Snowflake not reef safe?

[ouchthathu]

I just finished cycling a new 120gl tank and presently it only contains a few mean damsels in it (which I wouldn't mind if the eel ate). My kids really, really, really wanted an eel so I went ahead and ordered one with the cleanup package from SWF.
I really didn't notice that the SFE isn't reef safe until today (and it's due to arrive tommorrow morning). Other than eating shrimp and small fish that wander a bit too close, is there a reason that its marked as not reef safe? My only plans for this tank were to house a few aggressives, anenomes, and coral. It wasn't intended to hold shrimp or small fish.

 

[corbin_101]

I've got the same idea for my 50tall, and all the web searching that ive done so far say's that the Snow Flake eats small fish and some shrimp. I know that I'm not being a lot of help but from what ive been told from a local reefer is that for a happy reef you need the small fish. I hope a wiser person

reads your post and can answer your question. Good luck, and thanks for the post.

 

[firefish9]

well one problem you might incounter is the eel knocking over the rockwork and corals. They might eat your cleanup crew and damsels.

 

[psusocr1]

i would wory about the cleanup crew more than the small fish( althoug=h im sure they will eat them too) as mentioned above its not that they eat corals, just shrimp, small fish and snails, crabs etc. which you would want in your reef

 

[ouchthathu]

thanks for the info. I'm not too woried about the damsels,,, I was more worried about how to get them out, the eel will solve that problem for me.
The rocks are all cemented together with epoxy (it's a long story but I learned an expensive lessone once about falling rock I guess the only real worry I'll have will be for the poor snails and hermit crabs that will be dinner eventually.
Are there any of the smaller eels that ARE reef safe?

 

[reefeel]

As long as you keep feeding the eel it won't eat snails. They can't really eat hermit crabs because they can hid pretty quickly . I have only caught my snowflake eel munching on snails three times in two years. It also depends on the eels personality.

 

[e.es.c]

the sfe can eat hermit crabs i had one in my 125 and one day it just went nuts trying to eat everything in the tank and it went inside of the hermits shell and started ripping them apart and i had legs and things flying around my tank.

 

[k-rok]

Seems to me the SFE won't bother any tank inhabitants if they have a full belly. I've had mine for about 6 months in a 75gal. and it has yet to touch a snail or hermit. You should be fine as long as you feed him regularly - mine eats every other day. He refuses to eat more often than that.

 

[sonnyg]

i had a sfe that everything and anything... his fav was pre cooked shrimp. hell he went after an undulated trigger and he was only about 18" long but every fish is different and the only way you find out is by trial and error

 

[jw23]

I have a 2 foot SFE and I have had him for about 3 years, I had 3 damsels in my tank when I got him and He never ate a single one of them which i was hoping he would eat them, but he never eats any of my fish, snails, hermits or corals, only problem I have with him is when he gets hungry he starts swimmimg around and he knocks the corals off the rocks on accident but that problem was fixed by gluing down the corals, but i only feed mine once a week and he has been fine

 

[ouchthathu]

Thankfully SWF took notice of my request for the smallest one they had and sent me one that is less than 5" long. right now the hermit crabs are bigger than he is I don't think I have any worries right now of him eating anything he shouldn't, but I know they grow bigger which leads me to 2 questions.
1. How fast will they grow on average?
2. How often should I feed this little guy?

 

[chilwil84]

maybe every 3 days while it is small and longer as it gets bigger. i feed mine weekly it is about 18". my doesnt bother my fish and has left a cbs alone that went in shortly after it but it now eats any other shrimp or crab that i put in the tank so timing may be the issue with mobile inverts, it doesnt bother my hermits or snails. growth rate really depends on your feeding rate while feeding every 3 days it will grow a few inches a year once it breaks 12-14" cutting back its food to every 5-7 days will slow its growth in length and girth

 

[corbin_101]

my snowflake is eating 2 to 4 small dead gold fish a day. am I rong for feeding him tell he is full every day. Is it better for him to wait a couple of days in between meals. My LFS has had the same SFE for 2 years and she feeds every day and so far he looks great!!! If its healthier for me to slow down his feedings ill try, I've had him on this diet for the last 2-3 weeks. He is still small maby 6-8" so as of right now im hand feeding him. I love to watch how he reacts when I open the hood. I know the risk of bite but is there any other reason why people say not to do this?

 

[unleashed]

Originally Posted by corbin_101
my snowflake is eating 2 to 4 small dead gold fish a day. am I rong for feeding him tell he is full every day. Is it better for him to wait a couple of days in between meals. My LFS has had the same SFE for 2 years and she feeds every day and so far he looks great!!! If its healthier for me to slow down his feedings ill try, I've had him on this diet for the last 2-3 weeks. He is still small maby 6-8" so as of right now im hand feeding him. I love to watch how he reacts when I open the hood. I know the risk of bite but is there any other reason why people say not to do this?

never feed you salt water fish fresh water species especially goldfish this can and will lead to malnurishment and fatty liver disease. gold fish are bottom dwelling garbage cans they eat crap and whatever else is there.(hense the phrase you are what you eat) ack....lfs use them because they are cheep and thats the only reason they use them.lfs also do not house fish for long term keeping they are just sustaining the fish until it finds a home.feeding him daily is not a problem if hes willing to eat but you should really be feeding your eel a varied diet which concist of sw species foods such as silverslides krill shrimp squid ect.ells are also subseptable it gout(goiter) which symtoms are by glands in the throat swelling to the point of not being able to swallow or feed. eventually causing death this is caused by iodine deficancies.certain foods contain this such as crustations like shrimp krill crab lobster ect..i highly reccomend doing some more research on the proper care of your fish to ensure proper dietary needs are being met..
as for hand feeding and the dangers of a bite this is due to high bacteria counts in an eels mouth can not only inflict alot of pain but can cause a major bacterial infection in the wound itself..some eels have such a high valume of bad bacteria that they are concidered poisonous

 

[jon321]

Originally Posted by chilwil84
maybe every 3 days while it is small and longer as it gets bigger. i feed mine weekly it is about 18". my doesnt bother my fish and has left a cbs alone that went in shortly after it but it now eats any other shrimp or crab that i put in the tank so timing may be the issue with mobile inverts, it doesnt bother my hermits or snails. growth rate really depends on your feeding rate while feeding every 3 days it will grow a few inches a year once it breaks 12-14" cutting back its food to every 5-7 days will slow its growth in length and girth
I disagree. My snowflake went from 6" to 16" in a year and grew another inch or two over the next 2 years feeding a couple times a week. It seemed to reach max at around 18" in a 77g tank as the only inhabitant. And DONT cut back feeding, feed it as often as it looks like it wants food, if its hungry and your not feeding it will be looking at tankmates(shrimp,crabs mostly) as a food source.
Jon

 

[chilwil84]

Originally Posted by Jon321
I disagree. My snowflake went from 6" to 16" in a year and grew another inch or two over the next 2 years feeding a couple times a week. It seemed to reach max at around 18" in a 77g tank as the only inhabitant. And DONT cut back feeding, feed it as often as it looks like it wants food, if its hungry and your not feeding it will be looking at tankmates(shrimp,crabs mostly) as a food source.
Jon
i agree with this for a fish only tank but this being for a reef a 16-18' eel that is as round as a half dolllar is a huge hit on the bioload on a reef and can compramise water quality and fed daily or not, crabs and shrimp may be eaten anyway that is something the eel only knows

 

[tang_fame]

Originally Posted by OuchThatHu
thanks for the info. I'm not too woried about the damsels,,, I was more worried about how to get them out, the eel will solve that problem for me.
The rocks are all cemented together with epoxy (it's a long story but I learned an expensive lessone once about falling rock I guess the only real worry I'll have will be for the poor snails and hermit crabs that will be dinner eventually.
Are there any of the smaller eels that ARE reef safe?

I'm told the snowflake is one of the safer els for a reef tank. Good article on below on this topic. Some fish and/or els are obivious bad choices for community or reef tanks. I thin the sfe is safe, see them in the lfs reefs all the time. I just ordered one myself along with a Blue Throat Trigger.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-12/fm/index.php
Bottom line however is you never know how they will react. It depends on the environment, size, dept of your tank etc. Heck I have a Sohal, foxface, Vlamingi, Rabbit, Purple, Hippo and several yellow tangs all coexisting in a 225. I keep them well feed and they have lots of swimming space and hiding space within the rock work.

 

[eelfan77]

i have a sfe to and i use to hand feed when he was under 10 inches. then i stoped after he bit me one day when i was feeding him. i started bleeding it hurt. i got him like october of 2007 and he grew about 7 inches since i had him.