will a snowflake eel (sm) eat a perc (small)

[Lampuki]

just noticed that the perc is missing, not a jumper. the only concern I have is with a snowflake eel that I recently added.

the perc is only in the tank because my 2 year old dropped an entire can of flake into his nano and ruined it. i realized it was risky, but had no choice as I was headed out on vacation (fish were fed well on the vacation)

any input would be appreciated

[schoch79]

I would assume so. Sorry to hear about all that happened. Just as a comparison though. In another thread somebodies snowflake eel once grabbed his 3 foot long blue ribbon eel by the head and tried to drag him out of his hole. Needless to say they are no longer cohabitating. He returned the snowflake to the store.

[Sk8r]

Yep. Old reefer's adage: never assume a predator won't predate.
If it CAN fit in the mouth, it's going, and you just can't get things when they're small and hope they'll 'grow up together' or 'their relative size won't change'. It always ends badly for the food item.

So sorry about your perc. I think you have now to decide if you're having an eel tank or an other-fish tank. And this from the person who once believed a ghost eel was 'reef safe.'

Reef-safe means only that it doesn't eat most corals.

[e_chimp]

You can keep eels with fish that are way too big for their mouths. Best to have fish that are so obviously too big that the eel won't even try. But then you are probably talking about a rather large tank. I just don't keep eels personally. You have to have a closed top, keep the live rock practically cemented in, can't keep the pretty little reef fishies, many crustaceans are at risk, huge bioload to deal with. Too much hassle to add to a reef tank that is already full of other things to deal with.

[kkyyllee]

she became lunch or dinner maybe

[Lampuki]

Lesson learned. thanks. I have a couple of blue damsels in there too...i know their tough but I'll think about getting rid of the eel since he seems to be a little too much for my tank.

FYI, I have 125 FOWL with an odonus niger, yellow tang, dragon goby (pretty large), clearner wrass and a few dozen crabs and snails.

again, thank