garden eel

nuro

Member
Does anyone have any experience with garden eels? My LFS just got a few in and im very curious about them. Ive read up pn them and undersdtadn the sand bed requirement but im curious about personality and dietary needs.
 

nuro

Member
ok well no one posted so i said

[hr]
it and got one. i doubt anyone will care but i'll stick to this thread for updates on it for future referance in case someone does, ill put soem pic up later this weekend.
starting info: the eel i got is about 7" long, I dripacclimated him for about 15 minutes, thats when he jumped out of the acclimation container and we made an emergency dop into the tank. note to self: when acclimating these guys will try to stand on end since they have no sand to burrow in and push themselves out.. have a deep acclimation container.
I dropped him on the side of the tank that has a 6" to 8" sand bed and he quickly hid behind some rocks, and did not burrow. after about 20 minutes had was half burrown horizontally and stayed there for a couple hour, the next morning he fully burrowed in a spot close to the glass in about 6" of sand.
day 1: not much activity would not come out of his hole more then eye level. no eating
day 2: no change
day 3: would come out about an inch or two, inspected food as it went by but would not go for it note: when he comes out he faces the glass as if expecting food to coem form that direction, its not smart.
day 4: would come out of his hole more and started to pick food that came by but would retreat if another fish came near, still facign the glass
day 5: repositioned power heads to create a medium flow directly over
day 6: changed feeding habits and i now feed the fish on one side of the tank and then while theyre eatign feed the eel, this works much better and he is now facing the flow and comes out about 3" to 4" to get food he wants.
day 7: still eatign fine, is much braver now and is picking food out even when fish are nearby, sudden movements still send him back in the hole, is not aggresive at all, just hides.. a small hermit walked right over his burrow and he just sat there and waited it out.
 
R

regina13

Guest
I did not see this thread when you first posted it, but I do know for a fact that they like to be kept in small groups. If they were reasonably priced and your LFS this has a few I would look into getting maby two more.
 

nuro

Member
Originally Posted by regina13
http:///forum/post/2654820
I did not see this thread when you first posted it, but I do know for a fact that they like to be kept in small groups. If they were reasonably priced and your LFS this has a few I would look into getting maby two more.

I read that as well, its only a 55 tank and i've got a pretty hi bioload as is so it may not be possible right now. Long term i want to set up a seahorse tank and will most likely move him in there and get a few more. I'm suprised there isnt more out there about these guys, they are insanely cool.
 

nuro

Member
days 8 - 11(i think) : fully acclimated and seemingly happy. is very proficient at picking food out fo the current near him, will only take small pieces. note to others: he is eating rods food, flake, and frozen mussel pieces, but only very small chunks an pieces of flake.
ok so day um.. 12?(i think): lights came on and the garden eel did not come out.. i didn't see him at all today. I noticed my sand sifting star was close to his burrow when the lights came on. i moved the star to the other end of the tank. I wonder what happens if the star crawled over his burrow hole.. can he dig out another way?
 

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by nuro
http:///forum/post/2654826
I read that as well, its only a 55 tank and i've got a pretty hi bioload as is so it may not be possible right now. Long term i want to set up a seahorse tank and will most likely move him in there and get a few more. I'm suprised there isnt more out there about these guys, they are insanely cool.
The main thing I have read about them is they need a very deep sand bed, at least 6 inches. A lid for the tank is a must. Sparsely decorated tank. I've also read that they, like seahorses, take more time when feeding.
Also like seahorses, garden eels are best kept in a species only tank.
Hope this helps
 

nuro

Member
Originally Posted by Rykna
http:///forum/post/2661797
The main thing I have read about them is they need a very deep sand bed, at least 6 inches. A lid for the tank is a must. Sparsely decorated tank. I've also read that they, like seahorses, take more time when feeding.
Also like seahorses, garden eels are best kept in a species only tank.
Hope this helps

ya ive heard that too, what im trying to do is see if provided that sand bed in a community reef tank they'll be just as healthy.. i think alot of whats out there about these guy is kinda crap. liek the lid thing... these are bottom dwellers, from what ive read even in the wild they rarely fully leave thier burrows. If proved food in the current thee is no reason it should want to leave. but thats what were goign to find out, i may eat my words if he go carpet surfing
Originally Posted by batfish 7.0

http:///forum/post/2661812
in a book it said they like to be in a colony so put a mirror in the back of you tank

ya i thought about doing a few but im not sure how much more bioload i can handle.. and i think the mirror woul be a bad idea, dont fish hate reflections?
Thanks for the input guys, keep it coming!
 

nuro

Member
info from the GA aquarium
note the feeds on zoo plankton part. most websites selling these for the aquarium trade suggest live feeder shrimp for them which i contend are a) possibly too big and b)insufficient nutrition for these guys.
 

nuro

Member
.. and then i ate my words. had a 12+ hour power outtage last night and the eel jumped ship :-(
 

traps

Member
Ahhhh bummer, did he survive??
Did you grab any pics of him before (if he didn't survive)? Pics always good....
 

nuro

Member
ya i've got a few pics of him. total bummer becuase he was by far my favorite thing in the tank.
 

nuro

Member
well basically he jumped out of thge tank during the power loss. when i got ho,e to find the power out and the tank and bad shape he was on the carpet. my assumption was that he was fleeing terrible conditions in the tank as ive never once seen him out of his burrow.
 
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