was bitten by the eel bug yesterday.....

[anaya]

so after a few visits to the LFS over the past week and some reading on here I brought home an 11" snowflake eel a 75gal tank and stand..... he is in my 29gal for now till the 75 is ready.

Few questions on setup of 75. Will be an eel only tank.

1. 6" DSB or 2-3" normal?

2. What type lighting?

3. Interior or exterior overflow?

4. Suggestions on a 2nd eel as tank companion.

Any and all replies will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance: Antonio

 

[jjk_reef00]

Normal sand bed, T5 or whatever you like the looks of.
Exterior overflow is nice if you are willing to do the work, but interior will be fine.

 

[anaya]

jjk- are you saying the normal SB because that is personal choice or is it better for some reason in an eel tank?

thanks for your reply

 

[CPL_DSM]

I had two snowflakes for awhile to I had a Ph spike do to some bad sand someone sold me, however if your lucky you may get them to mate. I'd say a 75 gal is more then enough for two of them.

 

[rubensito]

The lighting is personal choice, or depending on if you're going to add any organisms that need specific lighting, but for the eel, it really doesn't make a difference. I've had success with eels without DSB. I'd go with the exterior overflow, but again most of these are personal preference more than anything. Eel-proofing the tank is the #1 issue when it comes to requirements for eels as far as I'm concerned.

As for tankmates, if you want another eel, go with another Echidna species to lessen the chance of aggression, or perhaps even Gymnothorax tile (a.k.a. freshwater snowflake eel) or other small eels

 

[DoubleM 10]

well i have an eel (ghost ribbon eel) and he is very curious about everything. he has made his way into the sump once.

once he did that i rearranged the rocks to give him a more secure home on the other side of the tank from the external overflow.

i dont think they are very smart i just think they are way to curious. mine ate frozen pretty easy.

a companion for yours i would say another snowflakeif you wanna stay on the cheap side. but if you got the money i would say a golden moray. maybe a chainlink if u can find one

 

[rubensito]

I'll second on the chainlink, very attractive, easy going, and inexpensive eel

 

[helicoprion]

Skeletor would be awesome as well... they've gone down in price a lot recently too.

 

[Kyuss]

+1 on the eel-proofing... it's can't be 'overdone' IMO. I had a snowflake I got when he was the size of a pencil until he was about 20" long, housed with a humu humu trigger. Despite my efforts to lock the tank down like a penitentiary, he found a weak spot to force himself out and onto the carpet while I was at work.

Oddly enough, there was also a blue damsel in the tank who was the triggers buddy, but the eel would of probably eaten if he could have, but they lived together fine for about 4 years. The following morning after the eel jumped, I woke to find the trigger had killed the damsel! I'm not sure if he was seeking vengeance or silencing a witness, but I suspect the whole thing was a krill deal gone bad.

 

[DoubleM 10]

i thought this thread was gonna be about getting bitten lol. its funny cause my gf just got bit by my ghost ribbon. cracked me up. she screamed and dropped the tongs in the tank and shook her hand for a bit lol

 

[anaya]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

To "eel proof" the tank it will be solid glass lid (debating on 1/4" or the 3/8" for weight) with 1/2" or 3/4" feeding holes along the front(will be covered by extra pieces of scrap granite or possibly a strip of glass to cover all and can be removed only to feed).

The overflow will be exterior as mentioned above (should be fun DIY).
Plan to do 3/8" slots covered with nylon screen till they get large enough for the slots not to be a concern (I'm open for a better Idea).

No other tank-mates except one day a possible trigger(but doubt it)

As for eel tank mates...

Yellow-Head (Gymnothorax rueppelliae) is frickin awesome but can't find much info, just what was on the sights selling them (cheap and were easy to find)... would love some tips

Skeletor (Echidna xanthospilos) is hard to find info as well or specimens for sale.

Zebra (Gymnomuraena zebra)?!? but the info I have found is super conflicting. Some places say they get 5'+ and need a 125gal. Others say 2.5-3' and only need a 50gal?! So I'm a bit confused, If someone can please help clarify I would be very happy

The yellow tail and yellow moray's are nice looking as well, little pricey but probably worth it and always an option I hope.

The jeweled (Muraena lentiginosa) is an option as well... wish I had room for the pair on D.D. the decision would be made

Those are listed in descending order from favorite to least. Some one please tell me if I could put a yellow-head (Gymnothorax fimbriatus) if it is not possible I can and will except the truth.

Thanks Antonio

 

[Cracken]

You can get a relatively cheap goldentail, off those sites that deal directly with collectors in the keys. Cant think of the names right now

 

[rubensito]

personally, I would put a fimbriatus in that size tank, but not with the snowflake. The fimbriatus are among the upper tier of very aggressive morays IME

 

[hotrodolds]

I bought 2 window screen kits from walmart and made tops for my centerbraced 90g. I usually leave some little stuff on the corners for weight if im going out for the day.

Snowflake eels are cool. Mine was pretty secretive when small but is definitely more bold as he gets bigger. They grow super fast probably 3" in months. That being said I will NEVER again put in eel into a reef tank. When i get the chance a separate 75/90/125 will be set up for the snowflake and ill do a fowlr.

 

[olemiss reb]

You can get a relatively cheap goldentail, off those sites that deal directly with collectors in the keys. Cant think of the names right now

http://divertom.com/

G. miliaris are $50 when in stock

 

[helicoprion]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

To "eel proof" the tank it will be solid glass lid (debating on 1/4" or the 3/8" for weight) with 1/2" or 3/4" feeding holes along the front(will be covered by extra pieces of scrap granite or possibly a strip of glass to cover all and can be removed only to feed).

The overflow will be exterior as mentioned above (should be fun DIY).
Plan to do 3/8" slots covered with nylon screen till they get large enough for the slots not to be a concern (I'm open for a better Idea).

No other tank-mates except one day a possible trigger(but doubt it)

As for eel tank mates...

Yellow-Head (Gymnothorax rueppelliae) is frickin awesome but can't find much info, just what was on the sights selling them (cheap and were easy to find)... would love some tips

Skeletor (Echidna xanthospilos) is hard to find info as well or specimens for sale.

Zebra (Gymnomuraena zebra)?!? but the info I have found is super conflicting. Some places say they get 5'+ and need a 125gal. Others say 2.5-3' and only need a 50gal?! So I'm a bit confused, If someone can please help clarify I would be very happy

The yellow tail and yellow moray's are nice looking as well, little pricey but probably worth it and always an option I hope.

The jeweled (Muraena lentiginosa) is an option as well... wish I had room for the pair on D.D. the decision would be made

Those are listed in descending order from favorite to least. Some one please tell me if I could put a yellow-head (Gymnothorax fimbriatus) if it is not possible I can and will except the truth.

Thanks Antonio

Ruepelliae is a stunning & unique species... and unfortunatly one of the meanest I've ever kept. I remember reading somewhere it's part of the same complex as fimbriatus and undulatus. I've kept the former; it's really aggressive as well (everyone else here that keeps them seems to echo that) and undulatus is notoriously mean.

The only place I regularly see E. xanthospilos is Live Aquaria... If you go to the diver's den there you can sign up for their daily updates... you could also call to see if/when they'll have some. They usually run 1-200 bucks. As far as care goes, I think they're fairly close to other pebble tooth morays, though I've never kept this species myself.

Whatever you choose, get pics up!

 

[anaya]

A fimbriatus would be awesome as well. will the super aggressive species eat the snowflake?? If so guess I will have to count them out till I acquire another tank.

So... as soon as I get the 75 up and running I will def post pics. I will also when I choose a tank mate for the snowflake. may be a bit though for a tank mate, I'm in no hurry and want to make the most informed decision possible.

another question... Is anyone running a closed loop on their eel only tank, if so what kind of gph should i be aiming for?

Is GFO, Carbon reactors and UV steralizer a good idea or no(I hate algae!!!)?

Thanks again for all the reply's
Antonio

 

[helicoprion]

GFO & Carbon reactors will help polish the water, but to clean it with eels you need an oversized skimmer... for a 75 with a couple morays a skimmer rated for 125 gallons will help control that algae.

As to species selections, I housed my fimby by itself, but others might experience housing it with other species.

 

[anaya]

thanks helicoprion; I'm gonna go with the two reactors then, and skimmer wise I am most likely going to buy the Reef octo 6" pinwheel rated for a 150gal... that is unless I find something I read is better.

I also need some selections of dry sand. I'm going with a DSB so I will be needing 270lbs total, gonna use 190lbs dry and 80lbs of ocean direct live sand. So if you know of where to find dry sand or a brand I can search for I will greatly appreciate the tip.

Antonio

 

[LamboBoy]

I have a Skelector eel for over year now, eats like a pig, only loves shrimp.
Very easy going, never saw aggression against it's tank mates ( Blueline angel and a Kole tang).

Thinking about selling it since I already have way too many tanks to take care of. Willing to sell it for $400.00 plus shipping.