Garden Eels by dingusplease

[dingusplease]

Thanks dallas They're pretty fascinating and it's too bad they've been collected so much.v

[Dallascowboys16]

Originally Posted by dingusplease

Thanks dallas They're pretty fascinating and it's too bad they've been collected so much.v

Yep, seems our planet is losing species faster than ever and Im happy when someone steps in and tries to do their part in the survival of a species. I have been keeping N-Class endless outdoors to try and help preserve some of the untouched wild bloodlines. Even if mine is an insignificant contribution it helps none the less. You are doing what I'm trying to do on steroids and I appreciate it.

[dingusplease]

Originally Posted by Dallascowboys16

Yep, seems our planet is losing species faster than ever and Im happy when someone steps in and tries to do their part in the survival of a species. I have been keeping N-Class endless outdoors to try and help preserve some of the untouched wild bloodlines. Even if mine is an insignificant contribution it helps none the less. You are doing what I'm trying to do on steroids and I appreciate it.

Same opinion here! That's awesome - do you mean endlers? Interesting about maintaining diversity, I'd like to know about how you're doing that. Sounds like a pretty big contribution to me
I made a filter sock holder out of PVC today, bought a new refractometer, got my powerhead, and a new heater.

Biggest challenge is refurbishing the basement room where this tank is going.

[Dallascowboys16]

Originally Posted by dingusplease

Same opinion here! That's awesome - do you mean endlers? Interesting about maintaining diversity, I'd like to know about how you're doing that. Sounds like a pretty big contribution to me
I made a filter sock holder out of PVC today, bought a new refractometer, got my powerhead, and a new heater.

Biggest challenge is refurbishing the basement room where this tank is going.

Yeah I meant Endlers, silly autocorrect! I aquired a large colony of certified N-Class Black Bars that I keep in heated stock tubs outside. They are doing well and I plan on distributing them around to some local hobbyists. They grow large and healthy in the Denver sun on a diet of live insect larvae. Have you found someone to supply you with the eels? Not something you can usually pick up at your LFS!

[dingusplease]

Originally Posted by Dallascowboys16

Yeah I meant Endlers, silly autocorrect! I aquired a large colony of certified N-Class Black Bars that I keep in heated stock tubs outside. They are doing well and I plan on distributing them around to some local hobbyists. They grow large and healthy in the Denver sun on a diet of live insect larvae. Have you found someone to supply you with the eels? Not something you can usually pick up at your LFS!

That's awesome! How are they now that it's getting chilly?
I found one possible online source but not confirmed. They're $50 each, so building a colony could take a while .

And here's the thread! Tons of updates
Garden Eel Room - 120G In-wall - General Discussion - Nano-Reef.com Forums

[fish wrangler]

Originally Posted by dingusplease

That's awesome! How are they now that it's getting chilly?
I found one possible online source but not confirmed. They're $50 each, so building a colony could take a while .

And here's the thread! Tons of updates
Garden Eel Room - 120G In-wall - General Discussion - Nano-Reef.com Forums

So we're not good enough to have a build thread? feelin the love over here. 120 gallons is far from a nano tank anyway :p lol

[Gregcoyote]

I never had them in a aquarium, but I saw many on dive sites. Hard to photograph as they are very shy and can move like the Flash. I would find them in a "garden of eels" maybe as many as a hundred, all pointed and feeding directly into the current. They were feeding on tiny floating organisms, maybe plankton. They were in a fine grain aragonite flat bottom area. Usually with some rock protection from heavy wave action. But surely some current as that's what delivers their food. The sand was cohesive enough to not cave in on their burrows.


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[PB_Smith]

have you considered the weight of all that sand and reinforce the bottom plate of glass?
How many lbs of sand are you using? the finer the grain, the more it will weigh by volume, so a 12" fine sand bed will be substantially heavy, possibly exceeding the structural limits of the glass.
I would be fearful of the bottom cracking under all that weight.

[dingusplease]

Originally Posted by PB_Smith

have you considered the weight of all that sand and reinforce the bottom plate of glass?
How many lbs of sand are you using? the finer the grain, the more it will weigh by volume, so a 12" fine sand bed will be substantially heavy, possibly exceeding the structural limits of the glass.
I would be fearful of the bottom cracking under all that weight.

That's a point I hadn't considered, and yes I am using 400lbs of sand. Although I've never heard of anyone keeping garden eels having issues with sand weight.

Originally Posted by Gregcoyote

I never had them in a aquarium, but I saw many on dive sites. Hard to photograph as they are very shy and can move like the Flash. I would find them in a "garden of eels" maybe as many as a hundred, all pointed and feeding directly into the current. They were feeding on tiny floating organisms, maybe plankton. They were in a fine grain aragonite flat bottom area. Usually with some rock protection from heavy wave action. But surely some current as that's what delivers their food. The sand was cohesive enough to not cave in on their burrows.


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Great experience; I'd love to see them in such a big "garden". Curious, where were you diving that you saw garden eels without sea grass around them? From what I've learned they usually inhabit shallow grassbeds.

Originally Posted by fish wrangler

So we're not good enough to have a build thread? feelin the love over here. 120 gallons is far from a nano tank anyway :p lol

Aghh sorry lol not my intention I just have friends who frequent NR. Plus they have more sponsors . Kidding, just wanted to share the thread here too.

[Gregcoyote]

The groups I saw were pretty much in the clear as grass would obstruct the flow they seemed to be feeding from. But that might change between regions.


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[dingusplease]

Originally Posted by Gregcoyote

The groups I saw were pretty much in the clear as grass would obstruct the flow they seemed to be feeding from. But that might change between regions.


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They do catch zooplankton floating by, but most species feed mostly on pods in the grass. It's an interesting cycle where they live in grass beds 30-40m down, and every time the tide shifts the pods are blasted off, into the hungry garden eels' mouths

[Gregcoyote]

If you meant 40m (+120 foot) of depth, I never saw them that deep. They hung out in sand patches, sometimes with grass at about 10m or less. The grass doesn't grow much deeper than that. I may have misinterpreted your comment.


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[dingusplease]

Sorry, haha meant 40-50 feet. Some species (gorgasia preclara is an example) do live at 120-150ft though.

Also, where geographically did you see them? Curious what species you saw.

[Gregcoyote]

I found them throughout the Caribbean.


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[Gregcoyote]

This is a stock photo but it represents what I saw, see the sparseness of grass? You literally had to hold your breath for a long time to get a shot like this one.


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[dingusplease]

Originally Posted by Gregcoyote

This is a stock photo but it represents what I saw, see the sparseness of grass? You literally had to hold your breath for a long time to get a shot like this one.Attachment 281753


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Nice. Yeah some species live in grass some don't, interesting how it affects their feeding patterns. Heard similar stories, of how the eels are very hard to photograph lol.

[Gregcoyote]

You might need some one way glass. They spook at the slightest movement, I wonder if that would work out in a home aquarium where there is always something moving outside the tank.


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[dingusplease]

Originally Posted by Gregcoyote

You might need some one way glass. They spook at the slightest movement, I wonder if that would work out in a home aquarium where there is always something moving outside the tank.


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Interesting idea, but what could I use? I'm getting some office furniture from ikea, to work in there, so that should help acclimate them to movement too. Daily maintenance should also help.

[ReeseD]

I would turn your sump into a 40 gallon. I would probably do a DIY out of a 40 breeder.


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