Tragic Accident - Ribbon Eel help!!

irishrose302

New member
Well, it happened. I have had my ribbon eel for a long while now and he ate GREAT!!

For whatever reason he was able to navigate the sump system and got himself wrapped in the impeller of my asm g3 skimmer pump.

I was able to remove him, minus an ~5-6 inches of tail and have him quaranteened.

My question is:

can he physically live with that much tail loss?

I realize that with shock and with how delicate they are as is that he may not survive, but I need to know if there is any hope if I can get him to eat.


Please any input would help......this was my most favorite fish and I am tore up over this.
 
Well definately putting him in QT is giving him a chance.
Not sure if the regular stuff like melafix would do
 
Sorry about your loss. I love ribbon eels too. I had one that was 5 1/2' long when I moved from Dallas and sold the tank. I have a reef tank now and am wondering what I would loose as food if I added another. Did you have any reef inverts with your eel and how long was he?
Thanks
 
thanks everyone.

Its just amazing how no matter what you do to fool proof your system so that no one (fish) can get into areas that are dangerous, they still manage to do so.

I have decided to hold off on getting another Ribbon until I can dedicate a display just for it. Ribbons, if you can get them to eat well, are one of the better eels to have in a reef but due to how delicate they are they typically starve.

I did find a banana eel that is already established and eating for sale at one of the local shops, I am thinking about getting it....
 
Wow, sorry about your loss. They are cool eels but difficult to keep even if they stay where they are supposed to.

For future reference...I don't care at all for the Melafix or Primafix products. Better to use a good antibiotic instead. Furan 2 is one I have used a lot.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12850848#post12850848 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Crush Coral
Sorry about your loss. I love ribbon eels too. I had one that was 5 1/2' long when I moved from Dallas and sold the tank. I have a reef tank now and am wondering what I would loose as food if I added another. Did you have any reef inverts with your eel and how long was he?
Thanks

ribbons are typically safe with most inverts due to how very small their mouth structure is. I have cleaners shrimp, peppermints and a coral banded. My zebra eel was more of a threat to them than the ribbon. I had my ribbon for over a year and he was a black juvenile at about 3+ feet. He was just starting to turn blue at the head indicating puberty was setting in.
 
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