Feeding Fire Eels

[RyanScanner]

As my fire eels grow what can I feed them safely. I’m aware of the risk thiaminase from raw shrimp and other frozen seafoods can cause with Vitamin B deficiency. They only eat bloodworms but their tank mates are getting too over fed from their leftovers and the cost is mounting.

I’ve started feeding them live earthworms, which they love, but I usually dose the blood worms with Vitachem and garlic extract. Are earthworms fine on their own? Is there anything else safe? Or am I being overly cautious?

Fire eels are extremely rare and expensive where I am.

 

[kno4te]

I usually feed cut up earthworms to my one eel and stuff with pellets and soak in vitachem to help with supplementation. My m dayi takes pellets.

 

[RyanScanner]

I’ve only got my compost worms can’t stuff em. I can get them to take anything I want if I soak it in the same mix I soak the blood worms. But they definitely won’t eat pellets unless I starve them I’m guessing. How long can they go without food.

They are still small only 10”.

 

[kno4te]

I’ve only got my compost worms can’t stuff em. I can get them to take anything I want if I soak it in the same mix I soak the blood worms. But they definitely won’t eat pellets unless I starve them I’m guessing. How long can they go without food.

They are still small only 10”.

Not exactly sure. But I’ve got another eel that hasn’t eaten in 3-4 weeks now. Just severely stressed. Same size.

 

[RyanScanner]

Sorry to hear that. One of my tiger moray was the same then he just switched and now is ravenous.

So can they live indefinitely on earth worms healthily, without additional vitamins?

Compost worms are way cheaper than bloodworms there must be a downside.

 

[kno4te]

Sorry to hear that. One of my tiger moray was the same then he just switched and now is ravenous.

So can they live indefinitely on earth worms healthily, without additional vitamins?

Compost worms are way cheaper than bloodworms there must be a downside.

I don’t know. But I think it’s better than bloodworms. That’s also the reason I stuff broken massivore pellets inside the cut up earthworm.

 

[danotaylor]

I've seen fishermen inject worms with air to make them float off the bottom when fishing. Maybe you could inject the vitachem & garlic into the earthworms?

 

[RyanScanner]

I've seen fishermen inject worms with air to make them float off the bottom when fishing. Maybe you could inject the vitachem & garlic into the earthworms?

lol I’m not that dedicated, wouldn’t they be gutloaded from veggies in the compost?

Where does thiaminase come from in frozen seafood? Is it a preservative or just part of ocean shrimp scallops etc?

 

[Lotsoffishandthings]

lol I’m not that dedicated, wouldn’t they be gutloaded from veggies in the compost?

Where does thiaminase come from in frozen seafood? Is it a preservative or just part of ocean shrimp scallops etc?

It’s in the seafood itself. Fish/ shrimps have no means to produce it so it’s either produced by a planktonic prey item or by bacteria in their gut.

 

[Lotsoffishandthings]

Actually, looks like there is a thiaminase gene in fish as well.