Help getting Peacock eels to eat!

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Kaliedoscope;4445207;4445207 said:
Hi, I'm relativley new to eels (but not fish in general), and I recently came into a problem. I got two little peacock eels about a month ago for my knifefish tank, as the substrate is sand and theres lots of wood, I figured they might do well in it. I never really saw them much (xcept for heads, etc) after i put them in when the lights were on. I figured this was OK as i had had great success with the cryptic digging khuli loaches, who in my generously fed snail-filled community tank, had never had a problem (I still have one that I've had for eleven years!).

So here's what I did-
I heard they did well with ghost shrimp, so I started putting twenty ghost shrimp in the tank every week. As my knifefish eats them too, i figured that would be a good number. (the eels are about 5 in. long and still babies).
I also put bloodworms and sometimes brine shrimp in (frozen, one cube defrosted in a cup of tank water), poured into the waterfall from the filter (so it falls to the bottom), just before lights out a couple times a week.

The tank is-
55 gallons with lots of rocks plants and driftwood, as well as a big cave in the middle made of pvc for the knifefish. All parameters are good, water was started with dechlorinated tap water and water changes are done with D/I water with Discus buffer and "Blackwater Expert" extract, So water is soft, with Ph of about 6.5.
Other fish are a Clown Knife Fish (about 5-6 in including tail, he's still a baby too) a Gibbiceps sailfin pleco (also about 5 in), two goldfish (feeders that were a lil too big), and four ~2in blue gouramis.

I also feed gouramis and goldfish brine shrimp, "emerald entree" (mixture with greens in it, bloodworms and flake. I give the pleco algae disks cucumber and zuchinni, though I'm sure he eats some of the worms and stuff too, and the knifefish gets a minagerie of little fish, mainly minnows and goldies, but also tetras, danios, convicts, little gouramis, and whatever else is available so I can keep his diet varied. There are also snails in the tank, which I figured they could eat with their long noses.

(before I get any comments about it, I know how big these fish can get, this won't be their tank for life)

So theres' the whole backstory. I thought through that, the cryptic eels would have enough to eat. But today, the smaller of the two eels came out in the daytime so I could see his whole body, and he looks emaciated! Like he hasn't eaten for a long time! I figured they were eating, but given that I had never seen them eat and that there's alot of crossed trophic level in this tank, It is possible that the CK eats all the ghost shrimp and the pleco eats the worms at night. I figured that would work, but am I wrong?

Its also possible that, because I haven't seen the other eel's side (which I believe is the larger of the two), that he is eating it all. Is it common for peacocks to be dominating over others? I was under the impression that they would get along.

SO theres my long question with lots of backstory, but you didn't have to read all that unless you were very interested, or had a question that I hope I answered with all that initial information.

But my main question is, how can I make sure that they're eating?
Are peacock eels very meek? Should I move them? or is it possible that they're looking for something else or that ones just dominating the other?

I can't see that they would have much competition during the day, except for the goldfish and gouramis, but they always swim away when I try to get food down there.

Do peacock eels have a favourite food?

But basically i'm just asking all the experienced eel keepers on this forum, what should I do? are there any tricks that I could try to make sure theyre getting their fare share?

Thanks
Daniel
Click to expand...
there favorite food is earthworms
 
I have to agree with everything mr orange said about clockwork. My eel now associates my hand with food and comes right to it if im in the tank. he also swims at the top of the water if he sees me near the tank or if i open the lid. its great to know that he's eating and how much because you see all of it, but as to your question how i started him hand feeding was with the blood worms and the turkey baster. when he figured out that the worms come from the turkey baster he actually started investigating and even nipping at it. when i noticed this i knew he could put together food and feeder. so i held an earthworm, got his attention and with repetition and patience...hand feeding.
 
Your post is so long I can barely follow what you're trying to ask. Your eel should be eating. Try putting a cube of blood worms in a pvc pipe at night or put live black worms in the tank.
 
I also have a Peacock Eel. I got him on 7/24/2010 and have yet to see him eat anything except Zucchini. Either he is an extremely hungry carnivore or he's not just a carnivore. I've sat and watched him stab at the Zucchini with his beak on numerous occasions, so I awesome he is trying to eat it.

I've put bottles with blood worms in it in the tank at night, only to find them still in it the next morning. I've used a turkey baster to put blood worms & brine shrimp in front of his nose, and he either does nothing or swims off. I've been meaning to try earthworms, but haven't yet. He looks healthy, so I guess he is eating something.

Up until about 4 days ago, he stayed hid in the sand substrate except for at night, after the lights went out. You would see him with his head barely stuck out of the sand in different areas of the tank during the day. Then about 4 or 5 days ago I noticed him swimming around the tank during the day with the tank light on. He has been out in the open every since and rests in some live plants when he's not swimming around in the open. I'm not sure what to make of this abrupt change in behavior. Extremely hungry or just finally comfortable with his surroundings?
 
sob sad memories my peacock eel was eaten. any how find your eel you should see his nose sticking out of the gravel put a small worm right infront of his nose he should eat it. keep doing this until he becomes used to your hand in a week or so you will find that the little guy likes to sit in your palm and be fed. do all of this at night first then make your feedings earlier. I used to do this in the wee hours of the night like 1 AM or so. eventually I could clap during the day to wake Eeliott and he would come out to get his food
 
Well I got the tubeflex worm cubes and broke it up into a couple of pieces and my little guy completely comes out to get it and takes it in to his tiny beak and eats swims away to eat haha its super cute... but yea hes still a baby :) hope this helps?
 
Well I started by reading your entire first post, and second, and some of the third.
But I realized that theres about 5 more LOOOOOONG posts so I'll just hope this helps.

I JUST got my peacock today, and I haven't even been able to enjoy him until about two hours ago, so our relationship is new.

At first I hoped he'd eat some guppy fry that just screw around on the bottom all day, but nope.
Then I fed the gourami her regular fish food meal, and made sure a bunch fell to the bottom by the eel,
still nope.

There was a cricket floating around (OH ***** I JUST REMEMBERED ITS SITTING ON THE EDGE OF MY TANK STAND AHAHAHAHA) but he didn't go near the surface so I don't know.

But I threw a worm in there and wiggled my finger by it until he came over,
BOOM! Deathroll to the max! Twice in a row even!

Good luck with the eel, I just fell in love again.
Fire eel for sure some day in the future!

And yes, everywhere I look "eels" don't get along.
But I suppose that african cichlid groups cannot pick out the smallest because of the sheer numbers, maybe the same goes for most fish including eels?
 
I picked up some frozen tubeflex worms tonight and have now witnessed my eel eating something other than zucchini. :) Don't know what the difference is, but he went after them where he ignores the blood worms.
 
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