what kind of EEL???

joker_ca

Active Member
Im toying with the idea of making my 80g into an aggressive tank(if the GF lets me) and i was wondering what would be a good eel to put in there? As for fish im thinking about the:
blue spot puffer
niger trigger
some kind of lion maybe a fuzzy dwarf
and would it be possible to keep my heniochus
blue tang
 

moraym

Active Member
A SFE would obviously not outgrow that tank. I think a wolf eel or a jeweled moray would be very comfy in an 80g tank for their entire lives as well.
The chain eel, or chainlink, gets to about 2.5', and is recommended for 125+. But I've seen a few healthy, and full grown, specimens in 75-90g tanks. So your 80 may be good for one depending on the set up and tankmates.
I've seen 90g tanks w/ tessalata and zebra eels, although I'd feel more comfortable putting these two in a 125g.
 

moraym

Active Member

Originally posted by joker_ca
i thought a snowflake needs a 125+ tank???

Haven't seen that in my years. Lowest tank minimum I've seen was 30g, highest tank minimum i've seen is 55g. I think most people on here would agree a 55g is a decent-sized tank for it, and so your 80g tank should easily house a SFE.
 

joker_ca

Active Member
what about ribbon eels i have heard that its very difficult to get them to eat is this true or is there another species taht does well in an aquarium
 

kart racer

Member
I have heard the same about ribbon eels. Goldentails stay relatively small (around 2') from what I read before I bought one.
 

moraym

Active Member
The blue ribbon eel (aka GHost Ribbon), gets pretty long, but would be able to live to full maturity in your 80g. The only problem is that unlike most eels, the ribbon eel is pretty high maintenance in that it needs high water quality and is pretty delicate when it comes to shipping. So your best bet would be to find one in a LFS, so at least you know it survived the shipping trauma.
As far as eating, they are pretty difficult to get to start eating, or convert to frozen for that matter. Again, best bet is to find one in a LFS, put him on hold for a week or a few days, and watch them feed him successfully before you purchase it.
Size-wise, your tank is fine to house a ribbon.
 

moraym

Active Member
I haven't kept blue spot puffers, so I'm not sure if it'll nip the lion or heniochus's fins. The niger trigger is one of the more passive triggers, so he shouldn't cause too much trouble. I'd mainly worry about the puffer nipping the lion's fins, although this could be wrong as I'm unsure of just how aggressive the blue spot is.
As far as the blue hippo goes, it may have trouble if the tank's water quality suffers due to the aggressive fish. It needs to have plenty of algae to graze on, dried seaweed a few times a week, and needs adequate swimming room. If you do get one, be sure to purchase a ground probe, and watch for signs of malnutrition and HLLE. The main issue here would be that the blue tang commonly falls victim to parasites, ich, and other infections, that may be more common in an aggressive tank. Also, blue tangs like plenty of spots to hide, so you'll have to create LR structures that give it some protection away from other tankmates.
 

zemuro114

Member
dont get a blue spot. i had one and it was shy at first, then a few weeks later started attacking my hands when i was feeding the fish, and trying to bite me.. it was a very mean little bugger. I think a niger, dwarf lion and snowflake would be a good tank! maybe a white spot puffer from hawaii. I've seen those int he wild and they are fun to watch..
gluck
 
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