Snowflake eel

[Maryswaterworld]

I just got a snowflake eel and at night it goes into the overflow. any suggestions on how to stop him from going in there? I have a huma trigger, porc puffer and a red fin foxface in the tank with the eel. thanks for the help

 

[artful-dodger]

a screen (or eggcrate) is about the only option once an eel decides on where he wants to hang out, but that exposes you to algae blocking the screen and causing your tank to overflow...clean it regularly!

 

[pitt_prodigy]

If your tank is an oceanic or aga i suggest getting the appropriate glass covers. Their not cheap but not only do they keep eels out of the overflow, but also snails and hermits. Good luck.

 

[swegyptian]

Is he small enough to get through the little slits? Or is he going over the top?

 

[aquaman67]

I just got a small snow flake eel myself. Mine was small enough to get through egg crate.

I used the pre-filter pads for the Tidepool SOS overflow. They are the very corse filter pads inside the overflow. They will stop any eel with restricting water flow. Here's a link to what I'm talking about. (The $5 pads.)

http://www.petsolutions.com/Tidepool+S+O+S+Prefilter-I-47490153-I-.aspx

You can cut them to any size you need.

Here's a pic of my eel.

 

[SimonCityRoyals]

What kind of substrate are you using aquaman? It looks nice and white.

 

[Maryswaterworld]

he going through the little slits the tank is a clarity plus and I have a top for it.

 

[aquaman67]

Mary,

if you cover the slits with the pre-filter pads, that will stop him.

SimonCityRoyals,

Thanks!

It's called Estes Marine Sand. I got it from a local pet store.

 

[LisaD]

Don't mean to sidetrack, but...

I have Estes Marine Sand in my nano cube. It's strange stuff, very light. It does tend to stay nice and clean looking. Does anyone have any idea what it actually is? I'm not sure it's aragonite based. It is so uniform, it actually looks milled or processed. I haven't had any problems with it, I'm just curious about it. Until aquaman mentioned it, I had never seen anyone else on RC who uses it.

 

[spotfin]

Not sure what it is made of, but it's not aragonite. I have the same stuff in my stingray tank, and it is really clean. I used mostly the beige colored sand, with a little of the white sand. I noticed the two are different. Like you said, the white sand is really light and it was hard to get all the grains to sink. The beige sand is heavier. I agree that the white sand looks milled.

 

[syndrome]

Aqua man every time i see your sand i get all tingley inside. I have Plexiglass covering my tank. I cut small 2x2 inch squares to get the tank breathing.

 

[aquaman67]

Mary,

Sorry this turned into an Estes sand thread. I hope you can keep your eel in your tank.

Estes sand is not calcium carbonate. It does not dissolve in vinegar. I tried it. I don't know, however what it is.

Lisa,

To give credit where credit is due, I got the idea from Dubbin1.

Here's his spotted snake eel.

Here's the whole thread.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=655244

syndrome,

Thanks for the compliment. Don't worry, your tank will get there too!

 

[SimonCityRoyals]

the sand really does make your eels POP. Do you know if they have a website I HAVE to get some of it.

 

[Maryswaterworld]

nice eel, btw what do you think about a piece of gutter gaurd cut to fit. it has diamond shape holes to still let water flow through good.

 

[aquaman67]

If it's the plastic kind, that would be fine. I've seen many people use it.

The aluminum kind, would not be ok.

 

[Maryswaterworld]

it is plastic. thanks for your help

 

[sunfishh]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6787699#post6787699 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Maryswaterworld
nice eel, btw what do you think about a piece of gutter gaurd cut to fit. it has diamond shape holes to still let water flow through good.

That should work fine. Just remember to sand down the edges if you cut the plastic so it does not cut your eel

 

[Dubbin1]

My sand and eel are now famous

 

[boomsticks]

I must say those are beautiful pics. I myself have a snowflake eel had him ever since I started my 55 gal sw tank. He was the cutest little thing (about 3-4 inches) now he is a behemoth he is probably a little over a foot now amazing how fast these things grow!

 

[aquaman67]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6793615#post6793615 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dubbin1
My sand and eel are now famous

He He He, because of me!

That is seriously the coolest eel I've ever seen. If you ever decide to part with it, let me know!