Eel Tank Clean up Crew ideas

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Hara

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Aug 28, 2002
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I need some ideas on what can be put in the eel tank that the guys WON'T eat....so far I can only come up with starfish and that seems iffy.

Any other ideas?
 
I have hermits in with mine and they don't bother them. Of course, my eels are much smaller than yours. I would have tried some snails, but I know the puffer would enjoy that too much.
 
Hehehe, good luck Hara. I have found out the hard way that you just need to keep replenishing your stock of cleanup critters. My eel is pretty sneeky. I have never seen him eat any of my hermits or snails, but im sure he snags them every now and then. I had a big skunk cleaner shrimp that the eel used to let clean the inside of his mouth, wich was pretty kool to watch but alas, the skunk is noware to be found.
 
Hara, how large is this Moray Tank? You do have a choice, but i not think you will like that choice, if your tank is large enough, then maybe you think of the idea of having a Skate?

Happy New Years Folks :)

Buddy ><{{{{">
 
Hara, I should had mention this before :( But I use damsels for my cleaning crew and they do the best in what im looking for to do within my eels system. Oh yes, they do vanish and i get more, i get them for about $2 each or less, i never concern myself of the cost for they do well for what i want. and your other choice if your wallet will be hurt by how i do it, you might want to try engineer gobys, you buy them at the size of around 2.5" and by the time your eel gets them they might be at the size of 8" or more, but they are cheep and they do an excellent job in your tank, by me i can get the engeneer goby for under $3
Buddy ><{{{{>

PS, you must have worms in your tank that they too will do a cleaning job
 
I have put urchins, cucumbers and serpent stars in the tank and it seems to be working well now.
 
Hara, what size tank this is and which species of moray you have? And which cucumbers and i would be concern about their toxin for your eel(s) do move around a lot at night and this can be a problem for when the eel brushes against the cucumbers in the tank, it is like for when having reef tanks, i don't have any cucumbers in their because the fish are grazers and nippers depending on the tank mates. And last thing, how long this is the way you have it now?
Buddy ><{{{{">
 
I am aware of the toxin factor with cucumbers. I think I have mentioned before what morays I have to you, but to say again, snowflake, jewel and two fimbriated. This tank has been set up for over a year. The cucumbers have been in the tank for close to 4 months. These eels do not do alot of swimming, except for the jewel.Tank is 120 gallons with sump.
 
Hara, indeed you have mention it, my apologies. Then it was you who i mention to others that i not remember who it was that had the fimbriated Eels with SF or even a jewel moray. For you know the aggression of the fimbriated Eels and yes, when not hungry, they look as if kittens in a litter. I do assume that the fimbriated Eels are still at their juvenile stages? In another forum i called the shots in what would happen and many people in that site believed me then only after what happen to this member for he was having the heart attack of his life. Now of course, you have these eels in a larger tank then he has his one fimbriated moray, but you are with a mix of four eels in a 120. Now i guess the 120 is a 5' long tank making it i think 18" wide is it? Now im sure that you have a great deal of L/R in this tank and i would guess no less then four power heads for your currents.
undertstand, you only just begun the mix of your eels in one tanks, so much is yet to come for the jewel with the SF, should do fine, but neither eels, the SF or the jewel can match the aggression of the fimbriated eels, Specially when hungry. And do believe that the eels are in motion at night and when the fimbriated eels become more settled in and aged a little more, they will move about day and night, for this eel hunts no matter in the wild day or night.
And i hope you not mind, that sense you have only a moray tank, i suggest that you do a weekly water changes ;) Unlike you done this 120 as a F/O tank, morays make more waste then most fish do.
I know that you know a lot in this hobby, but i been taking care of Morays for more then four decades and seen and heard much in that time. Now you can stay the way it is, only i suggest you feed those fimbriated morays well and i not know the size i believe they are now, but if they are feeding well, besure to have them on fresh strips of fish and octopus and squid, shrimps and no farm raised salmon, and at this time the year, you can only get pre-frozen wild and only buy what looks very good in color and only the tail section, it has no bones. You buy grouper, Cod, Trigger and not all at the same time, like when i feed octopus, i feed my dragons few each and that is it for the week. But the fimbriated eels, you need to feed then, least try and feed then every third day, they have an appetite some not believe and not bother with those silversides if these eels are feeding now, for the silversides are ok once to get your eels to begin feeding. But to offer then silversides all the time will prove an error with the fimbriated moray for they are mostly water then flesh and offers no nutrition.
Why i tell you this now, you are only in the beginning as yet and as i mention, i guess these eels are still in their juvenile stages. I like that you can be successful in the way you have it as now, but you do need to keep those fimbriated eels well fed.
Buddy ><{{{{">
 
I feed the eels every other day as much as they want to eat. It seems to be working well so far. I will have no problems feeding them daily if they require it, but as of yet, they seem to be content. I feed shrimp, cod, squid most of all.
 
No, they not need to be feed on the daily basis and if you do this, it leads to problems down the road and because you have the four eels together is why i say that you do need to do water changes once a week. You need to trust me on this ;) How big are your fimbriated morays right now? And you need to feed an variety as possible of foods and you not need to feed any more then one or two a types of foods at any one feeding period.
Like every third feeding, my dragons eat only octopus, this is to give you an idea of what i mean. And sometimes i feed only grouper at one feeding, but never do i feed just three kinds of foods only, they need a variety of foods. Now i never heard any eel lose its sight, but i did with puffer fishes and a number of other species and the reason for it is as i mentioned, a variety of nutritional foods with excellent water quality. If the fimbriates should grow faster then your SF, it could be in danger for the fimbriated will prey upon any smaller eel then itself when hungry, you need to know this for with the Jewel, you not will have this problem as a tank mate with the SF.
If you not believe me as of right this moment of the fimbriated mora eels aggression, then ask around.
Buddy ><{{{{">
 
These eels do not do alot of swimming, except for the jewel

OK, the tank is setup for a year, but what about the eels? How long you have all them together? And Do you know of the aggressiveness of those fimbriated eels?
Your 120 for thos eels together is too small a tank for all them. If i not hear from you on this in which i like very much for you too have your eels for a very long time, but honest, i hope you are checking around as i suggested. You not say the size of the eels? Best of luck :D
Buddy ><{{{{">
 
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