Snowflake Eel Compadibility

[morayeel]

I am planning to get a baby snowflake eel. In my tank currently i have 2 good sized damsels, a turbo snail, a spider crab, and a hermit crab. My tank is 10 gallons, i am planning to up grade once i have the money. How will the small eel do in my tank with its other inhabitants? How should i set up the bottom of the tank to accomidate the eel? Thanks a lot for your time. P.S. I wont care if he eats the spider crab, that guy is a jerk!

 

[topfish]

No, 10 gallons is to small. Even if 10 gallons was big enough chances are he would get sick and die. You see, the smaller the tank, the better the chance to get your fish sick. And if you would add one it may eat your inverts. But if I were you I would purchase at least a 40 gallon tank, then you can get your snowflake. I wouldn't add one till you get your bigger tank, than add it in the bigger tank, when your tank is cycled.

 

[morayeel]

I have a friend who has had his snowflake in a 10 gallon tank for several months and it is doing fine.

 

[topfish]

well your friend should get a bigger tank, because that snowflake isn't going to remain a baby, no it's going to get big, and I can gaurantee it probably will get sick, although eels are hardy.

 

[eric18]

i agree your pushing the limits of the 10 gallon with the 2 damsels

 

[justchillin]

just because a snowflake has not died yet in your friends tank doesn't mean you should so the same thing...
also even if you friends snowflake doesn't die, there's a difference between living a happy stress free life and just surviving
don't get an eel untill you can provide the proper environment for it and tell your friend to return his the the store...

 

[craigj]

I'm gonna have to disagree with some of you guys on this. I think you could successfully keep a snowflake in a ten gallon for a couple of months anyway. It has to be small though. The key is keepign the water conditions pretty stable. Snowflakes do not take up much space at all. THe lfs where I get some of my fish usually keeps them inside a little bugbox or something inside the aquarium. If it can live in there, it can live in a ten gallon.

 

[fender]

I have had my 12+ inch snowflake in my 10g hospital tank for over a month while waiting to get a bigger tank. He is doing fine and seems as happy as ever. He should not be in here for much longer as I just have to get the tank and then get it setup. If you are planning to get a bigger tank soon and start with a small eel you should be ok.
Just my .02

 

[topfish]

Eels are messy eaters though and in a tank that size it would be easy to higher the nitrites and get th eel sick. Now just think if you were th eel. Just happily sleepin in your home and Bam! Someone takes you out of you're house and Your now somewhwere else on the other side of the world in just one room to live in the rest of your life. Now would you like that? No, and when fish are not stress free trouble comes. If you do want to get an eel, please give it a good home in a 40 gallon at least.Now if you had your bigger tank and it is reaching the end of the cycle I would say shure put him in that small tank till your bigger tank gets cycled.

 

[blueberryboomer]

OMG, 10gal + snowflake. No way! It may work for a short while, but why, why would you even consider putting a eel in that small of a tank????? I felt terrible having ours in a 72 gal, glad to say he is now very happy in his new home, 200gal. Do you just want to keep a sfe or do you want a happy stress free and healthy sfe. Wait til you get the bigger tank. Please! For his/her sake!!!Lisa
P.S I'm sure it won't matter what anyone tells you, you'll do what you want, but be prepared to here I told you so when you start having problems.
[ October 03, 2001: Message edited by: BLUEBERRYBOOMER ]

 

[craigj]

I'm sorry blueberry, but i still disagree. While I myself would not put a snowflake in a ten, I think it would work for a while. They don't need that much room. I don't know why you felt bad putting it in a 72. They can live their whole lives in a 40. So I say to gent wanting to put a snowflake in a ten, go for it. They're very hardy. And as for the nitrate thing, high nitrates do not really affect fish anyways.

 

[blueberryboomer]

CraigJ, I didn't say you couldn't keep one in a 10 gal, just you shouldn't. I don't care how small it is when you put it in there, before you know it it will be as long as the tank. I would never consider getting a sfe for a 10gal. Anyone that is in this hobby because they love thier fish would never do this, not if they want HAPPY, HEALTHY AND STRESS FREE FISH, if they don't care then I guess they are going to be in for a big disappointment, thier fish will die or be sick all the time. When we started in this hobby, we said if we can't do it right then there is no since in doing it at all. I know that a sfe would never be happy in a small 10 gal. How will it get excerise? Ours excerises every night, he comes out and swims from one end of the tank to the other. Every night! As for my feeling bad with ours in a 72, for his size I felt he should be in a bigger tank, oh sure he seemed fine, and he ate like a horse, but he could not get out and swim, not much anyway. In the 200, he comes out and swims like crazy. We enjoy him so much more, when we see him swimming back and fourth through the tank. Just my opinion. Lisa

 

[skirk]

CraigJ, why would you even try to condone this act of neglect? That's exactly what it is. Sure he may live a while, and sure they may even buy a bigger tank to put him in, but what if they don't? That would mean your advice was neglectful to the eel. Not trying to be mean, but do you know how many people say they are going to get a bigger tank and never do? Therefore, why wouldn't you advise the person to get the tank first and then buy an eel. For crying out loud, if they can buy a new eel then they can use that money as a start to buying a new tank first. It's apparent that the person wanting to do this doesn't have a lot of experience or this question would'nt have even came up, and now you guys are going to say that this is an okay move? WOW! Please, please, whatever you do morayeel, buy the tank first and then the eel. I personally don't think a 10 gal should even be legal to put a swf into. The salinity shifts are way to common. They need water added all the time cuz the slightest water loss means a shift in a tank that small. Atleast get a 40 gal as advised b4. I'd say get a 55gal. You've probably already decided by now, and I'm sorry to take up all this space, but I feel this is important. Whatever you're doing, I hope your friend isn't the one giving you advice on how to keep a saltwater tank (the person with the snowflake in a 10gal). HTH
Remember: "Ignorance is blissed in those uneducated." But you've been educated on the proper way to handle this.

 

[justchillin]

CraigJ: if you re-read my last post i didn't say that it couldn't be done but that in a 10 gal. tank the eel would only be surviving, not living (a happy stress free life)...
also you yourself said it would only work on a temp. basis...any number of things could happen to delay an upgrade as many of use know who have had multiple tanks so recommending temporay solutions in order to buy the eel now i feel is irresponsible...
when i first started i had mine in a 30 (on the advice of a lfs) and now that i have moved him into my 75 he is much more active and really does seem happier...
morayeel: as you can see the majority here is telling you to wait untill you can accomodate a sfe so please consider that before making your desision...
[ October 05, 2001: Message edited by: justchillin ]

 

[von_rahvin]

on the eel i agree, but the eariler post "i would be worried about keeping 2 damsels in a 10 gallon" what is this?? if you are going for a FO tank then you can keep more smaller fish in a smaller tank, I am not saying lets go out and buy a 12" lion and throw a Queen angel in there for kicks, but a few SMALL fish would not stress them out. Of course this is all depending on if you have the filtration to handle the fish load. if all you have in the tank is the fish and an air stone i would feel bad about putting a snail in there. but a bio wheel some nice rocks and a sand bottom, the fish would have no probs.

 

[craigj]

Ok, everybody calm down and quit acting like i'm the one putting an eel in a ten gallon. I didn't say he SHOULD do it, I said he COULD do it. I'm gonna stick by that too. I think it is very possible as a temporary home. Now whether or not he upgrades is a horse of a different color.

 

[craigj]

To Blueberry, I was thinking about how you said you felt bad about the eel in the 72. Well, I just wanted to try to put your mind to rest on that issue. When I went diving in Thailand this summer, I ran into many, many moray eels...all well bigger than any eel you'll ever see in an aquarium. I never saw one of them move. They all just laid under rocks waiting for the unsuspecting prey. Thats just the way eels are. They don't like to be very mobile. I think thats one reason they grow so fast...don't burn any calories. So don't feel bad about your eel.

 

[blueberryboomer]

CraigJ, I don't feel bad anymore, now that he is in our 200 gal, I know for the most part they just lay around, but in our 72 gal he was unable to get out and move around if he wanted to, now he is able to swim himself silly if he wants. And ours does, he comes out everynight and swims back and fourth, its so cool to watch. We see him more often in his new home, before the only time we saw him was at feeding time and only his head and upper body, now he comes totally out. I love it, he seems much happier and that makes me much happier. Thanks for trying to make me feel better, I appreciate the jester.
Later Lisa
P.S I'm sorry if I came off as a Bi**h, that was not my intent, I love this hobby and the fish, and I only want whats best for them....