Zebra Eel

[maelv]

Okay.....all sorts of questions rolling through my head.
Not sure what I am wanting quite yet....what I have in my 135 gallon tank at this time is:
190 lbs of LR
Yellow Tang
Blue Hippo
Jawfish
5 green chromis
2 emerald crabs
1 cleaner shrimp
Snails
Now I went to a new LFS. The two gentlemen that opened this store professionally maintain tanks, and decided to try their hand in opening an LFS. In his tank he has a 3.5 foot Zebra Eel. I liked it. He also had a small one for sale. He told me they are not an aggressive eel (this site also lists them as docile). I think I want a reef tank...still contemplating...as I don't have much of anything in my tank....just finished cycling recently...
Question:
Could I throw a zebra eel in my tank and have a reef?
Thoughts suggestions would be appreciated....

 

[wanabebell]

you absoultly could but your not gonna have any shrimps and crabs with a zebra in them
they also can be a lil bit on the clumsy side sometimes and mighty nock things over

 

[maelv]

Thanks wanabebell......in that case, what would I be able to get for a clean up crew?
Anyone else wanna chime in with ideas?

 

[fishkid2]

you could maybe have the cleaner shrimp with the eel. i've seen pics of peoples eels on some forums getting their mouths cleaned by the cleaners.

 

[maelv]

Thanks fishkid2....so they are reef safe? no one has touched that yet....other than the fact them growing and possibly knocking over some rocks....

 

[chilwil84]

mine has left all snails and hermits alone but its favorite food is blue claw crab meat so i wouldnt trust mine with a emerald crab

 

[maelv]

Thanks Chil.....the guy at the LFS told me his was not aggressive....not something to be messing with around feeding time, but overall a passive creature....just wanted to get a feel from others who may have one/know about them....

 

[wanabebell]

yes they are deffinetly reef safe
and in the case of a zebra I highly doubt a cleaner will even work with them
if you do try the shrimps put them in before the zebra

 

[shark bait]

Just a thought. These eels are very calm, and yes don't see very well, so glue things down if you reef out the tank. But I would let the tank go a few month, wait untill the tank is ready for the bio spike of the eel. You have some good fish in the tank but the blue tang will ich up if you have even a small spike. So the LFS can get the eel at your request any time they are all over the place. Also this eel can be hard to feed so it will also take some time get it to take krill and things like that. Also add the shrimp first if you want to keep it and do not use ghost shrimp to get to eat. Watch the Blue tang they love ich. How old is the tank?

 

[maelv]

It is about 6 weeks old...2 weeks out of the cycle.....The yellow and neon were transferred over from my old tank.....the blue hippo was bout about the 3rd day after cycle had been completed....Thank you shark bait.

 

[stacyt]

I would be more worried about the BIO load of that eel in a reef, more than it haming other creatures. I have had mine for over 2 years, and he never bothers snails, or hermits. Haven't tried cleaner shrimp with them though.
Another good choice if you can find them are ghost ribbon eels. They are IME more hardy than the blue ribbon eels, not as messy, or as clumsy. I have kept them with cleaners shrimp as well. A much better fit for a reef tank than the Zebra.

 

[maelv]

Thanks, i'll look that ghost ribbon eel up....kiddos really want an eel...and I think it would be cool.....how much of a bio load would it cause in a 135 gallon?

 

[wanabebell]

with any reef and an eel your gonna need a big skimmer and its gonna push the bioload of the tank

 

[maelv]

Oh okay, I have a ASM G2 (rated for 200) on a 135 gallon...brand new, so I won't be getting a new one anytime soon....I am guessing that should do.

 

[wanabebell]

yeah it will do
i have one on my agressive tank
btw your gonna need strong current near the eels hiding place so you get his waste out of the tank ASAP

 

[shark bait]

Originally Posted by StacyT
I would be more worried about the BIO load of that eel in a reef, more than it haming other creatures. I have had mine for over 2 years, and he never bothers snails, or hermits. Haven't tried cleaner shrimp with them though.
Another good choice if you can find them are ghost ribbon eels. They are IME more hardy than the blue ribbon eels, not as messy, or as clumsy. I have kept them with cleaners shrimp as well. A much better fit for a reef tank than the Zebra.

Stay away from the blue ribbon. They have a 75% chance of death in the first 2 weeks. They are super hard to get happy and your tanks is way to young to think this direction. You may want to think about adding more media for the bio load, like my prior post a spike in this young of a tank will make the ich come out to play. And while you may think you dont have ich every tank has it, but the fish are just in good conditions and can fight it off. So just keep that in mind.
I wish you luck and glad you asked prior to posting " My tank is dead WHY???"

 

[maelv]

Thanks Sharkbait...yeah I am not trying to kill anything...waste of life, time, and $$$...i think right now, I am just going to add some easy fish and corals....that won't cause me heartache.