I have a tire track eel who is looking rather emaciated. I do not see him eat when it is feeding time. Is there something special to feed these guys? I have had him for about two months.
Tire track eel not eating?
- Thread starter CharlieTuna
- Start date
aclockworkorange;4678802; said:
He is in a mixed South American tank, angels, silver dollars, etc. They are fed a tropical flake and I tried some small pellets, no luck.
CharlieTuna;4678823; said:
I'm really not trying to be rude, but did you do any research on spiny eels before you bought one? Getting them to eat pellets is next to impossible. Some won't even take frozen food at first.
If he is seriously emaciated, I would buy some live worms (usually I see blackworms available) from your LFS so he starts eating ASAP--if all you feed is flake and pellets, then he hasn't eaten since you bought him and might be in serious trouble. Then after a week or two get him on frozen bloodworms and frozen krill. Earthworms from your garden are also great, just make sure they haven't come in contact with any chemicals/fertilizer. You might have to isolate him so he has a chance to eat.
Spiny eels are not just another fish you can have in your tank without some special care and attention.
So this guy is a carnivore.....I feel like a dumb ass for not checking into how to take care of a new fish. I assumed I could feed him the same thing as everybody else, I know better then this. I hope he makes it.
CharlieTuna;4678850; said:
Spiny eels are really hard to take care of, they are prone to a lot of health problems and even healthy eels are known to go on hunger strikes from time to time. If you can I'd go to the fish store tonight or ASAP in the morning to get some live blackworms or similar--if you can't find any, try frozen bloodworms stuck directly in your substrate where he hangs out (while still frozen, so as they thaw the create a little pocket in the substrate of worms).
I will put him in my hospital tank and see what I can do for him. If I'm able to nurse him back to health, how do you guys handle feeding eels in a community tank?
CharlieTuna;4678871; said:
Honestly the absolute easiest way is to get him hand feeding so you can control exactly how much he eats, and you know he is eating. Other than that, feed your other fish their staple food first, then place whatever you are feeding him directly pushed in the substrate near his usual spot... most eels like to hang out in a spot or two in the tank. They will get used to your feeding schedule after a while and become more adept at getting food. They tend to be shy at first.
Thanks for all of the help. It is too late for me to get to my LFS tonight, I will hit them up first thing tomorrow for some worms.
Poor little guy, I feel bad for not properly taking care of him
Poor little guy, I feel bad for not properly taking care of him