SFE in 46 gallon bf reef?

[akdylpcikles]

would this work? I only have 1 snail and an emerald crab. my fish include 1 percula clownfish, 1 YWG, 1 yellow clown goby, 1 strawberry dotyback, and 1 yellow eye kole tang baby being moved to my friends 125 soon. like in a month or 2. So will i have any problems with the eel? thanks.

 

[SkullV]

The crab for sure, and all of the fish you listed other then the tang will likely become dinner for a SFE as it grows.

 

[snorvich]

Right. Plus the bioload of an eel can be significant in a smallish tank.

 

[palmer373]

with a good skimmer might be possible. i argue this because a freind had a 29g reef with a 2' SFE some chromis and maybe a clown. no fish were eaten and the only problem was sometimes the corals got knocked down. the eel jumped tho :'( . try a small one and if your lucky it might work. the attitude could be a beachball or a saint. 50/50 but if you buy a big SFE with the small fish your gonna be outof luck probably. small is better.

 

[Sitarangi]

SFE's having flat, crushing teeth adapted for invert shells. Snowflakes only go after fish when they are starving or desperate. Unlike most eels, you can buy SFE's very small so it will take a while for them to grow out. Just keep the tank well covered, SFEs have a well-deserved reputation for going carpet surfing. Sometimes it takes weeks and up to months to get them to eat as well. Just be careful, a full-grown snowflake eel is one big muscle and can be dangerous.

 

[rssjsb]

SFE's having flat, crushing teeth adapted for invert shells. Snowflakes only go after fish when they are starving or desperate. Unlike most eels, you can buy SFE's very small so it will take a while for them to grow out. Just keep the tank well covered, SFEs have a well-deserved reputation for going carpet surfing. Sometimes it takes weeks and up to months to get them to eat as well. Just be careful, a full-grown snowflake eel is one big muscle and can be dangerous.

Actually, when they hit sexual maturity this changes. They are known to get quite aggressive, including eating fish. I believe their teeth change at this point too. Most people don't encounter this because they lose them to escapes or other issues long before this point.

 

[anbosu]

If you want an eel I would suggest a dwarf golden moray. They stall small enough for a tank that size and aren't really a threat to any fish you have in your tank.

 

[palmer373]

anbosu- so dwarf golden moray eels are less aggressive and not fish eaters than? was thinking of an eel to add to my 55 fowlr (5 damsels and a 2" niger) and thought of the SFE but i dont know lot bout them. can you feed eels pellets or do you have to feed them frozen/live foods?

 

[Stumped]

anbosu- so dwarf golden moray eels are less aggressive and not fish eaters than? was thinking of an eel to add to my 55 fowlr (5 damsels and a 2" niger) and thought of the SFE but i dont know lot bout them. can you feed eels pellets or do you have to feed them frozen/live foods?

I believe in general GDMs aren't overly aggressive, but ultimately it'd be pretty irrelevant anyway because they're super small (like their actual thickness). Everything I've read has said they're not even a potential threat to anything except small gobies, dartfish and blennies. SFE can actually get large and thick and are capable of consuming or just simply killing much larger prey (either intentionally or during feeding).

The only downside to GDMs is their cost. Which is usually close to 10x that of a SFE depending on your source. As for feeding any eel, I'm not sure I've heard of them eating pellets ever. I believe that it's only either frozen or live.

Totally my personal opinion, but get a GDM if you can swing it. I'm biased though because I desperately want one. Unfortunately, I don't have a suitable tank for one (it'd either have to be with frogfish or gobies/firefish) so I'm stuck living vicariously through other people for now.

 

[anbosu]

I believe in general GDMs aren't overly aggressive, but ultimately it'd be pretty irrelevant anyway because they're super small (like their actual thickness). Everything I've read has said they're not even a potential threat to anything except small gobies, dartfish and blennies. SFE can actually get large and thick and are capable of consuming or just simply killing much larger prey (either intentionally or during feeding).

The only downside to GDMs is their cost. Which is usually close to 10x that of a SFE depending on your source. As for feeding any eel, I'm not sure I've heard of them eating pellets ever. I believe that it's only either frozen or live.

Totally my personal opinion, but get a GDM if you can swing it. I'm biased though because I desperately want one. Unfortunately, I don't have a suitable tank for one (it'd either have to be with frogfish or gobies/firefish) so I'm stuck living vicariously through other people for now.

I've been told Les at Wet Pets Hawaii can get GDMs for a very reasonable price.

 

[JackiB]

Les does get them. He is a great source for Hawaiian fish and does a great job shipping. He actually cares about the fish he sells.