Eel for a 90

[olemiss reb]

I just bought a 90 gal with the intention of keeping one aggressive eel. I've narrowed it down to a fimbriated or a brazilian dragon(if I can find one). Are there any others that I should take into consideration(LFS was no help). Also which would be less likely to eat cleaner shrimp.

 

[ZC]

Blackedge morays are pretty aggressive and stay smaller. I used to have one and everytime I came to the tank to feed, he would start attacking the glass, needless to say I didn't put my hand in the tank too much.

If you can find them, Viper Morays and Chestnut morays are super agressive, but they are really hard to find!

 

[evilspaz]

I don’t think there’s such thing as an eel that wont eat cleaner shrimp, I think its like a kid that wont eat candy, you can hear of it but its very rare. I seen a Hawaiian Dragon at the LFS today he looked very mean/intimidating.

 

[LukFox]

Is there a price limit? For morays under 500 I would have to choose between those two as well. Another potentially aggressive eel I like is the stout moray, but I am not sure about its temperament. It has slightly curved jaws and nasty teeth, so I'm assuming it's an eel you don't put in with fish you value. I don't know anyone with first hand aquarium experience with it, though. Gets 2 feet, and I think it would be pretty visible as I see them all the time during the day in Hawaii. They're pretty nice and you can get up close to them, so they don't seem to be people aggressive. Its scientific name is Gymnothorax eurostus.

An eel less *likely* to eat cleaner shrimp is a well fed primarily fish eater. Add the cleaner first and hope for good luck.

For a Brazlian dragon you could check JustRareFish.com/Marineaquatics.net on availability. They used to get them in, but they've recently gone to a system where they wait for people to request what fish they want rather than get a bunch of fish in and wait around for them to sell. Therefore you won't see them listed on the site itself, but you can inquire.

 

[olemiss reb]

The cleaner is wishful thinking, still gonna try it and hope for the best. Hawaiian dragons are awesome but are well out of my price range. One of my LFS won't even order them for the fear that it will die before they could sell it. Think I've narrowed it down to the fimby, bdm or a goldentail. Still have a few weeks to decide so the list could easily change. MAx price is $500, I've already gone over budget on this setup.

 

[LukFox]

The goldentail is a pretty fish friendly eel, and I wouldn't waste a specimen tank on one unless it's your only tank or your other tank has tiny fish.

 

[olemiss reb]

THanks Lukfox, the stout moray is now the front runner if I can find it. My LFS is pretty confident that he can find whatever I want, I'm gonna challenge him with the stout. My eel budget may have just gone up if he can find that guy.

This is tank #5, definately gonna be a species only, scratch the goldentail. Looking for one that needs to be by himself.(saving me from buying tankmates)

 

[LukFox]

The stout moray should be pretty easy to get. They're seriously all over the place in the areas I've snorkelled in Hawaii, year after year. I think they're Hawaii's most common eel even. I once nearly stepped on one in a tide pool that was little more than a puddle. It was just in this bowl of water without any cover. You should specify if you want a white phase or a dark phase if you can, or get in contact with a diver in Hawaii. Wetpetshawaii.com can probably help you out if you want a specific color (if your LFS can't be that specific). They're extremely variable eels, from <a href="http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Images/1401/Gymnothorax%20eurostus_big.jpg">this</a> to <a href="http://www.fishbase.gr/images/species/Gyeur_u1.jpg">this</a>, or nearly <a href="http://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/eels/gymnothorax-eurostus-11.jpg">all white</a>.

 

[sharky's machin]

Brazilian dragons are pretty aggressive and stay relatively small. I've never owned one but read up on them when considering eels for my setup. They were going to be too aggressive for my FO setup but if I were doing a specimen tank, I would have gone with the Brazilians. There is a good article in the latest CORAL magazine.

 

[LisaD]

I have a BDM and used to have blackedge moray. I hated the blackedge - it attacked me, and was always in a feeding frenzy, no matter what I fed. The BDM is aggressive, in that it is out and about a lot, very alert, eats with gusto, and is a beautiful specimen. But it's not scary, like the blackedge was. You can find them if you look around and are patient. Check out Liveaquaria's Diver's Den on a regular basis.

My BDM is with tankmates right now, but belongs in a tank by himself or with another eel. He is not trustworthy with fish, and will probably be less so as he matures.

I don't know anything about the stout moray, so can't speak to that.