Snowflake eel and egg crate??

[S3Reefer]

Allright.. I have egg crate covering the to of my tank. With cutouts for pipes and hoses. I have TONS OF ROCKWORK 85LBS.

I will be feeding the snowflake eel 2 silver sides each day, if it is 6-10in, or 3-4 silver sides a day if it is larger then 10in.

I will also do 10% weekly water changes.

MY QUESTION: / I'm going to keep a snow flake eel.. Will a small one be able to escape through the egg crate? If so I could just order a big one that is 10+in. So he wouldn't be able to slip through the egg crate... Am I right?

Or I could make the sides of my tank (3-4in)all around just solid plastic.. Eels only try to escape mainly from the perimeter of the tank right?

Please help. Here are some pics of the egg crate and the tanks rocks cape... ANY SUGGESTIONS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 

[Jaketit]

They will get out of any thing you make. Good luck.

 

[S3Reefer]

Even if I just get a big one that is thick.

 

[Jaketit]

I'm just kidding. I've had a few and they are the best escape artist. I've heard LFS say they go from tank to tank at night. Just do the best u can and hope when you find him on the floor it's not to late. Hehehe

 

[S3Reefer]

Here we go

I can put sponge tightly across any openings as you see

 

[S3Reefer]

Hah you had me there. Thanks a mill-.. So what about my sponge idea?

 

[S3Reefer]

And a big snowflake eel instead of a small one. My smallest fish is a clownish and he is at least an inch. My blue Tang is 3in+. My hermits will be fine do you think? And cleaner shrimp.

 

[bskerrichard27]

I've had mine for a year if u feed a variety of food and have plenty of rock work it won't bother trying to escape..

 

[crister13]

Don't feed it every day. Too much food. I feed my 1.5' black edge moray (a lot thicker than a snowflake) 3/4 of a shrimp every 3 days. I feed the whole tank every 3 days also and everyone is growing and isn't skinny,,,, at all! I would feed at most every other day and probably very three days.

 

[S3Reefer]

Ok cool hat will work out a lot better.

 

[S3Reefer]

That's great. I'll keep him nice and chubby! And make sure that he's happy with his hiding places. Any pipe needed?

 

[crister13]

I don't think so. He should be fine with just rock.

 

[S3Reefer]

Oh okay.. Thank you everybody! Would it be a good idea to seal the perimeter of the tank? I don't mind. I like the messing around with everything.

 

[crister13]

You could if you wanted.

 

[S3Reefer]

Yay! Haha. Oh yes. The cleaner shrimp are Allright with a big 10+in eel?

 

[crister13]

Thats iffy. But adding the eel afterward is going to be helpful. There's always a risk but it could work. Snowflakes are pretty docile.

 

[S3Reefer]

Thank you. I last question. If I wanted to keep him well fed. How many silver sides would I feed him a day. Like if I should feed 1 every 3 days. Could I feed 1/3 every day?

 

[CleverBs]

They escape to look for food. So don't leave foo sitting outside of the tank because they can smell food in the air outside the water. My snowflake will sniff food out when I feed other tanks and he tries to get out I get the food and infact he did one day when I was feeding my Oscar squid which is my eels favorite food and he came to the top of the tank after I took the egg crate off and he swam right out of the tank and hit the floor.

Really they don't need I be fed that much give him a few every three days. I feed mine 3 times a week. One day I feed half of a medium shrimp that I cut up for him. 3/4 of a squid ring, then the 3rd will be one of those or fish. He's a snowflake that's about 9" but a 9" snowflake is the size of a pinky they need to be big big not to fit though the creat.

 

[crister13]

How big are the silversides? Like 4"? If so ya you could do that.

 

[S3Reefer]

They are 3in. So how big of an eel? I 14in? 16in? More?