blind eel?

jjspati

jjspati

Member
i have a banded snake eel that has not eaten since i got him, which was 3 weeks ago!!!! i have tried frozen shrimp, squid, silversides, and live ghost shrimp. right now i have 7 shrimp running around in my 55gal and the only ones picking on them are my flame angel and blue damsel. they are all i have in the tank.. the eel is about 1.25 feet long.
some times when he sees a shrimp in his face, he may tart at him to eat him, but he always misses. and he never sees ones that are like an inch away from his nose. do eels have bad site? are my lights blinding? its just a standard 50/50 bulb.
 
midwest reefer

midwest reefer

Member
A few things you could do...
First off, eels are practically blind, especially durring the day. They are very nocturnal. Try to turn the lights off on the tank, and around the tank. Provide a little light for you to see if he is eating or not.
Also try to use a feeding stick to get him attracted. Do not get him tamed to this, b/c then feeding will be a hassle for the rest of his life. Id reccomend putting a piece of food in front of his face (live or frozen) on a stick. Poke him gently with it in his nose so he realizes whats going on. Then if he eats, try again and this time bring it futher away from him. Each time luer him further out of his crevice. Continue to do this until you do not need the stick to feed him
One thing I have noticed that makes my shrimp for my eel more appetizing is soacking it in brine shrimp. Also, my eel stoped eating for a month and a half. Most eels dont eat much for the first month or so. They are very finicky eaters, and they can go a long time w/o food. Dont panic!
I recall one member saying he had his eel for 7 months and never saw it eat...
 
jjspati

jjspati

Member
wow:scared: :scared: :scared:
7 months?? he's just a snake eel though. they dont have much meat on them to begin with. what 3rd world country are these animals originated?:confused:
 
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