Eel in reef tank?

[SDguy]

I agree, I've never ever seen a zebra that small. Please post pics!

 

[ReeferKimberly]

My snowflake will eat crabs that are not hermits and shrimp. She has lived with tiny fish for a few years and not shown interest. She is about 18 inches now, maybe 19. She has not eaten any snails, fish or hermits or knocked any corals or rocks. She is out and about more than enough to justify having her, she is my favorite animal in the tank.

 

[SDguy]

My snowflake will eat crabs that are not hermits and shrimp. She has lived with tiny fish for a few years and not shown interest. She is about 18 inches now, maybe 19. She has not eaten any snails, fish or hermits or knocked any corals or rocks. She is out and about more than enough to justify having her, she is my favorite animal in the tank.

Just wait... when I saw an adult snowflake at the Maui aquarium that was thick as my wrist, I audibly gasped

 

[ReeferKimberly]

Oh she is a fatty for sure, and not done growing. If she eats a fish, meh, my fault. I don't have ridiculously special fish that I would be heartbroken for. Same with corals, nothing I paid a lot for. If she topples, so be it. I will just have to plant things better. And I threw the idea of shrimp out the window when I bought her I have not kept other eels so have no idea how much other ones come out, and it may just be her, but she explores on a pretty regular basis. I got her at about 6 inches and she has grown to almost 19 in just about 2-2.5 years.

(Basically, I have reef in an eel tank It is all hers)

 

[SDguy]

That's really a great attitude when keeping an eel!

 

[ReeferKimberly]

When she dies, I will cry for sure.

I think if someone wants an eel they really gotta have the same attitude. They are a presence to say the least!

(oh and I know she could be a "he", I just picked a gender and stuck with it )

Ellie

Wish this was focused, she is so silly.

 

[ReeferKimberly]

Just noticed you complimented the first pic in another thread and I did not say thank you! Sorry!!!! And thank you She loves the yellow polyps, a lot more than I do!

 

[Dmorty217]

DMorty: yes - I've only seen 2-3' individuals for sale. Did you happen to snap any pics of it in QT/during acclimation?

Curious to see how fast it grows for you. Good luck with it!

This is the only pic I got, since I acclimated him in a black bucket. Don't mind my hill billy electrical tape job on my broken finger! He was eating krill before I put him in the tank so that's good news

 

[TravelinLight]

I have a 2'+ Zebra Moray in a 120 Mixed Reef and couldn't say a bad thing about him. My clean up crew consist of a few hermits, snails, a few resident crabs in large sps colonies, and two skunks and he shows them no attention unless he is getting cleaned. He is much more active then what I orginally was told/thought and loves when I bring him left over live bait from my fishing trips(sandfleas, fiddler crabs, shrimp).

 

[HPark]

Great eel photo's everyone. I might have to see if I can eel proof my tank.

 

[Rbs07fxstc]

We had a white ribbon eel in a 72 for a while & it did fine. My wife wanted to try it in the 85 hex reef tank. I didn't think it would be too bad since he was so blind & couldn't find shrimp we fed him unless it hit his mouth. But shortly after placing him in the reef tank, he managed to grab the mandarin & had him halfway swallowed before I stopped it. So he stayed in the 72 from there on out. Had a wolf eel at one time & he terrorized everything. But he was wicked looking lol. I want another eel for my 265 when it's set back up.

 

[HPark]

Hey,

Does anyone have any info on the color of Zebras? Some seem to be black/white (TravelinLight's pictures above for example) but other pictures seem to be a dark maroon/white (the liveaquaria photo for example). Is this a result of collection point, age, lighting?

Just curious as I may try to order one online. Thanks

 

[Jscholar]

I have had a ghost ribbon in eel in my reef tank for almost a year. It only eats what I feed it. Only thing was it watched the clown fish closely for the first few days I got it then leaved them alone. I feed mine every 2 days a molly.

 

[Dmorty217]

Hey,

Does anyone have any info on the color of Zebras? Some seem to be black/white (TravelinLight's pictures above for example) but other pictures seem to be a dark maroon/white (the liveaquaria photo for example). Is this a result of collection point, age, lighting?

Just curious as I may try to order one online. Thanks

That is just the lighting in the pic, they are black and white, mostly black. There are a few other eels that look similar to the zebra that aren't remotely reef safe and you would accidentally want to get bit by one of the other either

 

[HPark]

That is just the lighting in the pic, they are black and white, mostly black. There are a few other eels that look similar to the zebra that aren't remotely reef safe and you would accidentally want to get bit by one of the other either

Good to know. I'm close to pulling the trigger on one at bluezoo in the 10-14" range but I'd like one a little smaller likes yours.

Did you QT, feel the need to run it through prazi? I know eels are tough as nails but unsure if I should be concerned about any parasites they may carry that would affect other fish. I generally TT in either 5g buckets or rubbermaids and I'm a little concerned about having to transfer it multiple times as I've found eels will crawl right out of the tank if you corner them.

 

[TravelinLight]

What he said about the lighting^. As for crawling out of a bucket, I QTed mine for 6 weeks and then another 13 when I got a Ich problem from a friend. I can't speak for them all but mine is Fat and Happy and has never tried to escape and when I pulled him from the tank I just grabbed him by hand- he kinda wraps up like a snake and holds on for the ride. I am asking to be bit, I know, but so far so good.

 

[HPark]

Hah -- several months ago, my tank developed an ich issue (somehow transferred ich from a fish in QT to DT - extremely frustrating) and after tank transferring a bunch fish, I just started scooping them out by hand. But I was afraid to do it with the eel! Maybe I'll just have to get over it... and wear gloves. :lol:

 

[jonnyu]

This is the only pic I got, since I acclimated him in a black bucket. Don't mind my hill billy electrical tape job on my broken finger! He was eating krill before I put him in the tank so that's good news

How's the eel doing ?

 

[SoloChromis]

I keep a 30" long zebra moray eel in my reef, and I call him Lionel because the blood shrimp rides around on his back like a train. He is a model citizen, and he is by far my favorite thing in the tank. Highly recommend as long you're not the type to be bothered by the fact that he *will* occasionally move things around and knock things over when he's slinking around the tank.

 

[jonnyu]

I keep a 30" long zebra moray eel in my reef, and I call him Lionel because the blood shrimp rides around on his back like a train. He is a model citizen, and he is by far my favorite thing in the tank. Highly recommend as long you're not the type to be bothered by the fact that he *will* occasionally move things around and knock things over when he's slinking around the tank.

Sounds great. I have been reading a lot of positive post about keeping them. It seems like everyone that has one really likes them. It funny how some people talk about the cleaner shrimp and the zebra live together in the same cave. Like maybe they take care of each other in the wild. No one wants to mess with the shrimp that rides on the back of a eel. Now for covering your tank. what do you keep over your tank? I have a canopy over a euro braced acrylic tank. I was thinking of just adding mesh to the back of the canopy as all the other sides are closed. I don't think it would be easy for him to get out either ways as the euro brace covers 5" around the whole perimeter of the tank.