hi, my friends keep telling me to setup a saltwater and i said i wanted an eel. I took a look on google found a few things but sense your real people typing back to me i think i would get more advice on how to keep these eels. To start im a little lost on the tank size for a snowflake eel some sites say 75 is good for life of eel and other say 100 or up so info on that would be good. next is purchasing in my reading it is a good idea to see if the eel eat before you buy it wondering if this is true and what should i look for in a healthy eel? size of this animal has got me confused i see 20 inches long max and 30 max any idea there? feeding has always been weird for me wanting to mix it up making sure my fish stay health and happy and as far as eels no idea im understanding meat in all types will work well seafood meats any insite to what your eels like and just what you know would help. this is still about feeding and my question is, 2-3 times a week, is that about what everone here feeds there eels and how long can an eel go without eating like vacation time. so thx for the help and info if you have any cuz cicchlid getting old.
thinking of a snowflake eel
- Thread starter hothew84
- Start date
Hi there
Yes, the snowflake moray, Echidna nebulosa, is probably one of the best choices for your first marine eels - they're hardy, make good pets and are easy to find around pet stores.
As with any fish, the bigger the tank that you can get, the better. 75 can work, but 100 will do you a lot more good, especially in terms of growth of the eel. Some people say that eels don't use the space, but an eel in a comfortable environment will use plenty of space for exploring, hunting and growing. If you can, though, go a little larger.
It is difficult to say that an eel that eats at the store is definietly healthy, as most eels in stores have been put under a lot of stress from transport, acclimitisation and the general business that goes on in a pet store, not to mention any tankmates that may harass them. Even once your eel gets home it may not eat in it's new tank for over a week in some cases. As a general indicator of health, look to see if the eel itself is round (not skinny), the skull isn't malformed (an indication of improper care and feeding), and that it hasn't got any cuts or other injuries on it.
I have seen snowflakes up to 3 feet in length in captivty, so be prepared for a large fish. On average, though, the larger eels tend to be around 2 feet.
As far as feeding goes, try to get as much variety as possible to get the best health and growth in your pet. Any seafoods will suffice - sardine, prawns, shimp, squid, crab, octopus, whitebait, tuna, you name it. Be sure not to overfeed though, and never feed mammal based foods, as this is very unhealthy for morays.
Feeding 2 to 3 times a week with two or three portions just larger than the eel's head will be good enough. They can go for as long as just over a week without food, maybe even a little longer.
Good luck
Yes, the snowflake moray, Echidna nebulosa, is probably one of the best choices for your first marine eels - they're hardy, make good pets and are easy to find around pet stores.
As with any fish, the bigger the tank that you can get, the better. 75 can work, but 100 will do you a lot more good, especially in terms of growth of the eel. Some people say that eels don't use the space, but an eel in a comfortable environment will use plenty of space for exploring, hunting and growing. If you can, though, go a little larger.
It is difficult to say that an eel that eats at the store is definietly healthy, as most eels in stores have been put under a lot of stress from transport, acclimitisation and the general business that goes on in a pet store, not to mention any tankmates that may harass them. Even once your eel gets home it may not eat in it's new tank for over a week in some cases. As a general indicator of health, look to see if the eel itself is round (not skinny), the skull isn't malformed (an indication of improper care and feeding), and that it hasn't got any cuts or other injuries on it.
I have seen snowflakes up to 3 feet in length in captivty, so be prepared for a large fish. On average, though, the larger eels tend to be around 2 feet.
As far as feeding goes, try to get as much variety as possible to get the best health and growth in your pet. Any seafoods will suffice - sardine, prawns, shimp, squid, crab, octopus, whitebait, tuna, you name it. Be sure not to overfeed though, and never feed mammal based foods, as this is very unhealthy for morays.
Feeding 2 to 3 times a week with two or three portions just larger than the eel's head will be good enough. They can go for as long as just over a week without food, maybe even a little longer.
Good luck
my friend had a snowflake eel before he moved to florida, he had a 55 gal or so saltwater, he had a good number of fish in there, live rock, and honestly the tank looked amazing, aggressive fish and i have no idea how in the world they were so peacefull to each other, i remember he had a small eel, niger and piccaso triggers, valentini puffer, lionfish, a small grouper and a few others, but the tank was absolutely great!
he fed the eel small feeder goldfish, but not live, he bought them, emptied the water then froze them.
he fed the eel small feeder goldfish, but not live, he bought them, emptied the water then froze them.
We have our snowflake in a huge community tank he occasionally picks off a smaller member but not often we feed ours bits of everything white bait squid octopus crab we can hand feed our to he is very easy to keep just give him a hiding hole and he's happy he rarely comes out during the day unless he renovating he's house our is only two foot atm but still growing! we've gone away for two weeks and just thrown a heap of mollies in the tNk and every thing was alive (bar the mollies) when we came home we feed our triggers that share his tank everyday and if he's hungry he just steals some of there food
I kept a couple of snowflake eels and loved them. You can keep them in a 55 gallon but that will limit your other fish and the eel will eventually outgrow it. I agree with the above advice about food. I generally stuck the peices of seafood onto a long prong or feeding stick and spot fed the eel. Once comfortable in the environment you eel will easily take food and they are a blast to watch eat. The only other advice I would give you is to LEAVE NO OPENINGS AT THE TOP OF YOUR TANK THAT ARE LARGER THAN THE WIDTH OF THE EEL. You eel WILL get out if it is not covered. I lost an eel while I was on vacation. Came home and found him dried up on my carpet and I had sealed most, but not all, of my tank top.
thx for the advice everyone ill think a little more about what i do cuz they sound like cool pets and the way they eat is one reason i want one, its the way there mouth is open like letting out hot air, lol i also was watching discovery channel and got to see alot of them and where they live. also how do you aclimate an eel and if possible i would like to fine one around 10" to start to work up to a bigger tank down the road. any idea as to how fast a snowflake eel grows or does that all depend on diet, but work with me just say a good diet. also i currently have a 55g, my largest tank and smallest 2.5 with neon tetras i had a salt, well a few. but this brings me to another question WATER? I have used this filtered saltwater from petco and no lie the stuff works great at 12 buck for 5 gallons not to bad if you got a nano but in my old saltwater i got a clown that day when i got this new filtered saltwater and after 3 days the little guys was biting me he was happy and healthy the tank was nice for me setting it up so as far as that goes anyone had any use in this product and just wondering if eels would be ok or should additives be added but im not big on that i dont even run carbon i mean my god man y make more work when nature helps use threw it but thex for all the help everyone and sry about my crappy typing.
matt
matt
12 bucks for 5 gallons! Whoa dude! You made of money!?!? Unless your tap water has a really high level of nitrates I would just buy the salt mix and mix it up yourself! I bought a big trash can, mixed the salt and water and then let a couple of powerheads mix the water for a day or so.
I don't see the need for additives for the eel. Just make sure you keep your salinity at a good and consistent level. However, if your tap water is not so good I suggest running carbon.
I don't see the need for additives for the eel. Just make sure you keep your salinity at a good and consistent level. However, if your tap water is not so good I suggest running carbon.
yea the tap water is a little high in nitrates and ot really its just this water is nice salinity always the same and iv done the mixing before but im not so good at it salinity seems to flux a little to much when i mix and i got the bags that u used with so many gallons to the salt in the bag but still could get salinity right and i left it for 48 hours with heater and 2 aquaclear 600 power heads so if that doesnt mix a 10 gallon tank of water then im lost. but i can also buy water from my local store pre mixed but i had a few algea problems with that but they let you know before u buy they run a good buisness.
I was planning on going with just live rock and eel and maybe one more fish not sure on that yet and no i dont work, haha im a contractor for hire only 22 live with parents so spending money on quality is big for me so if mixing is a problem and i cant keep it stable then to me its kinda of waste of money but a good learning curve but yea it cost alot but go buy some like 20 gallons every once and awhile to change old water with and see how it work cuz all i here is good things my friends.
For a predator that can reach 3 or more feet in length I would say a 6 foot X 2 foot aquarium foot print minimum. That fish can approach on a meter give it space.