I thought cleaners were immune!!

reefrunner

Member
I thought cleaner shrimp were somewhat immune to predation because of the service that they provide?!
I just got a snowflake eel (a small one), and went home today only to find that he had two little antennae sticking out of his mouth, and my beloved cleaner shrimp was nowhere to be found! The cleaner was about two inches long, and the eel only about 5 inches...so I thought even if it were tempted to eat the shrimp, it would think twice. Guess not! :mad:
So now that I know what a voracious predator my evil new resident is....what else can I expect to disappear from my tank? Will he eat my hermits, or my nudis? What about the cat?
 
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big911dog

Guest
Snowflakes are VERY cool. I once thought about getting one.....until I researched it and found it ate everything else I wanted...
 

dragonzim

Active Member
Your hermits stand a very good chance of getting eaten since this eel naturally preys on crabs, snails and other crustaceans.
 

reefrunner

Member
Originally Posted by DragonZim
Your hermits stand a very good chance of getting eaten since this eel naturally preys on crabs, snails and other crustaceans.
What kind of clean up crew can I have with this guy in there then?
 

prk543

Member
Sorry to hear about your cleaner! I am new to the hobby, but I have found that if you keep your Snowflake fat and happy, it won't bug your snails or hermits. I typically feed my eel once every two or three days, and it hasn't bothered any of my clean up crew.
From what i hear from other people, Snowflakes might not bother other tank inhabitants if well fed, but I would say that you would be best with fish that won't fit into its mouth, and of a similar temperament. However if the eel isn't fed very often it may start eating your hermits and snails, which is why my friend gave me My Snowflake eel in the first place

I hope this helps, i have been kinda learning about everything as i go!
 

alphamandi

New Member
A buddy of mine (keeps his tank in a way that I very much disagree with) has a snowflake bought a large choc chip starfish. Well the eel decided he liked choc as much as we do... my experience is that the eel will eat anything he can and somethings that he physically should not be able to. My husband loves them, but I just love the little inverts... so no eel for us!!
 
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