My Snowflake Eel

[lestregus]

you guys all know the reputation these guys have for jumping out of tanks right?? well i keep one of these guys in a 75 under a glass top and hood. there's about a 1" opening in the glass top and the back of the tank... yeah yeah i know i don't even need to keep typing at this point do i?? i have 4 vho bulbs in the hood that came with the 75 which make it a little difficult to gain access, so i normally add topoff water, food etc in the gap in the back glass.. so i guess the eel figured this out... he slid right out of the tank as i was watching him.. at first i didnt think anything about him being near the top/back of the tank because he occasionally pokes his head out of the water... i have had him for at least 2 years and he has never done anything close to a full jump before though... like i said i was watching the tank when it happened so i flipped the hood open and slid the lights back and pulled out the front piece of the glass (it's no longer attached at the hinge) and managed to scoop him up using 2 nets. (he's around 15") this was last night and this morning he seems to be ok although not nearly as active. i think he'll find since he made it over night.. i just hope he learned his lesson!! i blocked off the back of the tank the best i could but i have to figure out someway to totally seal off the back of the tank. any suggestions??

 

[moto757]

i have had mine for about almost a year and got several places up top where mine could escape but got enough live rock i guess for him to hide in which supposidly keeps them from wanting to escape good luck with yours

 

[oyam1]

i have no top on my aquarium, and my SFE has not come out.
YET!
seems happy in all the LR and keep him feed well.

 

[lestregus]

i don't think keeping one of these guys without a top is a good idea... lol.. i've always read that these guys would jump but now i've SEEN it ya know? i have plenty of rocks in the tank its a 75 reef and i keep him well fed...
lol you know what for i second i just kinda ran at it like i was gonna bare hand it! yeah right!! when i got to it i realized that i couldn't tell which end was which out of the tank.. anywayz he's eating today which he is good.. he does have a little scratch on his top fin - but he'll be fine :yes:

 

[fantasy reef]

I use eggcrate (light diffuser) on my eel tank. It is easy to custom fit to your needs and does not hold heat in the way glass does. I have 4 large eels that have not been able to move this...you can use stick on velcro to attach it to the tank and it wont move.
hth

 

[armageddon]

The only way to be sure is to seal off every possible opening that the eel could escape through. I had an SFE before my current one and he escaped through a small opening in the back. My eel has not been that active lately but out of nowhere last night he was swimming at the top of the water poking his head out. Seal your tank off completely, or take the risk.
Andrew