never seemed interested

He seems interested when I put food in the water he starts to swim around but won't eat

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Try to vary its diet. I agree with the above, they can go for long periods without eating, and then resume like its normal. Of course this is not the ideal case. Any new additions, equipment changes, water quality changes?
 
Cliving1 said:
Try to vary its diet. I agree with the above, they can go for long periods without eating, and then resume like its normal. Of course this is not the ideal case. Any new additions, equipment changes, water quality changes?
Click to expand...

Since he stopped I've tried a variety of food with no luck.
I did add a snowflake eel recently but he's disappeared other than that everything is the same
 
You could try krill, because I was trying to feed my snowflake shrimp and clam for awhile and the only food that got him to eat was the frozen krill.
 
Josh193 said:
When he was eating he would eat a whole shrimp every other day. Satisfied for over a month though?
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As I said before my Dragon went 3 plus mo's without eating. 1 month is not that long for a eel. They can slow down their metabolism and conserve energy big time. As a eel owner it can be scary to watch because natural reaction is to make sure your eel is well taken of. Give it time.....
 
I have a banana eel that stopped eating as well. He used to love krill (and was a veracious eater) but now rejects it even though I dangle it in front of his face with tongs. He seems to want it but doesn't grab it. And when he does he swings his head around and the krill comes free and the other fish eat it.

Have to say I'm very worried. Now I notice he is wrapping himself around my rocks and kind of hanging the last few days - he never did that before. I've had him for about five years or so and he has thrived until now.

Any ideas - should I try a different food?
 
Eels can be a pain. My current zebra eel only eats cooked shrimp. Not ideal, but it refuses everything else; or did until last night when it finally at a raw clam. A balanced, garlic-free diet is always best for healthy fish.
 
ca1ore said:
Eels can be a pain. My current zebra eel only eats cooked shrimp. Not ideal, but it refuses everything else; or did until last night when it finally at a raw clam. A balanced, garlic-free diet is always best for healthy fish.
Click to expand...

I also only eat cooked shrimp and eat raw clams and oysters.
 
I've noticed his eating change over the last three months. He ate a bit of krill that I fed him from tongs every day for years. Over the last three months he started to only eat every few days even though I offered him food every day ( I know they don't need to eat ever day but he was so eager to eat before and I didn't think much of it at the time). Over the last six weeks or so he started to eat less and less frequently - maybe once or twice a week. At this point I don't think he's eaten in over two weeks.

He actually looked interested to eat yesterday and today but couldn't manage to grab it even though I put it right in front of him.

Water parameter are all the same - nothing has changed.

Any thoughts?
 
SMR45 said:
I've noticed his eating change over the last three months. He ate a bit of krill that I fed him from tongs every day for years. Over the last three months he started to only eat every few days even though I offered him food every day ( I know they don't need to eat ever day but he was so eager to eat before and I didn't think much of it at the time). Over the last six weeks or so he started to eat less and less frequently - maybe once or twice a week. At this point I don't think he's eaten in over two weeks.

He actually looked interested to eat yesterday and today but couldn't manage to grab it even though I put it right in front of him.

Water parameter are all the same - nothing has changed.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Tried to feed him during the night? Like really "night", few hours after all light are off.
 
SMR45 said:
I've noticed his eating change over the last three months. He ate a bit of krill that I fed him from tongs every day for years. Over the last three months he started to only eat every few days even though I offered him food every day ( I know they don't need to eat ever day but he was so eager to eat before and I didn't think much of it at the time). Over the last six weeks or so he started to eat less and less frequently - maybe once or twice a week. At this point I don't think he's eaten in over two weeks.

He actually looked interested to eat yesterday and today but couldn't manage to grab it even though I put it right in front of him.

Water parameter are all the same - nothing has changed.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I would just keep an eye on him. Eel can go a long time without food. Take a look at it's eye's and make sure they are clear and not foggy. He should be ok IMO
 
Josh193 said:
So I got a banana eel off DD a couple months ago he was eating every other day up until about about a month ago I'm not sure why he stopped and I've tried everything to get him to eat but no luck and he's swimming like he's hungry everyday I really don't want him starve so any suggestions on how to get him to end his hunger strike would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

I have a Kidako eel who wasn't coming out to eat one day. Eels eyesite is very bad, but their smell is very good so I put a few drops of zooplankton in the water and on the food as a soak.
Came back a few minutes later and he was going nuts looking for food. Problem solved. Now I put a couple drops in every time. Works great.
 
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