snowflake eel

[jayfish]

i've had my snowflake 4 about 7 months his always had a good appitate but recently i had 2 take my fish out so that meant most of the rock and coral i know i stressed him but its been a week and he aint eat'n anything ideas on what i can feed him he usualy eats fresh prawns and fish(white bait) as i dont wont 2 loose him.

 

[mjvincent]

What are your test parameters? Does the eel still have hiding spots (they need them)?

 

[Hara]

believe it or not, a week is not that long of a time to go without food for an eel.
Mine go on periodic hunger strikes that can last a month. (usually it is for a couple of weeks tho). Just offer the usual food at the usual times. As long as there is nothing wrong with its habitat, everything will be fine

 

[StripesTheEel]

agree with hara.. mine go days without eating then have a little frenzy.. once ur into the 14 days plus though i'd be worrying.. try soaking your prawns in supplements...might work!

 

[i have crabs]

pop in a goldfish if your that worried they seem to disapear quickly

 

[Fluff]

pop in a goldfish if your that worried they seem to disapear quickly

Goldfish are not a good idea and long term can cause health problems for you eel. And, you take a chance of introducing disease with these "feeder" goldfish.
I agree, as long as he's in a good enviroment, he may just need time. I only feed my eel twice a week.

 

[jayfish]

has been 21 days now and he still hasnt eaten, i have tried live fish and yabbies, he wont take them, he has never eaten anything live while i had him, i tried the normal whitebait and whole green peeled prawns. I tried whole prawns too and baby octopus, muscles and pieces of fresh fish from the seafood shop. He has plenty of hiding spots he mostlly hides these days. Is there anything i can put in the water to encourage him, a mate suggested burley bombs but i dont want to mess up the tank. I have tried just feeding him at night no luck he wont come out when the lights are on. I have tried everything i can think of, i dont want him to starve to death surely he must be hungry by now.

 

[midol]

"If your eel refuses food, consider giving the eel some time off from feeding to allow the animal to utilize some stored fats. In my experience eels stop feeding for two reasons. First, the water quality in your tank has become compromised, and doing frequent partial water exchanges easily rectifies this. Second, overfeeding will cause your eel to stop eating; it may take several weeks before your eel resumes feeding again, so be patient."

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-12/fm/

 

[jayfish]

well i want to offer it to him because its been so long since he ate but i dont want to mess the tank, he used to come out and do laps when hungry, he doesnt do this anymore, also the smell of food used to get him out, it doesnt anymore but i like to try. He doesnt seem interested in live food and hasnt since i had him.

 

[elke]

my snowflake went through this and did not eat for 5 weeks tried everything i could think to feed him and nothing then one day i went to the store and bought a bag of frozen salad shrimp for dinner well i left so in a cup of water so it would get really stinky you that dead fish smell stuck a peice on my feeder stick and stuck it in my tank my eel came out to eat before i was 1in into the water with it eel has more smell then sight so sometimes it might help to let your food get a lil stinky