how long after an eel disappearing should you be worried?

[djsaltynuts]

i had 2 tire track eels that were very active and about 3” then they disappeared. which ik its not unusual for an eel to disappear but i also know that theyre basically earthworms to otherfish and notorious escape artists. i noticed my starry night cichlid started to chase them who has the biggest mouth in the tank but he’s probably still only 3.5”. theyve been gone for probably 5 months. someone in the tank killed my bgk. the tank is very easy for the eels to disappear in but they were never out of sight for the first month. im considering adding a 3 in dwarf pike but id be worried about doing so with small eels since pike cichlids have such huge mouths. should i still treat the tank as if they are in there by adding frozen foods in after dark and stocking the tank with fish i dont think pose a threat?

 

[Fishman Dave]

In my opinion, you have a decent gap above the waterline so I would be surprised if a 3” eel escaped. I would however have expected to see something of them in 5months. At only 3” with a 3.5” cichlid I would fear the worst. Yes you have lots of hiding places, so it is possible they are still in there, and if they are I would expect them to be 5 or 6 inch by now and more confident.

 

[tlindsey]

In my opinion, you have a decent gap above the waterline so I would be surprised if a 3” eel escaped. I would however have expected to see something of them in 5months. At only 3” with a 3.5” cichlid I would fear the worst. Yes you have lots of hiding places, so it is possible they are still in there, and if they are I would expect them to be 5 or 6 inch by now and more confident.

I agree the Eels may still be in the aquarium hiding.

 

[Deadeye]

I’ve lost peacock eels for months before they showed up. They were hiding underground or in a volcano decoration. I totally thought they were dead the whole time, as they were being kept with pacu. One even got its neck chewed up by one, but got away. They must have been feeding off of the dead fish from the pacus’ kills.

 

[kno4te]

Maybe at night?! Maybe check while the lights are out.

 

[EntoStentor]

iirc there are dim aquarium lights you can use to see nocturnal fish. I never personally felt the need for one but I borrowed my friends' after I didn't see my catfish for about a year and lo and behold they were inside a piece of driftwood. fish disappear, it happens. Shine a dim light at night or get a moonlight, or just pick the aquarium apart and see if any eels pop out.

 

[Deadeye]

Your setup is incredibly easy for an eel to disappear in, especially a young one.

 

[djsaltynuts]

In my opinion, you have a decent gap above the waterline so I would be surprised if a 3” eel escaped. I would however have expected to see something of them in 5months. At only 3” with a 3.5” cichlid I would fear the worst. Yes you have lots of hiding places, so it is possible they are still in there, and if they are I would expect them to be 5 or 6 inch by now and more confident.

when i first noticed them missing there will some small spots they could jump out of ive since fixed. the waterline normally isnt quite this low either i just face allot of evaporation because of the monstera in the filter.

 

[djsaltynuts]

the reason i fear death is because they went missing within a day or two of each other which was a day or twi after i noticed the cichlids getting annoyed with them for being so active. when i added them i figured id never see them again but they were out and about constantly. the sand is at least 4” deep and the cave structures are much more complex than they seem. do you guys think i should not add a dwarf pike? and would they really have grown to 6” or is that just on the high side?

 

[djsaltynuts]

they also used to always emerge when bloodworms were in the water which obviously doesn’t happen anymore. ill try the night light.