Reef Safe Eel

R

R.Chittenden

New member
I am new to forums and to saltwater tanks. I have 3 other fresh tanks already so am a little familiar with aquariums. I have a 92 gallon( sump included) reef ready aquarium. I have about 60 ish pounds of live rock and 4 inch live sand bed. I dont have any fish or coral in the tank yet. I work offshore and was giving the extra time to ensure tank cycle. When I get home I would like to start adding critters. I really would like to have some sort of eel in the tank if its at all possible.

Question being......What would be a good eel for a reef tank? Have been reading and the on the line says that pebble toothed moray are good, and the snowflake. Just dont hardly trust what I read online. Just would like to get some opinions.

Thanks,
R. Chittenden
 
Reef safe does not mean it won't eat your fish. It just means it won't eat corals. I can definitely rule out the ribbon and ghost eels. Lost 300.00 worth of fish on the advice 'sure, it'll be safe in your reef...'
 
Sk8r said:
Reef safe does not mean it won't eat your fish. It just means it won't eat corals. I can definitely rule out the ribbon and ghost eels. Lost 300.00 worth of fish on the advice 'sure, it'll be safe in your reef...'
Click to expand...

That is interesting. I have a ghost eel (Pseudechidna brummeri) and have always thought it would be completely safe with its co-inhabitants. Can you tell me what it did in your tank?
 
I almost think this question depends on what you consider a "reef" and what else you want to add.

Do you want shrimp and other crustaceans? If yes skip the eel.

If not check out the zebra, chainlink, or golden dwarf moray eels ( never understood because it is just a different color variation of the Fire Coral Eel) . Just from the countless hours of research I've done on this subject these are what I found to be the most fish safe.
 
I tried a Snowflake once, fed it heavily. But it also had a taste for the best shrimp money could buy, i.e. Blood, Skunk, Peppermint, Coral Banded(lasted the longest), etc. And, it was only about 8" long at the time. It didn't go after fish that I saw.
 
I had a golden dwarf moray for a while. She only got to about 12" long and was pretty cool. She did eat a fair amount of other inhabitants. All clown gobies, pistol shrimp, and peppermint shrimp were eaten. She also took a bite out of my purple firefish but it survived.

She was neat but only came out when it was feeding time.
 
I have two snowflake eels. They do eat shrimp, but have no interest in anything else.

I have just accepted that i cant keep shrimp in their reef. Everything else is fine.

IMO from my limited experience and research, i believe Snowflakes to be the most reef safe eel. Even more so then the other two commonly recommended... the Zebra(gets large) and the Golden dwarf(a fish eater IMO).
 
My zebra eel leaves everything alone in my tank including my fish. The only time he seems interested in them is when I am feeding him and they try to nip at his shrimp on the feeding stick. Maybe I am just lucky? He has been in my tank for one year and never eaten anything aside from his food.
 
I had a ghost eel---absolutely gorgeous creature which would begin to come out when the blues were on. It was a night hunter. I had a tank full of small fishes, damsels, gramma, gobies, blennies. My fish began disappearing. I'm told they're fussy eaters, and I am grimly amused. They're fine with live food in the dark. And catching one is not easy. This fellow was well over a foot long, ribbonlike, and fast. I had to unbuild a stony reef to extract him, and he went back to the lfs. He would have been great in a reef, if I had had no fishes in it---except that then he might have been hard to feed.
 
SnoopyDaPimp said:
My zebra eel leaves everything alone in my tank including my fish. The only time he seems interested in them is when I am feeding him and they try to nip at his shrimp on the feeding stick. Maybe I am just lucky? He has been in my tank for one year and never eaten anything aside from his food.
Click to expand...

I would love to have a Zebra, they just get so damn big.

Next upgrade.
 
Had a Skeletor Moray in a 55 gallon tank with coral, fish and inverts.

He didn't bother a thing, just fed him once a day.

Felt he was getting too big for the tank and sold him locally :(
 
^^ Personally both of my Snowflakes have became more cryptic and less active as they have matured.

IMO this has more to do with them adjusting to a feeding schedule and knowing they don't have to actively hunt than it does with the eels maturing.

I actually cut back my feedings quite a bit awhile back, and my eels have become much more active. They are still obese, but much less lethargic. I personally believe most people heavily overfeed their eels. Usually its because of two thought processes. 1. If i feed my eel daily, it wont eat my fish. 2. if my eel is willing to eat, it must be hungry and needs to be fed.
 
im wanting to try to add an eel to my display but I have a major concern about it eating my mandarin as my mandarin has no regard for territory and its my baby.
I was wondering if I could setup my empty 75 gallon as a QT for the eel and place a bunch of small fish in there and see if he went after them before I added him to my display. but idk how well this would work.. its just an idea
 
hotelbravo said:
im wanting to try to add an eel to my display but I have a major concern about it eating my mandarin as my mandarin has no regard for territory and its my baby.
I was wondering if I could setup my empty 75 gallon as a QT for the eel and place a bunch of small fish in there and see if he went after them before I added him to my display. but idk how well this would work.. its just an idea
Click to expand...

My snowflakes live with a mandarin. Its of no concern for me. The mandarin is often well within striking distance if the eels wanted a snack. I dont worry about any fish with my snowflakes, shrimp however...

It will depend on the type of eel, and even then, they are individuals.
 
Thanks

Thanks

Wow. was skeptical about joining a forum, but got a lot of really good answers. every time you read something online you'll find a post saying the exact opposite. Seems to be a pattern here about eels eating fish regardless. I do want coral and fish so I guess there is no eel safe option for that. I appreciate all the responses.
 
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