Is a snowflake compatible with...

[laxplaya]

I have a 3 foot 58 gal with 3 firefish gobies, 3 bangaii cardinals, a blue hippo tang, a CBS, and a cleaner crew. I was wondering if i can get a snowflake eel. I have 50 lbs of LR and i plan on getting corals and anemones along with more live rock. But on SWF.com it says they are not "reef safe". They have these cute 5 inch ones at the LFS but idk if they are safe. If i do get one i know about the PVC tunnels and stuff.

 

[katiev]

Your tank is already overstocked as it is; the tang will not do well in there long term. If you plan on getting an anemone, then the eel is definitely out -- anemones move around whenever they want to, and eels are blind as bats. A run-in is inevitable and will most likely be unpleasant. Eels are clumsy; corals are in jeopardy of being knocked around, and your rock could be displaced (having PVC pipe seems to help this problem). Also, snowflake eels have "pebble teeth", meant for crushing shells. So, in other words, they are a threat to inverts. They are also a potential threat to small fish, considering they have poor eyesight and rely on smell to decide what's tasty. I would recommend against getting an eel.