Blue ribbon eel help

[simo2004]

HI all this is my first post on here so be nice lol

OK been looking for a blue ribbon eel now for around 3months! now my LFS got one in which is a black one which i didn't realize changed to blue as it matures. they have had it in for 2months and had it feeding for 1month on lance fish. so on Sunday i took the plunge and bought it after i seen it eat in the shop that day..

im just wondering if anyone on here has one for some tips and advice.. i have tried feeding it MON/TUE but its more interested in the black grabber i use to lower the lance fish in with..do they feed every day or am i wasting my time since it eat on sunday ?

i will get some pictures up later once i have figured how to do it

thanks in advance ian

 

[namxas]

Give THIS ARTICLE on feeding and weaning predatory fish a read, it should help.

I recommend using the "super stealth" feeding stick method, especially for a picky eater. We came up with that method after a lot of trial and error with "difficult" to wean fish, and it works really well. For one thing, the eel will likely only see the food and not the stick, so there will be little or no distraction which you're seeing with the black tongs.

HTH

 

[readmeli]

here's some tips from Kevin Kohen (Diver's Den) http://www.dfs-pet-blog.com/2010/12/ribbon-eel/

 

[simo2004]

Thanks people a nice read there... i have ordered some river shrimp as a back up.. like i say it was feeding in the LFS using some tweezers there just jiggles it about and it came right out and took it after about 30seconds.. ( i may have to buy some like they had) i will try the stealth trick when i get the parts, where do you get the glass from ?

also how often should you feed the eel, my brother had a snow flake which would eat every 4 days then for some reason it didnt eat for 6 weeks!! then back to 4 days again ??

its been 2 days since it took frozen lance fish

im hoping its the fact that its still allimintizing also the bloody thing jumped out the bag while i was floating it not sure how long it was out for but its swimming and very active 2days on so should it be fine.

 

[E.intheC]

Good luck. I've always been interested but never bought one due to the difficulty in getting them to feed.

 

[simo2004]

Well i was board sitting in the shed trying to feed 2night so thought id put up a video or two so you can all see it,



as you can see its very active so think its acclimatized well.. check NO3 2night and was at <25ppm so got a water change to do 2mora night.

i tired feeding lance fish again as this is what the shop used, i tried a full one (maybe to big) and then the head half.



It does seam interested a little but then it shy away and on looking back at the video im probably to aggressive with it.

I have 40 river shrimp arriving 2mora but i don't really want to use these yet, i think it would be a a step back since its been on frozen then im giving it live!!! but there if needed!! how long would you leave it without feeding ??

Also got a mate dropping some 55lb fishing wire around which im going to attach to a clear acrylic rod and then try fastening it about the gills and head and go fishing, this was i can sit away from the tank not scaring the eel with my ugly mush.

Any thoughts ??

 

[simo2004]

On the stealth one how do you attach the fish to the line ??

ian

 

[username in use]

I would say it needs better hiding places. There isn't much for it to disappear into in that tank. Is it a quarantine tank? The lack of hiding places could be causing stress which may make it difficult to get it to eat. Maybe put some long sections of PVC in there so that it can get its whole body in it.

 

[username in use]

I just noticed in the second vid that you have a cowfish in there too. That fish is going to need a way bigger tank sooner than later, and the fact that it is in there with no where for the eel to hide could be causing further stress.

 

[simo2004]

firstly Thanks for taking the time to reply mate

since the video i have removed the 3 x squares and added 2.5foot 45mm PVC pip for it to go in.

This is a QT that is in the shed dont worry the Main display has around 60kg of live rock and if if needed i wil transfer the pipe over for extra hiding.

I tried the fishing stealth trick last night with no joy tried a whole frozen lance fish then then just the head was there for a bout a hour i was freezing it was 3degrees lol

i also bought 50 river/glass shrimp which i added the eel seam to like all the darting about and looked as if it was going to eat but didn't take the bait so with these been live i left 4 in there will check tonight to see if he has took some at night!

There was a cow fish in there but since this was eating the live shrimps it has now been removed!

Its now 4 days without food how long will they go ?

also with this been a QT tank there is no lid so i have placed around 6 small sheets of plastic on top, i think removing these sheets maybe be stressing it slightly, therfor i have make one full lid which will go on 2night, also had to do 20% water change as NO3 was around 20ppm so that wont have helped

one other thing is i have moved the tank further away as i read they dont like bright lights !

anything else ??

ian

 

[username in use]

Whats the temp of the tank? You said its in the shed and that you were freezing. If the temp is low it could be slowing its metabolism and it won't want to eat.

 

[techigirl78]

Is a cowfish a agressive feeder? Never had one, but I would assume not just from seeing them in stores.

I had a black ribbon some time ago and I tried to put QT. In QT it didn't eat even though it had a good amount of hiding spaces. When I put it in a 75 gallon with 8-9' of PVC pipes and agressive feeders - 2 wrasses and smaller tang, the ribbon eel settled in and started eating again (ate in LFS).

Seemed the activity of the other fish stimulated the eel and then I would feed the eel larger pieces of meat from feeding stick. The more crazy the fish went in a feeding frenzy, the more the ribbon eel was interested in feeding. From what I remember with mine, your eel doesn't look interested in eating - kind of is acting like it is in a daze where it doesn't realize it is feeding time. Mine would eat a few times per week. This has been experienced by others on RC (old threads). I also added garlic to the mysis/nori and other food fed to the other fish - made them go crazy.

Maybe something to try.

 

[simo2004]

User name, the tank is at 25 degrees mate, i have 2 x 300w heaters just incase we get a really cold night !! i have been out 3am and there are no temp drops its steady


Techgirl no i have 2 one is very small and the other was in that tank, best fish i have seen no problems with them.. no aggressive or at feeding taking brine and mysis at the moment.

Thanks for the info on the ribbon have you still got it?
Its only in there as i was going to copper it incase of white spot!!

Wonder at what point i should take a change and dump it in the display, ur right about the daze mate and have read that before thing that contradicts this is it was feeding in LFS with one bit of LR, i have put the pipe in and it loves it see pics

also can only see 2 river shrimp so it may have taken one i will transfer this pipe to the display if need be no problem with that might cover it in silicon and role it in sand to blend it in as i only have a thin sand bed!

 

[Eric the half-bee]

Mine's been in my reef for 9 months and has thankfully done remarkably well. He readily takes frozen squid pieces. I did feed live gulf shrimp in the past and the ribbon and zebra moray would gulp up those critters.

 

[simo2004]

Cool pleased to here it, did you QT it at all ? how long did it take to start eating and what method did you use ?

im going back out for a hour to try feed, i know its not right or healthy but im going to try a live fish possibly a guppy or gold fish, i hope now the pipe is in there and it feels secure or the fact it han't eaten in 6 days it will take this time!!

im not sure we can get frozen squid bits over in the uk

ian

 

[simo2004]

Right another update people..

left the tank well alone yesterday, today i went out for dome feeder fish only thing i could get was gold fish (not the best i know)

Any how i seen a film on you tube where the guy had it on the grabbers so i tried that but it just slipped off in the tank so i left it.. the eel didnt seam interested at 1st but then it bit it and let go. then when i bit crazy flying around biting all the frozen lance fish i had on fishing line! then came back to the gold fish and bang it bit and tried to go back into the pipe but the fish got stuck on the rock so after 30sec it let go then after 5min he came back and took it into its pipe and started coiling and moving everything around in the tank as it thrashed about. i dont know if it has eaten yet as i think the gold fish was way 2big about 2"!! looked like a fully grown clown fish!! last time i seen it was in its mouth and in the pipe will give it 2night and then investigate removing any left overs.

i will have to tip the pipe up to see if its still in there unfortunately this will stress the eel but i need to see or it will rot etc...

if not will try 2mora with frozen and a small fish !! the river shrimp are still there he goes for them but there to quick i think

ian

 

[simo2004]

next update, i have now got it on frozen lance fish last to days it has taken it it wont feed from from tongs tweezers or wire but it you leave it near its pipe it will come out and grab it

next question is how much should i be feeding it? also these lance fish are around 2 inch im worried there to big when it eats you can see it stuck in its gut any problem with this ?

also should i add vitamins etc to the frozen fish if so what ?

thanks Ian

p.s would anyone like to see a video of it feeding if i can get one?

 

[simo2004]

Well sealed off tank best i could and put the foam back on the votech EP40 im a little worried the eel might go into the return line its only 20mm pipe and there is a 3500lt pump pushing out of it with it been a 2foot in height aswell!

what you think ?

 

[simo2004]

Right all just uploaded a video of my ribbon eel for you to see tank needs a clean and ignore the music lol

 

[Eric the half-bee]

next update, i have now got it on frozen lance fish last to days it has taken it it wont feed from from tongs tweezers or wire but it you leave it near its pipe it will come out and grab it

next question is how much should i be feeding it? also these lance fish are around 2 inch im worried there to big when it eats you can see it stuck in its gut any problem with this ?

also should i add vitamins etc to the frozen fish if so what ?

thanks Ian

p.s would anyone like to see a video of it feeding if i can get one?

Ian I'm no expert but my blue ribbon eats about 1-2X/week. He would probably eat every day if I fed him that often. He sticks his head/body out of rockwork nearly daily, as I don't have any PVC, just watching the tank.