worried about my eels

great_joe · 09-30-2003, 02:12 PM

i have a blue ribbon eel and an black and white eel that looks like a snake ...... i havent seen them eat since the day i bought em. i even tried watching at night coz they're nocturnal. Ive have had the eels for about 2 months now, they seem healthy exept that the blue eel is now black....... Most of the time i see thier heads poked out of the rocks but i catch them swimming around every now and then. whts with the color change? i havent seen them eating is it ok? i mean they are stil alive after 2 months and no signs of desease. sugestions will be helpful ty

both eels are 20+ inches long
tank specs are as follows:
150g fish only tank with a percula and maroon clown
there are about 100 pounds of live rock a home made trickle filter and a skimmer.

also there was a recent outbreak of velvet so i placed all the fishes in a quarantine tank for 2 weeks and ive just returned the eels to the main tank 5 days ag

FishDaddy · 09-30-2003, 02:21 PM

Hi Joe,

What are you feeding them? I've got a Chainlink that's going on 3 years old and he's always been a hearty eater. His favorites are frozen (thawed) Gamma Lance Fish and Tetra Freeze Dried Jumbo Shrimp, frequently dosed with Selcon.

I would be concerned about their not eating.

Dick

great_joe · 09-30-2003, 02:32 PM

ive tried sinking pellets i think its brand is dora marine, boiled chunks of shrimp, little "bagoong" shrimps ( .25 inges long) bought from the local wet market, gelatin based food with spirulina srimp and squid, and live feeder guppies ..... none of them worked.
Btw i had a snowflake moray about 5 inches long ( came as a freebee with the live rock hehehehe) he mysteriously disaperaed about a week ago could he possibly have been eaten by the bigger guys?

FishDaddy · 09-30-2003, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by great_joe
.
Btw i had a snowflake moray about 5 inches long ( came as a freebee with the live rock hehehehe) he mysteriously disaperaed about a week ago could he possibly have been eaten by the bigger guys?

I'd say that's a good bet!!!!

mjsandbe · 09-30-2003, 03:13 PM

My snowflake eel has been a massive eater since the day I got him. I feed him silversides now and krill before that. Every 2-3 days he consumes 5-8 silversides. If I were you, I would be a little worried. I have notices things disappear if my eel goes too long with out being fed.

LittleFishBoy · 09-30-2003, 03:29 PM

I have a 32 inch Green Moray and he is temperamental. He eats when he wants. Usually everyday, but sometimes he wont take the food. He'll let it sink, and eat when he feels like it. If your snowflake is missing, its either A devoured, or B its back in hiding. You said he hid in the live rock, he could possibly be back there again. Keep trying on the feeding, if you have to try live and slowly wean (sp?) them off of it onto silversides and/or shrimp and other frozens. Just my .02 cents.

The stress of moving them also takes a toll on their eating habits.

Geoff · 09-30-2003, 03:40 PM

when i get home i can give you the lowdown on the ribbon. this is just what i remember off the top of my head. they are fish eaters. they are very difficult to get feeding. they like small fish. hopefully this is where your snowflake went! they are shy eaters. you may have some luck with black mollies that you have acclimated to salt water. they are slow movers. as for the colour change, this is a sex change. i thought they all started out as black then change to blue or yellow depending on sex. i must be wrong, so i will check on this when i get home also.

if you can get a pick of the other eel we could get you an identity. what is the head/mouth shape on the eel. is it like the ribbon eel, or is it more blunt and without flares?

G~

great_joe · 09-30-2003, 09:37 PM

sori dont have a pic cant seem to conect my camera phone to my pc, the other eel's head is shaped like an oval much like a snake's, the head is wider than the body giving it a snake like apearance.... it has an alternating pattern of black stripes and about 3 back dots like this I : I : I : I : I as for the flares he has em but not as prominant as the ribbon eel's.

im starting to believe that the snowflake has become a quick snack.... oh well it was free anyway :c

Geoff · 09-30-2003, 10:28 PM

i am little confused now. my books say that the ribbons start out black and then change colours, first to blue, then to green/yellow if they are female. it says nothing about changing colours back to the juvenile form. i did remember correctly about the mollies or any other livebearers being used for food for these guys. they are very reluctant feeders. also most are caught using cyanide in your area, which does not help the eating thing any.

they also suggest that they be in a tank by themselves because of thier reluctancy to eat.

as for the other eel, kinda tough on your description. it may be snake eel. is it trying to burrow into the substrate? unlike the ribbon which is just skinny and pokes around in the rocks. if it is a snake eel then small shrimp are your best bet. though the mollies will also be a good choice. if these are the only fish in your tank than you may have a chance if you have those live foods always in there.

good luck,

G~

dawn · 10-01-2003, 02:25 AM

My eels wouldn't eat when I first got them either. I ended up acclimating mollies for them and now they eat silversides.

Good luck.
Dawn

LittleFishBoy · 10-01-2003, 10:04 AM

Mine eats silversides too. About a quarter of a package a day!!

Every now and then, it also eats comets.... the BIG ones. Just as a treat. Itll eat about 4 at each sitting. Talk about an eating machine...

great_joe · 10-02-2003, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Geoff
i am little confused now. my books say that the ribbons start out black and then change colours, first to blue, then to green/yellow if they are female. it says nothing about changing colours back to the juvenile form. i did remember correctly about the mollies or any other livebearers being used for food for these guys. they are very reluctant feeders. also most are caught using cyanide in your area, which does not help the eating thing any. they also suggest that they be in a tank by themselves because of thier reluctancy to eat.

as for the other eel, kinda tough on your description. it may be snake eel. is it trying to burrow into the substrate? unlike the ribbon which is just skinny and pokes around in the rocks. if it is a snake eel then small shrimp are your best bet. though the mollies will also be a good choice. if these are the only fish in your tank than you may have a chance if you have those live foods always in there.
G~

your right, it beats me too....... havnt read about blue ribbon eels turning black,.... although the eels not entierlyy black theresd a small portion of its body just below the gill ducts thats still kinda blue

the other eels a snake eel, identified it from a realy old book the scientific name is myrichthys colubrinus, fish base named it harlequin snake eel i posted a picture from fishbase below... it looks like that only it has more spots

ill try aclimating mollies tommorow hopeb it works, thanks for the advice