tips to make ribbon eel to eat
- Thread starter buraccha
- Start date
cougareyes
New member
Try something live to get him settled in, ghost shrimp would work,
Hi there
This is what I have done I’ve had 4 and got 4 eating... have you got him in your display.. im saying him is it sexed ? black blue or yellow ?
they can go a long time without eating so don’t panic just yet..
if you can set up a small tank mine was a 3 foot old tank with a T8 light i found they don’t like the light to be too bright while they settle
pipe work !! is a must they need something double there width so roughly around 40mm pipe and long enough get there body in ( they must feel safe )
first off try river shrimp there only cheap and will survive in the water so this is a good live food you can gut load these to by adding food which they will eat.. although the eel might not eat them straight away it will get them in the feeding mood i found.
frozen fish.. i used smelts and silverside like
these https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=f...qrLLTAhWQKVAKHVjCD6EQsAQISw&biw=1920&bih=1070
defrost 1 in some tank water.. i think used some black tongs like these
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=f...920&bih=1070#tbm=isch&q=black+tongs+aquaruim+
after that its basically time and effort ( my arm used to hurt lol) every day try feed them one basically use the tongs and wave it around gently so as not to spook the eel the key is as soon as the eel grabs it let go don’t pull against it.. I used to try for 30min if it didn’t feed I would leave it in the tank near the end of the pipe with the pump off sometimes it would take it when I wasn’t there.. from time to time I used to tip the eel out the pipe to make sure there was no rotten fish in there I fed like this for over a month they would take 4 large fish every few days..
i then transferred the pipes to the main display and covered in sand and continued from there
had them on and off for over 4 years until i sold up
This is what I have done I’ve had 4 and got 4 eating... have you got him in your display.. im saying him is it sexed ? black blue or yellow ?
they can go a long time without eating so don’t panic just yet..
if you can set up a small tank mine was a 3 foot old tank with a T8 light i found they don’t like the light to be too bright while they settle
pipe work !! is a must they need something double there width so roughly around 40mm pipe and long enough get there body in ( they must feel safe )
first off try river shrimp there only cheap and will survive in the water so this is a good live food you can gut load these to by adding food which they will eat.. although the eel might not eat them straight away it will get them in the feeding mood i found.
frozen fish.. i used smelts and silverside like
these https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=f...qrLLTAhWQKVAKHVjCD6EQsAQISw&biw=1920&bih=1070
defrost 1 in some tank water.. i think used some black tongs like these
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=f...920&bih=1070#tbm=isch&q=black+tongs+aquaruim+
after that its basically time and effort ( my arm used to hurt lol) every day try feed them one basically use the tongs and wave it around gently so as not to spook the eel the key is as soon as the eel grabs it let go don’t pull against it.. I used to try for 30min if it didn’t feed I would leave it in the tank near the end of the pipe with the pump off sometimes it would take it when I wasn’t there.. from time to time I used to tip the eel out the pipe to make sure there was no rotten fish in there I fed like this for over a month they would take 4 large fish every few days..
i then transferred the pipes to the main display and covered in sand and continued from there
had them on and off for over 4 years until i sold up
LobsterOfJustice
Recovering Detritophobe
I babysat one for a few months that would only eat live platys.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
cougareyes
New member
Ribbons are notorious for being difficult to feed, it is likely you'll have to start with live food.
Did you find out if the lfs had him eating.
Did you find out if the lfs had him eating.
buraccha
New member
my lfs said that the eel didnt eat since his arrival.
cougareyes
New member
Have you tried mollies, you can acclimate them to salt and have them live in there until he's ready to eat them. He'll likely snag them at night, just make sure they are not too huge.
Sounds Fishy
New member
I had a Blue Ribbon eel 4 years ago,and he eventually escaped,after 6 months.He didn't eat initially,after purchasing it,but after a week,of trying everything,he ate one of my reef fish during the night.I didn't expect that. I fed him a steady diet of Rosie minnows and guppies.They have a huge appetite(mine ate 4 to 5 live minnows each morning at 3 AM ).He was always out on the prowl during the night,afterward.They are very skilled hunters and are wonderful to watch,dragging their victim snagged in their mouth,disappearing into their little lair(consisting of a small pipe he lived in).Then re emerging a minute later ready to snag another Rosie that comes nearby.My advice is to try feeding it with just moonlights on.Have lots of guppies or Rosie's to entice it to eat.Don't give up.I do not know why they are initially reluctant to eat,however,if there are other fish in your aquarium,causing them to feel stressed,they will either,refuse to eat,or (as in my case),eat that fish.
cougareyes
New member
You just acclimate the mollies and let them live with him. Just make sure they are not too large to intimidate him and small enough for him to gulp them down. It may not be today or tomorrow that he will eat them. One day you'll just notice them gone. Peppermint shrimp would also be a good starter food that you could let live with him, I still treat my lions with peppermints once a month. Continue trying to get him interested in something from the stick. replenish live food as necessary until you get him eating. Some of these guys need something live living in the tank for them to find at night until settled in.
buraccha
New member
4 months passed since i have my blue ribbon eel and he is eating nothing the food i give him. However, he didnt get skinnier and i noticed that he was eating something in my tank. Once a week, his belly have a round shape and after 3-4days its gone. So i suppose he is eating little inverts or critters in my tank. Ill try to find what he is eating cause he is not a fully grown adult, maybe it can be helpful to other eel keepers.
mike61289
New member
Do a head count in your tank. Make sure all fish and shrimps are still there. I doubt he'd go for other inverts.
