Snowflake Eeel Suitability

[bondolo]

Recently I adopted a snowflake moray eel and all seemed well. Unfortunately in the weeks since original introduction I have been losing fish. Initially my eldest clownfish who was already ancient but more recently a 10cm hogfish and a tomini tank. From what I have read before acquiring the eel 92G tank was more than large enough for the ~30cm eel. The fish were also believed to all have been of sufficient size to not have been threatened by the eel. I am worrying though that the loss of these fish since the introduction of the eel is not a coincidence. The remaining fish seem somewhat stressed by the eel but that could just be adjustment to the loss of the other tank mates.

Have others found snowflakes to be good citizens or troublemakers? Should I make plans to rehome the eel ASAP before losing the rest of the fish?

 

[carrots]

If you see the eel with a bulge in his gut and a grin on his face in the morning - then yea he is eating them during the night. I would not be surprised if you found a fish or two had jumped out of the tank during the night from the stress of the eel's night time hunting. Keep it well fed with silversides, clam and shrimp. Create a cave for him, (half of a flower pot or something like that.) Make sure you have a tight fitting heavy top. I found mine on the floor one morning covered in dust and dog hair but he survived. Good luck.

 

[jason77777]

Loss of fish as in dead or missing?

I also contemplated getting a snowflake after my dwarf golden moray died. I opted to get another dwarf after I saw a full grown snowflake. I buy fish for the long term, so I don't want to get rid of it after 6 years after it starts picking off fish at night.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[SaltyDoug]

What and how often do you feed the eel?

He seems a little small to be eating a fish without you noticing a considerable bulge in his belly.

 

[bondolo]

He does indeed have a considerable belly. He also showed a disinterest in food which was certainly atypical.

I do have a tight fitting lid which should prevent him or anybody else from escaping.

I have been feeding him bite size chunks (~1cm cube) of thawed shrimp, scallop, squid or silversides about every other day. Usually a couple of chunks per feeding