Very cool eel, where did you get him? Collect him from down south by chance?Mine never took to eating pellets. His diet consisted of live gut-loaded minnows, earthworms, gut-loaded crayfish, raw shrimp, and cut fish. Mine was in a bare-bottom tank so, I can't offer any experiences of burying themselves. I've had smaller specimens (1-3ft) that didn't bury themselves so, it may be a temporary survival-instinct inherent in the young elvers.
Here's my 4 footer:
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