many questions about eels?

pferboy

Member
i have already posted a couple of questions about eels and got great advice, but need some more info. will eels attack and kill most smaller fish? (clowns, gobies, small tangs, etc) do they attack corals? (colt, fox, polyps, sponge, etc)
i have had a 135 gal tank running for 2 yrs. got a bad case of ich and i am leaving my tank empty for 6 weeks. i would like to have both corals and an eel in my tank when i refill my tank w/ stock. is this possible? will they kill my hermits and snails? will it mess w/ my anenome? like i said i have a 135 gal tank and 100lb of rock. please leave any info about eels? what type might be best for me? what ever will help?
thanks for all your help. this BB is great i have already told a dozen people about it since i first learned about it 2 weeks ago.
 

ballance

New Member
Most eels will attack and eat smaller fish but will leave corals alone. A zebra moray would probably fit in well with your plans. I have never heard of a zebra eating smaller fish, but you'll likely have problems if you plan on keeping small crabs or shrimp. Snails and hermits will be okay. Of course there are no guarantees with wild animals, but this is my recomendation. As for ribbon eels, I have no experience with them, but have heard that they are not very hardy and are fish eaters. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Best of luck.
 

hairtrigger

Active Member
All eels are technically "reef safe" meaning they won't bother corals. However, there is a more than good chance they will knock corals over. Eels tend to stick close to the rock work. If you keep them well fed, and feed them in the same spot all the time, some eels will come out and eat from your hand and stay in their cave the rest of the time. That's another important thing... make sure they have a nice, dark, big cave to live in. Ribbon eels aren't very hardy, and usually live in crevices, sometimes the sand. But, the only kind of fish you can keep with eels tend not to be reef safe. Many eels, like tesselatas, are species only eels. Not when they are babies, but later on. I had a three foot tesselatta eat a 9 inch sohal tang right in front of my face. Tang was in his cave, he didnt like it, they fought, that's all she wrote. Overall, eels are very hardy, easy to care for, and are very cool. However, they are escape artists. Make sure your overflow is sealed, tank top is sealed. If one should happen to jump out, you have a few hours before he dies. They will crystalize over and look dead, but if you catch it in time, you can toss them back in the tank and they will shake it off. Not immediately though. Also, eels slime coating prevents them from getting ich. Nice bonus. Good luck. :cool:
 

a_fender69

Member
hairtrigger--good post, very accurate
Dont forget about the snowflake and honeycombs. They are very easy to maintain, cheap, you can have more than one, and can get them small
 

sirsquarepants

New Member
I'm not sure if it was just a freak accident, but the 8" SFE I bought was taken out by my 1' diameter. green carpet anemone when it jumped back during a duel with my 5" purple lobster.:eek: :( :mad: :mad: :mad::(
 
pferboy there are many eels you can get, IMO for a 135 dont get a SFE, I know they are cheap, easy to mantain, but these guys can become very agressive, I had one that had to return to my lfs because it went psychotic, probably it was just mine but it started to bite my yellow tang and me. If I were you I would get a Zebra because they are very passive and slow, they are not agressive and will not bite fish, I have seen Zebras in reef tanks and if you train it very well in eating krill you can push your luck and have no problems with shrimps and crabs in the tank.
 

pferboy

Member
i have been reading about the zebra moray and the banded eel. i think i have narrowed it down to them.
any more advice?:D
 
S

sebae0

Guest
i have one i think it is called a goldflake? i dont have it in a reef but i was told it was reef safe. i have it in my agrressive tank with my lion and i have had no problems with him. right now he is approx 30" long and i really like him alot, has a nice personality about him
 
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