? on adding an eel

[trandall]

? About adding an eel
Hi everyone~
I have a 210 G. that is pretty much a FOWLR. At least it started that way but I've added a few hardy shrooms, softies etc.

My fish include....a Bluechin Trigger- Regal Angel- flame Angel- Purple Tang- Lemon-peel mimic Tang- Porky Puffer and a Lawnmower blenny.

All are pretty good sized, healthy, etc and have been residing peacefully in my tank now for at least 18 months together.

I'd like to had a smaller eel. Have several I'm considering. i know they are not considering reef safe as they will eat inverts. that'sd not a problem really.

I do have one big, gorgeous, green Brittle Star. I would not want him to be eel food!

So my question is, do you think an eel would take on a large brittle star?

Do any of you here successfully keep eels with larger inverts, etc with no problems?

thank you~


__________________
Terri Randall

Hobby Experience: In salt for a few years, reef a year & 1/2
Current Tanks: Have a 210 gallon reef and a 67 gallon reef
Interests: Pets, dogs, cats fish keeping, hiking & camping

[CarmieJo]

Hi Terri,

I don't know about the star but I would worry that the lawnmower would become eel food.

[trandall]

Hi CarmieJo.... I don't know??? Ya think? He's pretty big. but.... i guess the shape of a lawnmower might be more attractive to an eel over other fish.

I was told... that the eels wouldn't bother fish but would prey on shrimp, snails and crabs.

Hmmm Need to give this some more thought I think.

[ryandlf]

I guess regardless of all the information you received you'd be taking a risk losing a fish to an eel, part of the joys of owning a predator I guess. My advice would be to just try and keep the new eel as happy and well fed as possible and hopefully he won't have any interest in anything else in the tank. With a tank that size you've got the odds on your side anyways.

[rayme07]

It all depends on what type of eel you get but most will probably try to eat your lawnmower.

[7perseo7]

What type of eel are you looking to buy? i had a snow flake eel and after 1 year she was over 2 feet long and ate 2 or 3 shrimps a day plus some fish (tune,swordfish,black tip sahrk) whatever i had for dinner on my freedge anyway after 2 days when i went on a vacation and a friend of mine was watching my appartment and "feeding " my pets he sent me a picture on my cell i wish i had it i might dig it up for you, is a picture of the snowflake holding a Blue damsel that was 4" to wich followed a coral beauty . so if you want any kind of eel or mooray you have to keep a dedicated tank,just like for any other predatory fish. i lost an angel to a big Condy anemone just 3 days ago, Mother Nature is like that "you snoose ,you loose"

[trandall]

There are 2 at my LFS that I've been thinking about. 1 is a Snowflake <Echidna nebulosa)> and the other is a chain eel <Echidna catenata>. They are both around 8 to 10 inches long.
They both seem like o.k. choices.

[saxman]

i kept a snowflake for over 10 years and finally had to pull it from the tank as it began knocking off its tankmates as well as biting me!

it was a great fish, but they really aren't to be trusted once they get some size on them, even if they've been model citizens.

[7perseo7]

Your brittle star fish should be ok,my snowflake was almost 3 feet and it never bother my star fish,they say they will eat shrimp but mine would only eat the frozen ones, i had a few peppermint and cleaner shrimp and it never bother them.