Zebra Eel Feeding Question

SkullV

They Got My Number
I know when I had my Snowflake Eel a while ago that I would just feed him until he stopped taking the food (Krill, Shrimp, Scallops, Squid) but I just fed this 17" Zebra Eel 20 Krill and he just kept going. Do you feed them until they are done eating or should I feed him less multiple times a week?

Thanks!
 
Great sign that yours is eating so eagerly right after being introduced into your tank!

My zebras couldn't be more different from one another in terms of eating. I'm guessing I have a male/female pair, as they never leave each other's side, and when one leaves the cave, the other always follows closely behind. Anyway, the male is a bit larger, and is a much more aggressive feeder. He will eat as much as I'm willing to feed, and it makes no difference what is on the menu (Shrimp, Lobster, King & Snow Crab leg, Scallop, Mussel, Squid, and whatever else appears at my local seafood market). The female however will only take a few pieces before losing interest. The exception being when I feed them soft shell crabs. They both will eat piece after piece until I stop feeding them.

I feed mine smaller amounts every other day, as they are in a 75g, and I have to keep the water quality in check. For example, the male will get the equivalent of 2 medium shrimp at each feeding, and the female will get about half to quarter of this, depending on when she decides she's had enough. If I do a bigger feeding, I'll skip the next one... etc... They are both growing (difficult to say how much as they are almost always hidden), so it seems to be working for me so far.

Apologies for the long winded reply, and definitely give soft shell crabs a try if you should come across them at your local market...

-Ben
 
Try feeding items that are larger. When I had my 24"-30" zebra it would easily eat 5-6 large shrimp before filling up and losing interest. I fed once a week for the most part.
 
The shrimp and squid is ok but I wouldn't give the moray krill at all, ever. A zebra that size should get roughly 2-3 lg shrimp per feeding which would be around every 2-3 days at that size. I would try to alternate the diet with shrimp,fish, squid, crab, octopus, etc. All of my morays get 7 different varieties of fish, in addition to the above mentioned. I alternate the feeding with the above foods so they don't get the same food again for roughly 2-3 weeks or so unless I run out of one or the other.
 
The shrimp and squid is ok but I wouldn't give the moray krill at all, ever. A zebra that size should get roughly 2-3 lg shrimp per feeding which would be around every 2-3 days at that size. I would try to alternate the diet with shrimp,fish, squid, crab, octopus, etc. All of my morays get 7 different varieties of fish, in addition to the above mentioned. I alternate the feeding with the above foods so they don't get the same food again for roughly 2-3 weeks or so unless I run out of one or the other.

Great info! I am on my last flat pack of Krill and then it is getting taken off the menu. When you feed squid do the eels prefer the tentacles or the body?
 
Any reason why it would be way more aggressive going for Krill then fresh shrimp?

Also, how blind are these eels really? It will get right up to the food and go the wrong way!

Still eats just fine (3 large shrimp yesterday)
 
Any reason why it would be way more aggressive going for Krill then fresh shrimp?

Also, how blind are these eels really? It will get right up to the food and go the wrong way!

Still eats just fine (3 large shrimp yesterday)

It probably was fed krill more so then other food items recently. Many of the eels like the krill as well as silversides but both can have detrimental effects over a period if they are used too much.
 
I am inclined to agree with larger portions will help a lot, plus you don't want to risk it getting lock jaw from constantly eating small pieces.

Your local grocery store day old fish section will become your best friend!!!
 
Soft shell crab? Is that what there actually called in supermarket.. Mmm must try them. If there called something else please let me know. Oh and what supermarket. Chain...

I've had mine for about six years, he predominantly eats morrisons muscle. I'll give one or two loaded with pellets and the other one or two frozen. He deffinatley prefers them solid frozen, he gets more excited and bites the heck out of them and coils up wrestling. He's over 30" for sure
 
I use my local Kroger's. I've become very good friends with the guy behind the fish counter haha.
 
He likes scallops more than shrimp too. Maybe he just doesn't like to eat shrimp. He does let the cleaners clean the inside of his mouth and gills (I know probably temporary).

Still wondering how blind these guys are? If I didn't know they had extremly poor eyesight I would think divers den sold me a blind fish. Sometimes he'll be gnawing at a rock when food is 2" away.
 
My Zebra is just as blind. He can smell that shrimp as soon as it hits the water though. Then he can be right next to it and not see it. I feed mine 3 large shrimp every 3 days or so. He also loves scallops. Doesn't touch squid or mussels. He is 30+ inches long
 
Any chance we could see some pictures or video of this guy in action?

Available in HD. Also shows how blind they are!

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Awesome. You are right, he definitely can't see very well, but when he found it he ate it in one big gulp. Very cool. Thanks for sharing.
 
I have heard that these are really clumsy and that they will knock over rock work and corals. How have you found yours to do with clumsiness issues?

Thanks, Charlie
 
Mine is very clumsy and nearly blind. I would not keep one in a tank with loose corals/frags/rockwork.
 
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