freshwater moray eel-feeding techniques

[unckeyherb]

Have had my Eel for awhile now. He has recently gotten very thin, doesn't look good. I was wondering what others fed their eels. I usually give him a diet of crayfish (once a week or so), and sinking carnivore pellets (every day).
However, I am not sure that he actually eats the pellets. He shares my 150 gal tank with 1 oscar, 1 green terror, 1 JD and pleco...all are around 7" except my oscar is about 10".


Any other suggestions for feeding (food types, methods of getting the food to the eel and not the other fishies.)

Thanks in advance

 

[DB junkie]

Yes. Get him into the brackish water they need to live. In fresh they stay alive. They do not thrive or grow. They just slowly wither away till death in FW. May take a few weeks, may take months. Took me killing 4 to figure this out....Back when I thought that LFSs knew what they were talking about. They need brackish and I guess eventually salt. Although mine seem to be doing ok in brackish still.

After you get him into the proper water it should eat just fine. Mine can't resist cut up market shrimp or crayfish. I'm sure ghost shrimp too at that size. (mine are a bit bigger)

 

[davo]

A lot of people do well keeping them in a moderate-high brackish tank for life, but a lot of keepers have them in salt, even when young. But it in a brackish tank (as don't think any of your other fish will tolerate). Also make sure it is getting the food, not outcompeted by the others.

 

[unckeyherb]

Well, my Cichlids and Pleco won't be able to handle brackish, let alone salt water, so I guess my only options are to get another tank or bring it back to the pet shop and hope that someone else can give him a good home. Interesting though, the guy at the fish store said he would thrive in the freshwater tank with the fish that I am keeping.

sucks

 

[Jesse]

If you can't get another tank for yours, I'd suggest adding a small amount of salt, not enough to affect your FW fish. Salt treatment for FW fish commonly involves bumping the SG up to 1.002 or 1.003 through the addition of roughly 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon. I've kept Gymnothorax tile in as little as 1.002 SG and have never had any problems getting them to eat. They would readily eat Hikari Sinking Carnivore Pellets and frozen krill right off the tank bottom.

 

[davo]

I like icthyophile assumed it is Gymnothorax tile, it is right? Anyhoo, just got to make sure it isnt being out competed. You could try target feeding to make sure, as i'm sure it has its own preferred cave retreat?