Mine always would come up to me when he is out of the filter. They would spend most of the day in the filter, and would come out at 8:45pm sharp, nearly every single day. The timer on my tank would turn the lights off at 9pm. So they would be out about 15 minutes before lights out. They have great timing, lol.
Also, when mine were out, they would feed out of your fingers as well, and you could pet them, as long as you didn't move too fast and spook them. They were so cool. But somehow, they found a way our of the tank with the glass tops on. The only gap was a small gap along the front of the HOB filter, and I have no idea as to how they could manage that angle to get out. But they did. One day I came home from work, and found one by my sliding glass door. About 2 months later, I woke up and found the other in the middle of the floor. I will be getting 2 more fire eels, but before I get them, I'm building an escape-proof canopy for the tank. It will have vents in the top, and the filter intake and output will go through bulkheads in the back of the canopy (since now I have placed an XP3 canister filter on the tank), so no open holes will be available.
So, you might check your HOB's really well.
