how do i......

[norcal]

....get my new sf eel to eat? he is about 20 inches long and i have been trying to get him to take shrimp from a feeding stick but so far he is not having it. what is the best way to get them to start feeding. i have only had him a couple days so im not worried yet, but the sooner he starts eating, the sooner i rest easy! awesome fish by the way.

 

[norcal]

surely someone has some ideas or theories on this. my eel awaits.....

 

[boatdrinks]

Might just be a matter of the eel settling in to it's new environment. Sometimes they take a few days to get accustomed to their new surroundings before they will eat.
Have you tried different types of food? Sometimes they will eat certain things, and ignore others for a while.
I'd recommend trying krill, scallop, squid and silversides to start out with. Maybe he'll find a different food more to his "liking". These guys do need a varied diet anyways, so having them on hand anyways is a good idea.
good luck getting him to eat, and if you can, we'd all love to see some pics!

 

[gofish85]

sometimes these guys can start fasting. i have had snf eels not eat for months. but also im sure it's just stressed out about the new environment. make sure you have a lot of caves for it and try to keep the lights off as much as possible since it is a nocturnal animal. and also give it a variety of food. anything that smells a lot .......smelt, krill, squid , shrimp ,silversides... then just wait let us know what happens

 

[norcal]

ok cool. i am going to set up a pvc pipe and bury it in the sand for him. have the ends come out in the rocks. that way maybe he will feel a little bit more comforatable. i will also keep it darker longer in the tank as well. ill try and get some squid and silversides. where would i get silversides? i always hear them talked about but have never seen any at the store. also should i just get like squid from the grocery store or what? thanks for the help

 

[gofish85]

usually your lfs will carry silversides and squid. you can use squid from the grocery store. silversides are a type of fish sold frozen and whole.. just try this by putting both of them on a feeding stick or even just dropping it by his home..have some patients with this process. they can go awhile without feeding

 

[unleashed]

some eels just dont like shrimp .silverslides are a good choice .try soaking them in a cup of water with 2 drops garlic extreme before feeding garlic tends to entice a finicy fish to eat. no more than 2 drops more will cause confusion from the over powering scent and draw the fish away fron the food(this is recommended on the lable).wiggle the fish to make it appear alive

 

[norcal]

ok i will try the silversides. i have been very busy lately and havent had a chance to get to my lfs. the good news is that he ate a piece of shrimp today. only one small piece though. i will try getting some silversides asap. by the way, he likes the pipe i put in. hid in it all day today.
off the topic. i have sand in my tank. has anyone ever had a sfe burrow in the sand? mine has dug around a bit to make more passageways in and out of rocks. but the weird thing is, every now and then, he will actually bury his head under a rock, and come up on the other side with just his head sticking out of the sand. its pretty funny but im a little worried he will get stuck or something. anyone else had an eel do something like this??

 

[unleashed]

I never used sand in my agressive tanks but even my black moray which replaced my sfe digs in the cc.I only see him when hes hungry.but I think its pretty normal concidering the sand is so soft and easy to move through