Baby G. tile morays

[slycoolman]

Hello, I currently have a 33 gallon reef tank that I intend to stock with three baby G. tile morays. They are almost never on the ordering list and they happened to appear during two for one fish month

I have had success in the past keeping a bunch of three in a 55 gallon but this tank had to be disassembled and the morays sold. I understand that the 33 isn't big enough to house even a single adult but I do have a rather large system, downstairs, waiting to be set up; I just need to buy a few more things for it and it should be up in a few months.
In the 33 gallon now is a damsel, maroon clown (with BTA), large goby and small leopard puffer, as well as four peppermint shrimp and some hermit crabs and snails, plus more than a few corals. I have GFO, carbon, and a decent skimmer, but no sump.
I realize the pep shrimp and perhaps the fish may be eaten. I intend to keep the morays as well stuffed as possible while keeping them healthy, and if the shrimp are eaten I guess I'll just say "ah well, that's nature"

My question is, will this setup be sustainable with biweekly (weekly if needed) water changes? Also, will cleaner shrimp be eaten by these fish? I read somewhere that piscivorous morays can be kept with cleaners if special introduction tactics are utilized. I would like to know your guys' opinion.
Thank you.

 

[kjr_trig]

Isn't that a fresh/brackish water eel? I have heard of people keeping brackish fish in full salt, but it dosen't really make since to me, especially when there are so many hardy and beautiful saltwater eels. They get a couple feet long in the wild, sounds a bit crowded in a 33 or 55 or more to me. Just my opinion.

 

[slycoolman]

They usually inhabit saltwater or high end brackish in the wild, perhaps freshwater for a while but as far as I know there is only one moray that can be kept in freshwater indefinitely and this one's not it. They are also one of my favourite morays, I prefer them over the "real" snowflake and most other marine morays because they do not grow as big (I am not willing to shell out the HUGE $$$ it takes to own a dwarf or fire coral moray) "All the coolness of a marine one in a smaller package".
Like I said I do have a larger system downstairs almost ready to be set up, this would be a 90 OR 77 as they will be connected by a 33 gallon sump. I agree with you that the 33 gallon tank is way too small for them as adults, but they will not be in this tank when they are adults. Guaranteed.
Thanks for your input though. Do you have any info whether or not I will encounter severe problems with water quality, and if I can add cleaner shrimps to the tank? I kept my last three with a coral banded shrimp, though these admittedly could probably guillotine the poor little guys if they tried anything funny.

 

[kjr_trig]

Just curious how big the ones you had before got? And how big when you get them? What kind of "personality" do they have? Shy, bold? Never seen one in a LFS (just on the internet).
I would say frequent water changes and vigorous protein skimming would be important while they are in the small tank, the eels may be ok, but the inverts you have will need very "clean" water.

 

[slycoolman]

In a group they were very bold. Really an awesome animal, though they killed my hawkfish and mollies; the mollies before I learned to feed them enough and the hawkfish when I went on vacation, although "we fed them everyday!" I highly doubt this was the case.
The ones I had before were all less than a foot in length.
Also, I bought them from a totally uncovered tank, and proceeded to place them in an unsealed tank. My current setup has a full canopy but at the back there is a large void space that equipment, et cetera is placed. How shall I go about covering this, if need be?
Thanks

 

[slycoolman]

Bump