Eel not eating, help & identification?

[Superjfly]

I bought what I was told was a white snowflake eel at the pet store a few weeks ago. It is a FW eel, I don't think it is what they say. Anyhow, i have a picture below if someone could finally identify it for me.

The pet store told me to feed it frozen brine shrimp or small feeder fish. I have tried both, along with frozen krill, chiclid pellets, and live ghost shrimp. I haven't seen him eat since I got him a few weeks ago. He is looking skinnier and sort of weak. I have a large cave type structure for him to hide in and a strawberry pot turned sideway. I just added three lengths of 19" PVC today. The eel is about 17 - 18" long and about 3/4" round. Any suggestions on what to feed him. Eventhough he isn't eating, my chiclids are loving the new variety of foods. At least someone is happy. The only thing from what I have read that I am doing wrong is that I don't have sand as a substrate. Not sure the pros and cons of that.

Please Help,
Neil

 

[J-Money]

That does not look like any snowflake eel i've ever seen. And if it is a snowflake eel it should be in a marine tank... I don't know that there are many species of freshwater eel, you could go to Fishbase and just scroll through all the different eels till you find what you have

Make sure you have no openings for him to get out, eels are escape artists. I had one a while back that wuz supposedly a freshwater one (they just called it a freshwater moray), but in the middle of the night, he jumped out of the tank 2 days after I got him. I found him in the morning and thought he wuz dead, but when I went to pick him up he kinda tried to wrap his tail around my finger. He lived for a few hours, but still died

 

[Superjfly]

I checked out the Peacock Spiney Eel. He kind of looks like him but he is already longer than the maximum 16 inches, but it is hard to see the picture. My eel also has a long fin running down his back, if that helps any.

I can also send a larger picture via email.

Thanks.

 

[Dwarfs]

That certainly isn't a spiny eel, the head on yours looks like a moray eels head I think it's a snowflake, it looks one I saw at a LFS once

 

[J-Money]

oh yeah, i've also heard, (i'm no expert so take this with a grain of salt), that eels can go a while without eating, especially when stressed so I would just wait a day or two and try again. and keep tryin' till he eats

edited to add, i just looked up freshwater moray in fishbase, is this it?
http/fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary...peciesname=tile

 

[CFC]

That is aGymnothorax tile, a brackish/marine dwelling moray eel species which when over 12 inches MUST have salt in the water, and not just a little ammount either, you will need to add around 12 ounces of salt to 6 gallons of water to bring the SG up to 1.010 which is the lowest recomended range for this fish when adult. Their appettites are directly linked to the ammount of salt in the water and in freshwater it is very likely that the fish will starve to death, you will need to either set up a second (brackish) tank for your eel or get rid of your Cichlids and add salt to your existing tank if you wish to keep the eel.

 

[Superjfly]

Wow. I guess I need a crash course on setting up a brackish tank. I only have an extra 20g tank laying around. Should be good enough until I can figure something else out. Is there a thread that explains this.

Thanks for your help!

Neil

 

[CFC]

There is a quick guide to setting up a brackish tank here http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=42435 , if you need any more help or have other questions dont hesitate to ask.

 

[Superjfly]

...you will need to add around 12 ounces of salt to 6 gallons of water to bring the SG up to 1.010 which is the lowest recomended range for this fish when adult...

What should my target SG be then if 1.010 is the lowest level?

I am going to go with sand for the substrate. How deep should I make it? What is the easiest way to clean sand?

Will a power filter like a Bio-Filter be fine with a brackish tank?


Neil

 

[CFC]

The set up for a brackish tank is the same as for FW but with salt added and the option of a protein skimmer. Start the eel off at 1.005 and then move it up to 1.010, you can take them right up to full marine SG of 1.022 once they are full grown but as long as the SG is over 1.010 they will do ok.

 

[Superjfly]

Use a protein skimmer along with the filter right?

Should I do the drip method just to get him into the 1.005? How long after that before I go to 1.010?

 

[CFC]

Yes the protein skimmer is as well as a biological filter.

The drip method is the best way to transfer the eel from fresh to brackish and then just up the SG a little each time you do a water change by adding a bit more salt to the new water. It will probably take a few weeks to get to 1.010 and so wont shock the eel.