Snowflake Eel

[Redbled]

I recently purchased a "freshwater" snowflake eel about a month ago. I had it seperated from the rest of the fish in my 55 gallon up until recently. The only thing I believe it will eat so far are live bloodworms. Tried frozen krill to no avail. What kinds of food have you had success with with these types of eels, and the hardest part seems to be in being able to confirm they're eating. I have the water brackish, and the eel doesn't breathe so heavily like it did at first, actually seems rather calm. But some help please on how to care for this little guy and give it a long life.

 

[Gibbo]

Try these links -

Salt/Freshwater Snowflake Moray Eel?

Can Moray Eels Live in Freshwater?

http/saltaquarium.about.com/library/week...ly/aa090501.htm]Freshwater VS Saltwater Moray Eels Revisited[/URL]

These are links to Stan & Debbie Hauters' Saltwater Aquariums 'What you need to know about' site. Very useful

 

[Nik]

I have a Fire Eel - not sure how similar this is but he will only eat frozen white mosquito larvae - nothing else. It would seem he would rather starve than eat anything else!!

Will be interested to hear from anybody else how to change a stubborn eaters feeding habbits!?

 

[superman]

I have never seen my fire eel eat any of the food I put in, but I am assuming he does since I have had him for about 5 months now I put occasional feeder fish in the tank, and I put either sinking carnivore pellets or sinking shrimp pellets about twice a week.
I did see my fire eel tear up and eat my dead blue crayfish, but I don't know if he actually killed the blue crayfish.
Have you seen yours eat? My fire eel is almost totally a night time hunter. I think that if you stop feeding your fire eel the usual mosquito larvae he SHOULD start to eat either shrimp pellets or sinking carnivore pellets. It may take a while before he comes around, you should keep an eye on him to make sure he isn't starving though.

 

[CFC]

Can either of you get hold of live shrimp?
I have kept tyre track eels and they went nuts for them but wouldn't touch dead ones,eels also love earthworms,chop them up small so they cant wriggle into the substrate and the eels should go mad.

 

[superman]

yeah I can get some live shrimp, but if my eel is eating pellets, then I sure don't want him getting hooked on live food! Good suggestion though, I bet that my eel would love them!

 

[Nik]

Eeer not sure I'm into cutting up earth worms you nasty person!

I'll stick to the larvae and try to get him on other frozen live foods by partial starvation - yikes that makes me seem horrid as well!?

 

[Jamnog]

what if you got a blender to do it for you?
not shure id want to eat food from if afterwoods tho could mean getting a blender just for the fish.

 

[fishme2death]

I have a spiny eel. What we have done is use a turkey baster.........cut part of the end off, but made sure it had no sharp edges. The frozen food (bloodworms, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp) was put in the rubber top of the baster with water then shaken. The eel would actually crawl into the baster to get the food. That is how he is fed. We also purchase ghost shrimp that it eats at its leasure.

So everytime you stick a hose in to clean the tank, he thinks its feeding time

 

[impur]

i had a freshwater snowflake eel in freshwater for about 2 years. I came home one day and couldn't find him till the following day i found him dried up under the tank stand. They can and do jump out and can even lift fairly heavy(for a fish) items off the tank as i found out. My eel ate the little bay shrimp you can get at the grocery store and loved em. Just drop them in by the entrance to his cave. I read up before i bought this eel and learned they are hard to get to eat for a week or so but keep at it. Make sure the food doesn't rot. He would also eat feeders, and i mean he would actually hunt them down. Even though they can't see very well, he knew when little fish were swimming around in the tank. I am planning on getting another soon, very neat eel IMO.

 

[totalbolshevik]

not shure id want to eat food from if afterwoods tho could mean getting a blender just for the fish.

I dunno... I have heard that earthworms are very nutritious. That's not to say that they are tasty or anything, though. But, as I always say, "if it's good enough for my fish, it's good enough for me."