open top with eels

[smellfishy]

I have a 75gal tank with a zebra eel, leopard eel and a miniatus grouper. I have had them all for over two years. I want to add some soft corals which means upgrading the lighting. So I was thinking of removing the glass lids. Does anyone keep eels without a top on their tank or is it just asking for trouble?

 

[Puffer Queen]

Don't do it! You will regret it.............maybe not immediately, but it will happen one day. (eel escaping).

Kelly

 

[kjmst29]

asking for trouble. plus the evaporation will tick you off as well.

 

[crzy4reefs]

not the best idea, your eel will find it's way out.

 

[smellfishy]

That's what I thought. I was just curios if anyone had done it with any luck?

 

[Absint Reefer]

just cover the edges of the tank like 2.5'' in towards the tank then they can't get out and you'll still have an open top

 

[00nothing]

you could always jsut use eggcrate this will still allow a lot of the light through and maintain an escape proof tank

 

[LRS078]

Two words: Carpet Surfing

 

[Absint Reefer]

what I described always works with smaller eels

 

[smellfishy]

The Leopard eel is thin enough to get through the egg crate.

 

[I like Triggers]

i agree with the carson, eels dont jump from the middle of the tank, they go up the side and out.

 

[zemuron114]

my snowflake was in an open top for 4+ years without jumping. He later died from bad shrimp

i've had 2 dwarf eels jump on me... SOBs find chopstick sized holes... friggin ticks me off...

 

[pitt_prodigy]

For the price of a zebra... i wouldnt chance it. Mine has never come to the top looking for a way out, but that doesnt mean it couldnt happen. I would go with some type of preventative measure.... even if its just what carson suggested with the 2.5" inlay around the tank. The leopard would be more likely to escape before the zeb....zebs are too lazy and fat to try to escape IMHO!:lol:

 

[mitzel]

Do you have a canopy? because if you do just make sure to put something across the bac and you should be fine. I have 2 SFE and one has gone surfing twice but that was not out the top of the tank he swam into the hang on mack style overflows and then went out from there. This was all fixed once I slipped some netting over the over flow box .




:wildone:

 

[bigdee65]

I had a Jeweled Moray for over a year and a half with a covered tank but had a few spots in the back that were open around the external overflow boxes. The eel never attempted to jump from the tank and always stayed near the bottom. Until one day I came home to the tank completely off (breaker tripped) and the eel missing. Well after figuring out what happened it looked like the eel jumped from the back and got stuck in the 1" pipe going from the tank to the sump causing an overflow in the display and water getting into the plugs.

So anyhoo, I lost all my fish due to that disaster (except my Clarkii Clown) and if I ever get another eel I am going to make sure the entire top is covered.

 

[ladyshark]

Questions: Someone mentioned use of netting -- what type of netting and where can I get some--and how do you attach it?

Also, whats the best way to put together 2.5 inches of inlay around the tank.

Thanks in advance for some more concrete descriptions--I am DIY challanged......

 

[reef-fossil]

Here's another option. I've got a SFE and when I got him he could, if motivated, squeeze thru egg crate. So, what I did was stacked and offset two sheets of egg crate and used tie wraps to secure them. I then put bags with marbles in them on top of the egg crate for a few reasons (if something tried to escape, the weight will keep it down, I can't accidently slide it off exposing a hole, wind from fans can't move it, etc.)

Light still gets thru fine, heat isn't a problem and I get the evaporation I want and the SFE isn't getting out thru it.

Take your time and make sure you get the cuts done well. It's super easy, just get a pair of pliers and start snapping. Keep going back and measuring and test fitting.

HTH,
Chris

 

[mitzel]

If you use a bath scrubber.

cut the rope it wil unravel

then just cut it a few inches long andslip it up on the over flows from the bottom

It catches a lot of the bigger crap that would end up in your sump too.

 

[smellfishy]

cool idea!!!

 

[bigdee65]

Hey mitzel, great friggin idea :thumbsup: I am going to have to do that with my overflows!!!