Peacock eel!

[Hholly]

I brought home a peacock eel for my 55. It likes to hide in my plants but it stays pretty visible. So far it hasn't eaten, to my knowledge. I fed it bloodworms after lights out. And I could see that it was swimming in the area where I dumped them. But it just seems to swim against the glass. Any tips on getting it to eat? I've heard some people get them to eat from their hands. When I changed the water earlier it dove into the gravel and stayed buried till I was done. So how could I even get near it with my hand or a turkey baster? Any hints or tips?
Thanks!

 

[laur94x]

Sorry no idea on any of your questions because I'm terrified of eels but just wanted to say, I've heard a lot about them escaping even through really small spaces so make sure you cover the hole your filter lead comes out of and stuff. Good luck, hopefully someone else can answer your questions

 

[Hholly]

Ok thanks!

 

[vanimal]

Are the Blood Worms frozen that your feeding? Just keep feeding those if they are. No Freeze Dried, Pelleted, or Flaked foods as the Eel will not eat them. Try feeding Frozen Krill, Frozen Tubifex Worms, Live Earth Worms, Live Ghost Shrimp, Beef Heart, Ripped up Tilapia and ripped up pieces of shrimp. My Fire Eel gets Ripped up market shrimp as a staple and Blood Worms and beef heart as a treat. Feed at night and he should eat if you try all the foods I suggested.

 

[Hholly]

Yeah they're frozen. Thanks for the suggestions. Do you think if I just keep dropping them in his general area he will eventually eat? Thanks!

 

[vanimal]

If he still won't eat, Ghost Shrimp are a great way to get them eating. No Eel will turn down live shrimp! I had to do that with my Fire Eel for about a month.

 

[vanimal]

Yeah they're frozen. Thanks for the suggestions. Do you think if I just keep dropping them in his general area he will eventually eat? Thanks!

Yes, but try a variety and find out what he likes. Blood Worms as his main food source isn't very healthy.

 

[Hholly]

Ok, thanks again!

 

[vanimal]

Another thing, you should switch your substrate to sand. It allows Eels to burrow better and will not cut them when they are burrowing which can easily occur with gravel. Sand is a lot closer to the muddy bottoms they would bury into in the wild than gravel is.

 

[Zimmanski]

Another thing, you should switch your substrate to sand. It allows Eels to burrow better and will not cut them when they are burrowing which can easily occur with gravel. Sand is a lot closer to the muddy bottoms they would bury into in the wild than gravel is.

Yes definitely switch to sand

Oh and good luck with the feeding, my peacock wouldn't eat anything, at all. I tried everything, live shrimp and worms, frozen all kinds of stuff, he starved himself though. It was sad

 

[Hholly]

Yes definitely switch to sand

Oh and good luck with the feeding, my peacock wouldn't eat anything, at all. I tried everything, live shrimp and worms, frozen all kinds of stuff, he starved himself though. It was sad

Aw bummer.

 

[vanimal]

Aw bummer.

The best staples IMO are Prawns, Earth Worms, and Tilapia.

 

[Hholly]

I just got some mysis shrimp and some live meal worms. We'll see what happens tonight!

 

[Tetra1990]

I miss my peacock eel! I asked the store what they feed their eels. I never seen mine eat, I feed after lights out. I had mine for 4 months before it died, so it was eating something. What kind of hiding areas (caves,PVC pipe ect) do you have for it?

 

[Hholly]

I made it a cave out of driftwood and slate, but it doesn't seem interested. It hangs out in the plants a lot and has buried itself a few times. If I can't get it to eat by Sunday I'm taking it back. I wish I knew how people get them to eat from their hands.

 

[Zimmanski]

I miss my peacock eel! I asked the store what they feed their eels. I never seen mine eat, I feed after lights out. I had mine for 4 months before it died, so it was eating something. What kind of hiding areas (caves,PVC pipe ect) do you have for it?

Exactly what I did, and exactly what my eel did. I miss mine too such a neat fish!

 

[Hholly]

Bummer, it's not sounding very hopeful for my guy. I wonder if he actually ate anything at Petsmart???

 

[Tetra1990]

I made it a cave out of driftwood and slate, but it doesn't seem interested. It hangs out in the plants a lot and has buried itself a few times. If I can't get it to eat by Sunday I'm taking it back. I wish I knew how people get them to eat from their hands.

Don't give up on your eel just because it's not eating from your hand. Sorry if I'm coming across a bit hard on you, since you said that you just brought it home, give it a few days to get comfortable with the tank and the daily routine. If your stumped on what to feed it, go back to where you bought it and ask what they fed it. Comfort food is for fish too

 

[Hholly]

Don't give up on your eel just because it's not eating from your hand. Sorry if I'm coming across a bit hard on you, since you said that you just brought it home, give it a few days to get comfortable with the tank and the daily routine. If your stumped on what to feed it, go back to where you bought it and ask what they fed it. Comfort food is for fish too

I'm not thinking of taking it back because it won't eat from my hand, lol. I'm thinking of taking it back because it won't eat, period. And everyone keeps telling me their stories of their eels that starved themselves. Petsmart too me they were feeding it bloodworms. But who knows if it was even eating there at the store? Right now I'm trying to feed it bloodworms, live mealworms, and mysis. But I don't want to keep a fish that will eventually starve itself to death.

 

[Zimmanski]

You have 2 weeks to return it, just wait it out and see, just because some eels have refused to eat doesn't mean yours won't eat. Many people on the forum have had great success with peacock eels and have kept them for years and years. Yours could just be getting used to things and they really are neat fish, I would trade the 4 months with my peacock eel for any of the platys I had