WTB: Huge Tessalata Eel

[vickiNaz]

***Request to admin to please allow this posting in this forum as this is a very specialty item and I am in a bit of a pickle. Thank you!***


This is a bit urgent and involves a sad story. My husband has had a Tessalata eel for the past 2 years. It is a happy resident of a 300 gallon fish only tank. The eel grew from about 24" to about 3 feet. It ate 2 triggers, 2 green wolf eels, a harlequin tusk, an 8" parrot fish, and a very large 11" black volatan lionfish (which it later regurgitated). None of those were intended to be fish food, but it is hard to find tank mates for something like this. We ended up with a 24" spotted morray, 3 very large triggers (Picasso, Huma, and Pink Tail), and a female puffer.

Anyway, my husband left for a 3 week business trip yesterday. Late last night I heard some knocking downstairs and was kind of creeped out by it, but really didn't think it was coming from my house... Well this morning, our Tessalata was on the ground. I weighed him before discarding him and he weighed 10#. My husband loved that thing.

Now my dillema. I would like to get another one to replace him with before my husband gets back from his trip in 3 weeks. It needs to be bigger than 24" and ideally would be 30" or larger - up to 4 feet. I am probably going to get caught, but I don't want to break his heart if I don't have to.

Even though he died, we are good parents and maintain great water quality and lots of high quality seafood, 8 ft tank... it will be a very good home. If he ever outgrows it, we will get a much larger tank. So... if you bought one of these and realized it is too big, or too mean, I am very interested. Obviously I will pay for overnight shipping and a fair price for one.

[RayAllen]

Im very sorry about the loss. Unfortunatley every eel has diffrent markings so two of the same species will look similar but not exactly the same. So even if you replaced it hed know something didnt look right. If my eel jumped out of my tank and my wife didnt tell me Id think id be more upset about. Just my 2 cents. Good luck on your search.

[vickiNaz]

He will likely catch me, but I feel having a replacement already in the tank for him will sooth the sadness he will experience. If, for some reason, he doesn't notice because they are so similar, then that is just perfect.

[FishyMel]

Did you try tossing it back in the tank? If only 12 hours it would've probably still been alive

[welsher7]

You might want to try calling liveaquaria.com or go to a local and see if they can order one.

[swegyptian]

As much as it sucks you might want to wait. He might be itching to try a different species.

[paveking1]

Sorry for loss you can try just rare fish they usally have them or bietals aquariums in ny he always has alot of them and big if you need help finding PM me i give you beitals phone #, They are great people. I know how you feel the same thing happend to my wife last year & she did same thing your trying to do > I noticed he was diffrent but same i never said anything to her for 2 months , It wasnt your fault it happens but it did make me feel good that she replaced it .

[LisaD]

If you have a good LFS, ask them to place an order for the largest one they can source. Many LFS place livestock orders weekly or biweekly. If you are willing to commit to buy it sight unseen, they will most likely do this for you. Also, see if there are any local marine/reef clubs within driving distance, outside of the forums on RC, and post on their sites or forums. You may also be able to track down someone in these clubs by phone or e-mail, and ask them to get the word out.

You might also try calling marinecenter.com, reefhotspot.com and vividaquariums.com. Besides the others mentioned, these are all reputable livestock suppliers with the ability to get large fish.

I think you should probably tell your husband. paveking1 is very diplomatic and nice. I know for my husband, not being straight up with him would be a huge deal. if you are 100 percent certain he'd want another tess, go ahead and get it, but I wouldn't try to deceive him, it could backfire on you...

[Dischirm]

My opinion (as a woman) is too tell him the truth. If it was me, I would prefer to raise another one from a baby!

[billsreef]

From my years working in pet stores, I've frequently had people come in looking to replace fish, birds, hamsters, etc. that died and they didn't want to tell the kids or spouse. In every case, the kids or spouse always figured it in short order ;) It's not worth even trying to fool your husband. No matter how close the replacement looks, he'll figure it out. Just be up front with him, it'll work out better that way. Though you might want to omit the part of the story of hearing strange noises that you didn't check out ;)

[tank o tang]

atleast until he reads the thread

[gason]

There is a reef store in Rhode Island they have a 2 1/2 - 3 ft eel you are looking for you can email them at ww@waterworld.necoxmail.com

[skyhigh222]

If you tell me how to ship, I can give you one of my 3 teselata eels. They are all 3 to 4 ft long. I don't know how to ship such a large moray.

[Lrgclasper]

That's really lame. I would frankley be ****ed about the lie, but not the death. Fish jumping out of tanks happen, lies don't have too. Besides he'll get over it an he has an excuse to buy another cool fish- get him a dragon moray. My 2 cents.

[snommisbor]

So any update on what you ended up doing. FWIW I would prefer that my wife would tell me. Things happen.

[ttt64]

The e-mail address to the new store in RI that has the eel is actually webmaster@waterworld.necoxmail.com

[paveking1]

I gave her the number to a store in N.Y they shipped it out the next day for her, I buy alot of fish& corals from there & told them her story & it was overnighted ASAP.

[mattsilvester]

The fact is he is gonig to know that its not the same fish. So, your going to have to tell him that the fish he loved and raised is dead, and he's gonna have to deal with that.......

The fact you are actively looking for a replacement is good, and I am sure he'll appreciate that.

But ...and here is a big BUT..... the irony of keeping a large fish such as the Tessalata is that once you buy one, typically you are stuck with it, and while you would never WANT to get rid of it, sometimes you see different fish and think "IF" I ever get the chance to do it again, I think I'll try one of those instead.....

My point is this, your husband may well want to go out and buy another Tessalata...... but there is equally as much chance that he might fancy a change - because some things cannot be just replaced..... the void they create can be filled, but they cannot be "replaced".

My pride and joy is my emperor angel. He's doubled in size, half way through his colour, and I would not trade or swap him for the world..... but (God forbid) if he died under any circumstance, I would probably go for a different angelfish.... maybe a queen or a maculosus or a passer........ and while I do not wish it to come about (you would not belive te things I have donefor my emperor) if it did come about, I would get something else..... even though the emporer angel would remain my favourite!

HTH

[jmccown]

I found one for her too. I PM'd her a couple days ago to an online vendor who had one.

[LisaD]

update? I'm dying to know...

[paveking1]

I talk to her few days afterwards she had got it already,Her husband don't get home for 3 weeks . We will see then how she made out.I hope they are ok .

[warriorss08]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?ddid=34847&siteid=20

I found it. if the link doesn't work, go to liveaquaria and diver's den. It's under fish on the second or third page. little pricy, but it is big.

[snommisbor]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11674779#post11674779 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mattsilvester
The fact is he is gonig to know that its not the same fish. So, your going to have to tell him that the fish he loved and raised is dead, and he's gonna have to deal with that.......

The fact you are actively looking for a replacement is good, and I am sure he'll appreciate that.

But ...and here is a big BUT..... the irony of keeping a large fish such as the Tessalata is that once you buy one, typically you are stuck with it, and while you would never WANT to get rid of it, sometimes you see different fish and think "IF" I ever get the chance to do it again, I think I'll try one of those instead.....

My point is this, your husband may well want to go out and buy another Tessalata...... but there is equally as much chance that he might fancy a change - because some things cannot be just replaced..... the void they create can be filled, but they cannot be "replaced".

My pride and joy is my emperor angel. He's doubled in size, half way through his colour, and I would not trade or swap him for the world..... but (God forbid) if he died under any circumstance, I would probably go for a different angelfish.... maybe a queen or a maculosus or a passer........ and while I do not wish it to come about (you would not belive te things I have donefor my emperor) if it did come about, I would get something else..... even though the emporer angel would remain my favourite!

HTH

I agree. I had a V. Lionfish and it suddenly stopped eating frozen, fresh, everything. He never got skinny and I loved that fish, he died a few days ago and he was my centerpiece fish, but he also kept me from adding other fish because of what he was. Now that he is gone I am going to try something else, not because I don't like lions, they are one of the coolest fish out there but just to get something different like a trigger because before I didnt want to mix those two. So now I am going to try something different

[FishyMel]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?ddid=35090&siteid=20

[C-Water]

Tell your husband that nothing lives forever and the eel got out and died. The truth is always best in the long run.

If he's that upset, he needs some serious help.

[rcmike]

Yeah, eels have a habit of doing that. I had a small tessalata that did the same thing. If one of mine died I would just want the truth.