Snowflake Eel eat other fish?

[haywood2]

I recently purchased a 8-10" snowflake eel, and I am currently cycling a 75 gallon to move the eel into. I am starting to think I might have made a bad decision buying the eel. I basically want lots of bright fish in my 75 gallon to have lots of movement, schooling effect, etc. I also want relatively hardy specimens because I am new to salt. If I were to have say an ocellaris clown, school of green or blue reef chromis, and maybe a bicolor angel, would he eat them? He really shows no interest in the damsels with him now other than at feeding time, and once the scent of squid is gone he goes back to normal. What do you guys think?

[LionfishFinatic]

No, Snowflake eels do not eat fish. they are pebble toothed eels which means they are crustacean eaters.

[TropTrea]

Sorry When I used to get shipments of them I generaly would feed the feeder goldfish. So if there is a tastey fish around and they are hungery they will definatly have a snack.

[justinl]

like lionfish fanatic said, they are primarily eat crustaceans. they will however pick off a fish if they are hungry enough. usually there is no need to feed FW feeders as these eels usually take to frozen food right away.

in short, go for it.

[kraze3]

I kept a snowflake succesfully in a 75 with other fish. Like TropTrea said they are opportunistic. If they are hungry and a fish swims by there is a chance the fish will be a snack. If your going to keep the eel, keep him very well fed. I used to feed mine every 3 or 4 days. He will get pretty large so the smaller the fish the more chance it will become lunch for the eel.

GL

[haywood2]

I am currently feeding him 1 thin piece of squid a day and he seems fine. Is that enough or too much? I really am just afraid that if I keep him he will end up eating a fish that may be $20-50

[LukFox]

My eels will feed until they're full. They know when to stop, unlike something else like a lion. So feed it until it stops eating about every other day (you could likely feed less often as it grows larger and starts eating bigger amounts). You should be alright if you just keep the eel well fed.

[LionfishFinatic]

my eel knows when he is full and is great. sometimes he will eat only one piece of shrimp/scallops or whatever i am feeding that day and he will be done, other days he will eat 3-4 pieces, it all depends on how hungry he is :). The only way it is going to eat a fish is if he is STARVED. My SFE even had a damsel as a roommate for about a year in his tube. I feed every other day. KEEP A TIGHT LID ON TOO!!!

[JStorey]

Mine's eating habits are very similar to lionfishfinatics. When he's not hungry he just doesn't come out. Mine stays in the rock work all the time unless he wants to eat. What is also funny is when he does extend his head out the other fish will lay across the rock in front of him as if to block him and keep him in the rocks so he can't come out. My tusk, lunare wrasse and blue face angel all do this.

[LukFox]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10475791#post10475791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JStorey
What is also funny is when he does extend his head out the other fish will lay across the rock in front of him as if to block him and keep him in the rocks so he can't come out. My tusk, lunare wrasse and blue face angel all do this.

My tusk does the same thing to my G. miliaris! I'm glad to know he's not the only one :)!

[JOHNNYHO]

my SFE eats whole frozen shrimp ( thawed of course) and 3" thawed whole anchovies, so far it doesnt look like hes interested in any other fish but on the other hand my smallest fish in the tank is a 4 1/2" lionfish, my SFE is 20" long by the way.........

[Beemo]

i think any saltwater species will go after goldfish feeders or minnow feeders.
its like they know their feeders lol
they must have a yummy scent of something different that saltwater fishees

im sure if a fish is sick or dead allready a sfe would eat it, if it could fit in its mouth