Feeding Eel's?

[evilchild]

for all of you guys & girls that have eels, what do you feed them? the reason i ask is, i have a reed fish (not an eel as such but close) but i am a bit worried that he's not getting enough food. if i put some prawn in there the other fish will eat a lot of it as it is cut up quite small. i have tried to put bigger bits in but the reed fish seems to have trouble eating it? i also have blood worm and some Tetra TabiMin Tropical Tablet Food (or some thing very simular) but i have the same problem as before with the other fish eating them too?

also the other consurn is that i'm putting too much food into the tank?

please help?

 

[shroob]

Is it possible to feed your reed fish with a long impliment (like tongues or a feeding rod), if its prawns, and for other food like pellets/blood worm, some sort of baster to put it right infront of them?

 

[evilchild]

not tried tongs but have had the food right in front of him but he just looks at it while the of fish eat his meal. lol.

my lFS had some small shrimp type creatures that i may get, with a bit of luck the other fish will have bit of a job eating them leaving them for the reed fish. do you think this is a good idea or not?

 

[simonas]

I'm surprised to hear that oly because I got my first ever reedfish in late November 3 of tem about 8 inches or more long. and from the moment I stuck them in they haven't stopped eating. I don't say that to gloat only to point out that these fish seem to be an oddball that is incredibly easy to keey bar there houdini tendancies.

They do prefer a group so if your guy is on his own maybe he is unhappy . Mine are in with boisterous fish yet when I stick frozen bloodwrom, brine shrimp and even catfish pellets they are straigt to it and munching away

Good luck but i WOULD CONSIDER WHETHER HE'S ONHIS OWN

 

[Esfa]

Feed a few hours after you have turned the lights off, most of the other fish will bde asleep, and thats when your reed with be looking for food.

 

[evilchild]

yeah he is on his own, i didn't know much about him when i got him, giot him on a bit of a whim, will try get another this weekend maybe. i will try feed him 'afterdark' too. any surgestion on the size of food they can eat?

 

[Esfa]

yeah he is on his own, i didn't know much about him when i got him, giot him on a bit of a whim, will try get another this weekend maybe. i will try feed him 'afterdark' too. any surgestion on the size of food they can eat?

they can eat quite large food. cut some prawns in half, maybe some muscles, bloodworm, mine eats algae wafers.

 

[evilchild]

yeah he is on his own, i didn't know much about him when i got him, giot him on a bit of a whim, will try get another this weekend maybe. i will try feed him 'afterdark' too. any surgestion on the size of food they can eat?

they can eat quite large food. cut some prawns in half, maybe some muscles, bloodworm, mine eats algae wafers.

don't get a chance with algae wafers not with my plec, he's a greedy poo machine. lol.

thanks for all you help i can only give it a go

 

[Gage]

other then what has been said already, i feed mysis, dont feed it to often, the protein level is very high.

 

[Straydum]

imo reeds are very much different from eels. reeds relates more to the polypterus family. you can try hand feeding. it gives you more control. i did that with my bichir when it first came. two fingers holding a cube of worms. the other two trying to push away other fishes

 

[Rex740]

You should use a feeding tube for the eel.

 

[simonas]

You should use a feeding tube for the eel.

whys that ? they should just eat like any other. It'll get used to it try the other Reed at weekend

 

[8inary]

why not try dropping a bottle containing food in, depending on the size of the other fish in the tank, they may not get in to it, however the reedfish would.

 

[evilchild]

why not try dropping a bottle containing food in, depending on the size of the other fish in the tank, they may not get in to it, however the reedfish would.

that's an idea, she (i think) is getting better will feed from my hand and is getting used to it as a sign of food. did come a bit close to my thumb when i was holding a worm, but i'm putting that down to bad eyes?

on another note how messy are these fish? mine lives in the rock, so is it advised to give it a little shake when i'm doing a water change, to get waste out of the rock? if it's any thing like my plec god helps us. lol.

 

[8inary]

The other thing I would advise about Ropefish are that they are great at getting out of tanks. Ensure that all holes are sealed up, otherwise say byebye.

In respect to cleaning, I would clean as you normally would with fish. Ideally with a gravel vac and whilst cleaning it does not hurt to move things around to hoover up under rocks etc before replacing them back. Just general cleaning will do, just make sure all escape areas are closed