someone HELP!!!

[justchillin]

my eel (which i've had for more than 3 years) has not ate for 2 weeks now and i'm starting to get worried...but now i just noticed that the tip if his tall looks like it's been attacked!
there no other tank mate (except for 5 turbos) so i have no idea how it happened...
at first i thought he just didn't like the new food i tried (which was weird cause he's always been a pig) but i just tried feeding krill and he won't eat that either...and now i've found this wound on his tail????
what can i do???

 

[justchillin]

it's a mexican dragon eel...i usually feed every couple days...i know eels can go a while without eating but he has never turned down food before...
also i was watching him and it appears that he is biting at his own tail...i don't know if he did the initial damage or if he is now just picking at it???
i've never heard of anything like this before...

 

[justchillin]

anyone???

 

[guppie]

My snowflake has gone 2 weeks with out eatting, and I know of a couple of other eels that have gone longer, this is normal, he should start eatting in no time. I would agree with jwtrojam44 that it sounds like some kind of infection, I would start treatting with antibiotics, and see how it does, Good Luck

 

[justchillin]

thanks for the help...is there a certain brand i should use?? do i just add it to the tank (since he's not eating soaking his food won't help...
i feed mostly krill, but he likes brine shrimp too...
occasionally i will give him some jumbo shrimp (uncooked) from the store...
that is pretty much it...
oh, about a month ago i gave him 2 live feeders...i know it's not good to feed then freshwater feeder regularly but i only did that once...
thanks for all the help, i'd hate to loose him after 3 years...

 

[justchillin]

ok well it's been almost 3 weeks now and he still won't eat...i even tryed live feeders (wish i've only done once before-i know there not good for him) and he ignores them too...the raw part on the tip of his tale isn't getting any worse, but it isn't getting much better either...
so far i have been trying a antibacterial called MelaFix...but there hasn't been much improvement???
any ideas of things i could try??

 

[brencali]

A really good antibiotic called OrganiCure. It's been a real lifesaver for me.

 

[pancho]

SOUNDS LIKE CYANIDE MAYBE THERE IS NO PROVEN CURE FOR THIS JUST CONTINUE THE GOOD DIET AND HOPE FOR A RECOVERY.

 

[watcher]

There could be something bothering his tail, you might want to add a cleaner shrimp, it could clean his tail and it could tempt him to eat if you want to buy him an expensive meal.

 

[fmarini]

Hi:
Not to worry yet. Eels can go for long periods of time w/o eating (my zebras took over 10 week before they started eating frozen foods). If you see youre eel loosing body conditon them you might be concerend. Since you've had this guy for a while and he is established in your tank i wouldn't worry about 3 weeks.
So what else is in the tank? you say nothin but eels don't normally chew on their own tail , so unless the eels got its tail caught in the rockwork and tore it free, something is nibbling on it.
Do you see anything going on w/ the eel. Any clinical symptoms besides anorexia? If it is a subclinical bacterial infection then unless you plan on treating the main tank, I would prepare a quarentine tank. I woul also start doing water exchanges and ensure your water quality is close to perfect. Often times this just this will start things rolling.
frank

 

[pancho]

well i do have an green morray eel that tail was nibbled at and at the time he was in an hospital tank alone but he kept eating also at the same token had a lion fish for two years and he just stop eating and died 3 weeks later i keep a long of all activity of my tanks and have my parents logs so i have almost 20 years of knowledge of 1st hand things the problem good have came from the food itself oh and with the lion fish i tried every known cure to man and didn't help so if someone knows a way ploease let me know that is if its been proven by yourself. ps gonna talk to my dad see what he says and to my friend who works the saltwater tanks at the shed aquarium will get back to you

 

[pancho]

well ok did a lot of research and asked 9 people with snowflake eels 3 years or older only one encounter the same problem you have. and what he said was penacilin was what you need to combat an internal illness hope its not to late give it a try good luck.

 

[justchillin]

well i really thought i had posted a response already but i just came across this post agin so i will repost...
well my mexican dragon eel finally started to show signs os improvement after a total of about 5 weeks...his tail began to heal and he started eating again...
bad news is i just moved him to my moms house today because i will be moving to a smaller place soon and didn't have room for my tank
but at least i can go over and see him whenever i want
plus i also gave my moms dwarf lion a bigger home (from a 30 to my 75)...he was swimming around more than ever loving his new home
well that pretty much it...
thanks for all the replys.