Eels?
- Thread starter Bobborocco
- Start date
hossa81
New member
in that quote are you talking about the snowflake or the zebra moray, because I was talking about the snowflake in that quote. my snowflake has literally crawled over my starry blenny and the snowflake never even showed any interest. not so sure about the zebra because I have not owned a tank big enough for one, but what I heard about them is that they show less interest in fish because their main diet is crustaceans.
rssjsb
New member
I was talking about the snowflake. When they're juveniles, they eat crustaceans. However, once they hit 24" and sexual maturity their teeth change and so does their behavior. The size of their heads and mouths are no indicator of the size of fish they can take down.
They do this pretzel thing with their bodies that's pretty amazing (unless you're another fish). I had one for many years with no problem. Once it reached adulthood and started doing that pretzel thing, my other fish (a rabbit and lined puffer) would huddle in the corners at feeding time.
That doesn't guarantee that all snowflakes, or even most, will become killing machines. But I would not trust one with small fish once they approach the 24" mark.
Zebras are usually much safer in the long run.
They do this pretzel thing with their bodies that's pretty amazing (unless you're another fish). I had one for many years with no problem. Once it reached adulthood and started doing that pretzel thing, my other fish (a rabbit and lined puffer) would huddle in the corners at feeding time.
That doesn't guarantee that all snowflakes, or even most, will become killing machines. But I would not trust one with small fish once they approach the 24" mark.
Zebras are usually much safer in the long run.
Bobborocco
New member
okay well thanks everyone for all the info!! Great stuff here!! I think that i am going to just stick with either the banana eel or the fire eel to be safe!
hossa81
New member
I'll keep that information in mind. My snowflake is probably about 20 or so inches currently. He takes well to stick feeding all the time and tends to stick to himself. Except when you start sticking your hand in the tank, he is ver curious for a fish that can't see that well, which is what scares me when I stick my hand in the tank.
Are there any good books on eels? Or websites that cover all the different eels, habits, diets, etc. I know it's all here on RC if I do enough searching and read enough threads. My wife wants an eel and it would be easier to point her to a book or a website focused on them.
Boat_Drinks
New member
As far as books go, I recommend Scott Michael's Reef Fishes. The first volume has a pretty inclusive section on Moray Eels.
danimallaminad
New member
I have a chainlink and he is very interesting. They only get about 24in. and he is about 14in. I hand feed him which is really fun but now when i put my hand in the tank for cleaning or whatever reason he comes up to me and almost begs for food haha. He has eaten 1 fish that I know for sure and 1 disappeared the day after I put the eel in the tank. The 2 fish were firefish so it was really risky putting the eel in but I love the eel.
welsher7
Member
I would get a zebra eel. They are about as fish safe as you can get. They don't have the fang type teeth like most eels, but have all molars used for crushing. They aren't very common either and get to a good size. I have a 30+" one that I have had for almost 6 years. It is always the fish people want to see.
Also all eels should be considered dangerous towards other fish. They have really poor vision and rely mostly on smell. So they can strike at something that gets to close when they smell food in the water. My zebra accidently crushed a ringens trigger when the trigger swam in front of the feeding stick at the exact time the eel went to bite down on the food. The eel released the trigger immediately but the trigger was already chrushed. I now feed the eel as low in the tank as I can to prevent this from happening again.
Also all eels should be considered dangerous towards other fish. They have really poor vision and rely mostly on smell. So they can strike at something that gets to close when they smell food in the water. My zebra accidently crushed a ringens trigger when the trigger swam in front of the feeding stick at the exact time the eel went to bite down on the food. The eel released the trigger immediately but the trigger was already chrushed. I now feed the eel as low in the tank as I can to prevent this from happening again.
Zebras are awesome but I couldn't put one in my tank without feeling bad for it lol. I have a 55 set up and a 125 in the spare room that I'm not setting up for a while and if they get almost 5 feet I couldn't put the poor thing in a 55. I just got a snowflake and really wanted a Greyface/White-Eyed Moray (gymnothorax thyrsoideus) but I can't find one single internet or phsyical location that has one. I read how often they share caves with other eels and snowflakes are known for doing that too so I thought they'd be a great combo and get to similar adult size.
I originally got interested in starting a saltwater tank after visiting an aquarium and at first wanted an octopus but once I found out they don't live more than like 6 months I stumbled on eels and have been fascinated ever since
I originally got interested in starting a saltwater tank after visiting an aquarium and at first wanted an octopus but once I found out they don't live more than like 6 months I stumbled on eels and have been fascinated ever since
I thought Snowflakes only lived an average of 4 years?
rssjsb
New member
Maybe I should have said "several." It's hard to keep track because I bought it locally (i.e., I don't have an email trail), but I'm certain I had it for at least 5-6 years.
A lot of (maybe most) snowflakes in captivity die due to escape, so people may not see the behavior I'm talking about.
A lot of (maybe most) snowflakes in captivity die due to escape, so people may not see the behavior I'm talking about.
welsher7
Member
Eels should live for a very long time. I think LisaD had a zebra eel for almost 20 years.
LukFox
Active member
Yeah they live a long time. Billdog also has an undulate moray that is over 20 years old.
Bobborocco
New member
desjardinii
Member
My snowflake was the size of a pencil when I purchased it and I had it for 8 or so years and was 30" long and 3-4" thick when it died. It injured and also ate quite a few fish, taking a liking to any sand dwelling species like gobies etc but did smash and devour an 8" Silver Scat once. It was poor sighted and very dangerous at feeding time, lashing out at anything close enough. Sense of smell was incredible, one tiny drop of squid juice in the water and the eel would frenzy, even coming out of the tank on a couple of occasions! I kept cleaner shrimp in the tank to and they were never touched, even entering the eel's mouth at times.
