Blue Ribbon Eel - Compatibility questions 4 REEF \ VERTEBRATE safe tank

[r0cksteady]

Hi Guys,

My LFS has a beautiful Blue Ribbon Eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita) and ive been completely taken by it. So much so I would like to base a tank around it. I was planning on doing a 150 US Gallon REEF \ VERTEBRATE SAFE tank but am willing to compromise to incorporate it.

Could you kindly offer some assistance in telling me what is at risk of being eaten\attacked by the eel on my below list. Also can anyone direct me to the best source of info for eels such as the Blue Ribbon Eel.

FISH

CLOWNFISH
1 x Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1 x Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris var)

DRAGONETS (Add later after tank is established)
2 x Male/Female Pair of Spotted Mandarinfish (Synchiropus picturatus) OR 2 x Male/Female Pair of Green Mandarinfish (Pterosynchiropus splendidus, Synchiropus splendidus) - Need lots of fauna ie. Copepods to eat.

GOBIES, DARTFISH AND JAWFISH
1 x Green Clown Goby (Gobiodon atrangulatus) - (Add later after tank is established)
1 x Neon Goby (Elacatinus oceanops)
1 x Black Cap Basslet (Gramma melacara)
1 x Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)

Blennies
1 x Jewelled Rockskipper \ Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)
1 x Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas) OR 1 x Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor)
1 x Tube Blenny (Acanthemblemaria)

CARDINALFISH
2 x Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)

TANGS AND SURGEONFISH
1 x Chevron Tang (Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis)
1 x Tomini Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus tominiensis)

WRASSE (ADD FIRST AFTER INVERTEBRATES)
2 x Banded Possum Wrasse (Wetmorella sp) - Need lots of fauna ie. Copepods to eat.
1 x Exquisite Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus exquisitus)
2 x Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus)
1 x Five Bar Wrasse (Psuedochellinus mysterii)
1 x Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)

EELS - NEED HELP!
I would love to have an eel if possible though I am fully aware that they will eat my small fish and vertebrates as such Im not going to list an eel but it would be great if anyone who has had sucess or knows of a great placid or tiny eel could comment. Otherwise I will get 1 x Convict Blenny AKA Engineer Goby (Pholidichthys leucotaenia)

INVERTERBRATES

STAR FISH (Add later)
1 x Blue Starfish (Linckia laevigata)
1 x Orange Sea Star (Echinaster sp)

SHRIMP
1 x Pedersons Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni)
2 x Hinge-beak Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes spp)
2 x Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
4 x Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
1 x Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus sp)

Crabs (MUST ADD EMPTY SHELLS FOR THEIR GROWTH)
10 x Purple Porcelain Crabs OR Porcelain Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai)
1 x Emerald Crab (Mithrax sculptus)
30 x Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
1 x Left-handed Hermit Crab (Calcinus laevimanus)
4 x Red Reef Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)
4 x Dwarf Zebra Hermit Crab (Coenobiata species)

SCALLOPS & OYSTERS - (Add later after tank is established / Need more experience before attempting / Need to feed DTs Phytoplankton)
2 x Electric Flame Scallop (Lima sp)
2 x Flame Scallop (Lima scabra)

SEA CUCUMBERS
1 x Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber (Holothuria hilla, Thymiosycia hilla)

SEA SLUGS & NUDIBRANCHS
1 x Lettuce Sea Slug (Tridachia crispata)

CLAMS (Add later after tank is established, Need to be up high near lights)
2 x Crocea Clam (Tridacna crocea)
1 x Maxima Clam (Tridacna maxima)
1 x Squamosa Clam (Tridacna squamosa)

SNAILS
10 x Bumble Bee Snail (Pusiostoma sp)
10 x Mexican Red Foot Snail (Norrisia norrisii)
20 x Nassarius Snails (Nassarius sp)
20 x Banded Trochus Snail (Trochus sp)
10 x Stomatella Limpet Snail (Margarites pupillus)

Thanks again

 

[r0cksteady]

Did I post this is the wrong section? Where should I go for eel experts? Thanks

 

[kydsexy]

make sure it wont fit in its mouth and you're safe. thats always my rule with ANY eel!

 

[kydsexy]

OH YEAH! now that i think about it, almost ALL bre's stop feeding after being brought home and usually die within a month. save your money, use your lungs. yell at your lfs!

 

[r0cksteady]

Lol thanks

 

[FMarini]

Well for as short as KDsxy is w/ the answer, its pretty much true.
Blue ribbon eels have a horrible survival record in the home aquarium. They are very shy and feel threathened w/ tankmates and frequently don't feed well. So these fish are considered -leave in the ocean.
So my first recommendation is to say --please pass on this fish.

Given this however, if your willing to set up a small tank for 1 BRE, ensure there are plenty of nooks, crannies and caves for them to feel secure in, and feed him live feeders (like SW ghost shrimp, small SW fish) til its established and eating regularly. The eel might do well.

 

[reefdom]

been out of the forum for a while.. I had one for 3 years no problem.. The Keys are:

Start it our in the reef overflow (make sure it doesn't escape)
Feed it fresh water glass shrimp or cheap blenies from local stores. I like live food and it hunts so your shrimp are history after a while.

 

[codeblued]

Zebra Eel Success

Zebra Eel Success

I have had a 2 1/2 foot zebra eel that is simply beauitiful for over a year. This is an eel that does NOT eat fish. You can find many forums with people saying that a zebra "probably" won't eat your fish, but to be careful. When you read any academic like article they will say zebra's don't eat fish. I challenge folks to find a forum where someone actually had a fish eaten.
There is a reefkeeping article on eels which is great http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-12/fm/index.php.

It is true that a zebra eel will bump your live rock around. I have PVC pipe covered with rock with multiple exit holes for him to put his head out. Oddly enough, my eel has lived with 2 coral banded shrimp and a purple lobster without a problem. The eel has actually let the shrimp "hug" his face and pick parasites off.

I make my own eel food. I initially tried squid and shrimp with the eel blowing it off. Crab was tried........ and the eel acted like a crack head. Now to save money I mix blended crab, squid, cheap frozen baby shrimp with crushed multivitamin, brewer's yeast, little nori sometimes, little marine spectrum pelluts sometimes. Then add water and gelatin and let set in a pan after having been spread 3/4" thick in the freezr. Then cut into 3/4" inch long and 1/4 inch strips and place in zip lock bags in the freezer.

 

[thorsen]

I know the general opinion is that ribbon eels don't survive but I remember readind a thread in here somewhere a couple months ago about a guy who was having a lot of luck with blue ribbon eels. I don't remember the details and I'm not a member so I can't use the search function, but he did something with with pipping under his rocks and got some special technique going to get the eel to eat, and after the eel settled in it was happy as could be and thriving. I think a couple people on the thread took some of his pointers and also had good luck. I was convinced from reading the thread that blue ribbon eels can be kept successfully and even easily with proper planning. I think it is true eels will eat everything they can get in their mouths. I had an eel once though and my blood red fire shrimp would climb in his mouth to clean his teeth and he never bothered them.