View Full Version : Snowflake Eel eating?
raziel
10-16-2005, 11:37 PM
I recently bought a Snowflake eel in my usual manner i looked up far too mch info to be healthy and then searched for one till i found him. Now i have a a bit of a problem, i can't be sure if he is eating but he is supposed to like live food i tried brine shrimp my jack and texas really like it but he couldn't seem to care less and i tried ghost shrimp which once again my hungery little fellows loved. he is by no means pushed around or truely out contested for food so if he isn't eating what could it be any ideas?
cockroach
10-17-2005, 8:42 AM
i bought my snowflake and he didnt eat for three days (putting in live feeder shrimp). the other fish ate them all. then i read about waiting a while. so i left him for a week with no food and waited till he started swimming around looking for food. as soon as i put in the frozen supermarket shrimp on a feeder stick he went nuts. they binge feed, so i feed mine bout every 3 to 4 days.
hope this helps.
Vitaliy
10-17-2005, 8:44 AM
Correct me if I am wrong but isn’t Snowflake Eel a brackish fish that requires full salt as adult
EDIT: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=5388
Hiya and welcome Raziel,
I have always seen them in sw. Never kept one.
Oh, I found the problem, 2 different eels are sold as snowflakes, the fully marine Echidna nebulosa (snowflake moray) that gets to 40", and the Gymnothorax tile (freshwater snowflake eel) which is not as coomonly sold but runs around $20 @ 9" long, that one gets to around 24" max., It breeds in salt or strong brackish water but lives comfortably in fresh, brackish, or salt and can move between them. I found a couple discussion forums in which it was said that they often take several days to settle in and start eating, they also suggest feeding at night and providing hidng caves. here are pics of both types of snowflake.
messiner
10-17-2005, 7:49 PM
I currently have on in a salt tank. he has doubled in size since i got him and he is one hardy but great lookin eel.
FlammingWoodChuck
10-17-2005, 9:59 PM
dose any1 know what they eat. I see them in every so often for 14$ @ 10+inch. I had one but it died along time ago. when i first started fish keeping. I am considering getting another
IoStrisciare
10-17-2005, 10:03 PM
dose any1 know what they eat. I see them in every so often for 14$ @ 10+inch. I had one but it died along time ago. when i first started fish keeping. I am considering getting another
they eat small shrimp... had the most success getting them to feed w those...
cockroach
10-18-2005, 2:45 AM
they eat small shrimp... had the most success getting them to feed w those...
i agree with that. i only feed mine supermarket frozen shrimp.
dodgefreak8
12-13-2005, 6:40 PM
frozen krill. he loves the stuff
I've kept several Gymnothorax tile in the past under light brackish to brackish conditions (SG 1.002 to 1.009) and have never had any problems getting them to gobble up Hikari Sinking Carnivore pellets. Try it, you will be surprised!
ChickenTeeth
12-13-2005, 8:37 PM
I've kept several Gymnothorax tile in the past under light brackish to brackish conditions (SG 1.002 to 1.009) and have never had any problems getting them to gobble up Hikari Sinking Carnivore pellets. Try it, you will be surprised!
Guppy u ar a literal "FishHead"!!!
d20monsteroscar20
12-13-2005, 8:53 PM
WOW THIS IS SO FREAKING AWSOME! I just brought a snowflake or like the pet store called a marbal Eal. I brought it today just 3 hours ago and I came to post it on the site, but them I read this post. mines looks exactly like the last pict you got here.. exactly and I brought ghost shimps and they didnt eat either. So I should wait for a week? and can they eat crickets too or only live food?
I will do my best to post a pict of him/her.
paintboi101
12-13-2005, 11:55 PM
lol nice
thefishofdoom
12-14-2005, 12:12 AM
its better to keep snow flake eels in brackish to salt.
(my appinion)
Jesse
12-14-2005, 12:35 AM
its better to keep snow flake eels in brackish to salt.
(my appinion)Depends on whether you are referring to E. nebulosa (a SW species) or G. tile (which can range from very light brackish to SW).
Jesse
12-14-2005, 12:39 AM
Guppy u ar a literal "FishHead"!!!
I'm not Guppy, but I will take it as a compliment. I am located along the same freeway (I-5) but about 500 miles further south. :D
d20monsteroscar20
12-14-2005, 12:42 AM
aww there it goes. I aint gud wen it comes to take picts of my fishes or whatever inside the tank so I hope you like it.
d20, that's a Gymnothorax tile.
Most eels will take any meaty food, (not just live) once they start feeding, may like to feedin dim conditions, a friend left a dim blue bulb on in the late evenings for feeding times, some eels like moving food so feeding sticks or long chop sticks are required.
dodgefreak8
12-16-2005, 12:00 AM
haven't posted this in a while so here ya go
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/dodgefreak8/db4a.jpg
hes about twice this size now pushing 18".. cool fish and he's in pretty much fresh water. I add the recommended aquarium salt for tropical fish to the tank. So it can be done. I have had this fish for exactly one year now and he eats every night.
Oddball
12-26-2005, 3:47 AM
Freshwater Moray Eels
By William Berg
Aquarticles
This article will primarily depict my experiences over the years with Gymnothorax tile, but can to a very high degree be applied to any of the so-called freshwater moray eels.
I would like to start by giving a description of my experiences with G. tile. You often hear that these fish are hard to keep and usually die after a few months, are hard to get to eat and are usually so weakened when you get them that they are beyond saving. I have kept this species for a few years in different aquariums and have found that it isn't a hard fish to keep if you just meet a few small demands. If these demands are met they eat just about anything and even eat food out of your hand above the water surface - that is, if you are brave enough to risk that they bite you by mistake (and take my word for it, they carry a mean bite). The rumours about them being weakened by transportation are usually just rumours. By my account these fish can recover from just about anything.
The "secret" of keeping morays is to understand that these animals are very easily stressed if not given the right environment. And if they feel stressed they'll stop eating and slowly fade away over 2-3 months, which explains many of the rumours surrounding these fishes.
Water conditions
First of all I would like to stress that these fish are not really freshwater fishes, even if they can be found from time to time in freshwater. They are much rather kept in brackish water. This said, I should add that it is possible to keep these fish in freshwater more permanently, however the fish are much more sensitive in freshwater and therefore this is not recommended if you don't have extensive experience with these species, and even then brackish water is preferred.
Aquarium
I recommend a big aquarium, at least 120 gallon for these fish, which grow to about 24". The aquarium should be decorated with a lot of hiding places. I will return to decoration later.
Feeding
If the specie's other demands are met, feeding freshwater moray eels shouldn't give you any problem - they accept most kinds of live and frozen food. They usually don't accept pellets. A varied diet is always preferable. I usually feed my eels a diet based on frozen shrimp (the kind you buy in your grocery store) and frozen fish (silversides) that isn't too fat. Once in a while I'll give them live fish, but don't be surprised if the fish survives a few days - sooner or later it will become food. The diet can be varied a little more with different meats, crayfish etc. - just use your imagination. However don't feed the eels pork, since it's too fat.
Company
It's a bit tricky to find good tank mates for morays, since they eat anything small enough, are easily stressed so therefore can't be kept with too aggressive species, and are brackish water species which further narrows the field of potential companions.
First of all I recommend you to keep more than one moray in your aquarium. They are not aggressive towards each other and often share caves, which gives a nice touch to the aquarium. However you might still want to have some other species in the aquarium and I would then like to recommend bigger dats which usually don't hassle morays, and maybe scats, monos, or puffers. Other large eels are another suggestion.
Use your imagination but remember what I stated above and be patient if trying new species. Just because the morays haven't eaten a fish in a few days doesn't mean they aren't going to. I recommend that you wait at least 14 days before deciding that it is safe to get more specimens of a species. I would also like to remind you that if the moray, or any other fish for that matter, has grown up with a fish and hasn't eaten it, it doesn't mean that it won't eat another new fish of the same species and size.
I sometimes hear people recommend to keep tiger barbs or danios with this species. However I would like to discourage this. My experience is that these fish always end up inside the morays within a few weeks.
Tank setup
The most important thing to remember when you decorate is to create a lot of hiding places and narrow caves. I also promote having plants in the tank, since plants create dim corners and produce even more hiding places, and calm the fish down even further. I recommend using anubias species and Java ferns that don't have to be planted in the soil, and which create good hiding places since they have sturdy leaves. These plants also tolerate slightly brackish water.
I try to use rocks of different heights and make sure there is not more than maybe 10 cm between the different rocks in the background. I also put plants in the bigger spaces to make it feel safer for the morays. Always try to have at least two, preferably three, large cave systems. If you want to improve your morays' living conditions even more you can put a few PVC pipes in your tank in different sizes, large enough for your morays. However if you have built good rock formations this isn't necessary.
The important thing is to create a lot of good hiding places. How you do this is less important - if you like sunken model ships go for it, just don't use anything toxic. I would also like to warn about using roots in your morays' tank since this will effect water conditions in a way that is negative for morays.
Other moray species
This is a list of moray species that wander into brackish and freshwater and which can occasionally be found in the trade. Species identification in stores is usually very unreliable.
Echidna rhodochilus, Gymnotorax tile, and Gymnothorax afer are the three most commonly available species. These species are, along with Gymnothorax polyuranodon, the species most suitable for aquariums with brackish water.
Other species which occasionally wander into brackish waters include:
· Anarchias seychellensis
· Echidna leucotaenia
· Gymnothorax fimbriatus
· Strophidon sathete
· Thyrsoidea macrura
· Uropterygius concolor
· Uropterygius micropterus
Final thoughts
Freshwater moray eels can be a very pleasant experience if you are willing to meet their demands. I find healthy morays a beautiful and interesting addition to any aquarium that meets their requirements, and it's a pleasure to see them lurking in their caves. The fact that after a little training (1 week) they will elevate a large part of their body above the water's surface to take food out of your hand doesn't hurt either, and makes a nice trick for guests. And since these fish, if well taken care of, live to be 35 years old they might become long time acquaintances.
cmersits
01-09-2006, 10:08 PM
wow guppy thanks for clearing that up for me! :thumbsup: :)
searcyb
01-11-2006, 12:32 AM
I purchased one not too long ago, and it died 2 weeks later. I believe that it was sick when I got it from the LFS but I don't know. It was really active but one day it just started going crazy... I am not sure if it ever ate and frankley I don't think it did. but as far as I know the G. tile can do just fine in the fresh water conditions
BostonPatriot
01-16-2006, 2:10 PM
I just picked up one of these guys. It is the one that can live in fresh it's whole life according to the LFS. The LFS I got mine at said the breeder he uses is in Tailand and breeds and raises them in fresh water and it is all they know. I was told that they could reach 24" but it is rare and to expect more like 16-18" Max.
Oddball
01-16-2006, 2:15 PM
look up Gymnothorax tile care yourself and then decide if your lfs has a clue.
Nice article Oddball, thanks.
BostonPatriot
01-16-2006, 7:49 PM
look up Gymnothorax tile care yourself and then decide if your lfs has a clue.
Yeah they probably don't know too much besides how much they order them for and what I have to pay.
monsterfishkeeper
01-16-2006, 7:58 PM
mine swims around the suface and thats when i throw in some freeze dreid shrimp
BostonPatriot
01-20-2006, 11:37 AM
Oddball you'll love this. The place where I bought mine that claimed they were "raised and bred in freshwater" moved theirs to salt. The same people that fed me that **** are the same people who told me today that "they do better in salt water". Pricks... I hate the fact that this place is one of the only places in the area that carries a variety of harder to find fish.
stratton
01-20-2006, 12:02 PM
I have been keeping numerous saltwater eels for years......and a few freshwater morays. They all seem to really like eating frozen octopus, squid, and shrimp. They also ate Formula one.
stratton
01-20-2006, 12:04 PM
And yes, they do better in saltwater. All of the freshwater morays I had, I eventually moved them to saltwater. They tend to live a lot longer if you convert them.
horndevl
01-29-2006, 1:04 AM
ive got some balla sharks dragon fish and sting ray would they be safe tank buddies? ive got a snowflake on hold for me but want to check first thanks : :y220d:
T0mmyc00k03
11-22-2007, 2:34 PM
i just bought a snow flake moray ell yesterday. i got him in the tank late last night and i tried to feed him this morning but he didn't even seem interested in the goldfish i put in there. I've tried both dead and alive but nothing. is this normal? should i just wait till he looks for food?
T0mmyc00k03
11-22-2007, 2:40 PM
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/C:%5CDocuments%20and%20Settings%5CDawn%20Furbush%5 CMy%20Documents%5CMy%20Pictures%5C2007-Nov-23%5CCaseyCam001.JPG
kntrygrl4lyfe
11-23-2007, 11:12 PM
wow this thread strated long ago...
But I will add, When I got mine he was about... 6inches if that, now he is 16" Well not even 10 minutes in the tank I put a peice of squid in front of him and BAM! all gone.. lol Mine LOVES squid. You all ahould try it is you havnt. Yeah they didnt tell me till after I bought him that he will need brackish and what not. So he went from fresh, to brackish, to salt.
anyone know where i can get one in newyork or online
unannon
11-29-2007, 8:34 PM
My buddy had one for a 6 months untill the aquarium heater malfunctioned, with a little bit of aquarium salt, and the eel always seemed to be healthy They seem to do well on live feeders as well, and his preferred to eat at night. I would say keeping a hiding place is essential, his spent most of the time in it but when he got real hungry he would just come out and sit there waiting for feeders. As far as finding them in New York or not, I guess it just depends on where, in terms of PA, OH, and western NY I have only seen them for sale twice. Good luck, they are cool fish.