Show off your Eels

[myerst2]

Hello all. I have always loved morays and all eels for that matter. I especially have gained more interest in them after I finally got my Hawaiian Dragon. I see many threads pertaining to eels lately. So I thought I would start a thread about them. Pics are important, but more importantly try and give your experience with your eel, i.e. aggression towards fish and other eels, size, feeding, etc., etc. Still wanna see pics with the type of eel you have. Can't wait to see the pics and information you have about your eel. Thanks, Tim

[myerst2]

Okay, okay. I know you guys have some great shots and great experience with keeping eels that many can learn from. I just saw some amazing shots of a big Brazilian Dragon that was raised from a small guy. Think many can learn from experiences like that. Sorry to cal you out. . So I will begin. When i git back into the hobby about two years ago my fiance wanted an eel. Imagine that??!!! Anyway I got a SFE which she licked and the tank was new so I bought a earthworm size moray. i recommend this moray for any newbie. Amazing eel. Hardy as can be. Eats with no problem. Usually very passive. Though they can be a bit aggressive when really hunger and mistakenly bight other tank mates, which usually does little or no harm. A great looking eel for about as cheap as you can get a fish. Don't have any pics of him as a baby, just some recent ones with other eels.

Next I got a G. Meletremus, Dwarf Banana eel. IMO, the best eel for a reef or community FO tank. Super docile and only get at max 12". They can be a bit finicky to eat at first and from time to time. They were very expensive a couple of years ago, 300.00+. They have come down in price considerable. Some are available on the web for about 100.00. i decided to sell mine because of the other eels I was planning on getting and the other large fish i got. They have been known to live for over 5 years in captivity as well. Here are some pics of my old Meletremus. Still happily living in a 30 gallon reef with Bangai cardinals and small gobies.








Next I acquired Gym. Millaris, or Goldentail Moray. Great eel for the beginner, which only gets about 24" max. A really colorful eel which has many different color variations. i personally like the mostly gold with black accents, which I have. They come in an all gold variation from Brazil that is amazing and almost looks fake. Hopefully someone will post this variation. This eel eats everything and anything. He eats NLS pellets, algae sheets, and anything else that is in the tank. Very passive toward other fish and eels in the tank, even more than the SFE. Has been far more active lately after introducing the new Dragon. Swims around all the time. Here are some pics of the Goldentail. I will post pics of my other eel later. So please let me see your eels. Tim

[DamnPepShrimp]

Not mine yet, but I go to pick him up tomorrow. A 32" Brazilian Dragon Moray.



I am thinking about getting a dwarf golden eel for my 37g cube. Have the eel and a dwarf lionfish in a refugium type setting with different macroalgaes. Nice eels btw, do you still have the SFE and the GTM? In with the dragon?

[myerst2]

yes all together for now. Can't wait to see tour new Dragon. Looks like a beauty!!! Tim

[LukFox]

I'll play .

Eel 1: Dwarf Moray (Gymnothorax melatremus)

As covered by Myerst, they only get 12" and are probably the best candidate for a "community eel". Very hardy and non-aggressive fish. In the 3 years I've had her (I always manage to buy eels just before they go down in price... So sad) she's only eaten a breeding pair of pistol shrimp. She was in my 155g display tank for 2.5 years and did fine. Some people recommend against keeping them in large tanks because they'll get "lost", but I had no problem. Sometimes it's fun to play hide and seek with your fish anyway lol. I moved her into my 29g sump 8 months ago, and I've noticed no decline in health or change in habits. This eel doesn't need tons of space. She is currently housed with a 1" black ocellaris clownfish down there and shows no interest in eating him. Would be good in a peaceful community tank, or even a semi-aggressive fish tank. Non-aggressive to other eels as well.

Once again I agree with Myerst that they're finicky eaters. Mine is pretty picky at times. For example, she won't go near salmon. She hates the taste/smell. She also isn't too fond of tuna, but she'll eat it if she's really hungry. Mine also won't eat octopus. If your dwarf doesn't eat one food, try something else. It may not be that it's off feed, but rather you're not offering food it likes. However, they do go off feed like any other eel sometimes. Mine will only eat once a week.



She got sick, I believe after a year of having her, and lost all of her color. She recovered on her own, but she's been white ever since. I'm pretty sure it was the zoas she was living under that did it...




Eel 2: Goldentail Moray (Gymnothorax miliaris)

Very peaceful eel. Had mine for just shy of 2 years, and he never acted out aggressively to any fish. Peaceful to other eels, too. It often shared a cave with my much smaller dwarf eel. Mine was easily frightened by tank mates, though. If the other fish kept trying to steal food from him, he'd retreat into the rocks and not eat for a couple weeks afterward.

Growth is moderately fast. Mine grew from 16" to about 24" in the span of a year or so.

Although he was peaceful, smaller fish would get eaten. Some fish would just disappear. One day I witnessed the eel snap up my pylei fairy wrasse, so beware. Fish too big to swallow whole were left completely alone.

It's a thick bodied eel, so it's one that needs space. A 75g would suffice as a minimum if filtration is adequate, imo.



(Excuse the algae. The tank was having hard times with red turf algae back then. The WORST algae I've ever had to deal with!)



Eel 3: Brazilian Dragon Moray (probably Muraena pavonina)

Not certain on the max size, but I would guess it doesn't get much larger than 3 feet.

It's a very fast grower, ime, but I've fed him a lot to keep him from hunting tank mates. If I kept him alone, I wouldn't feed so much. I got him on January 3rd, 8 months ago, at 17". Today he is 30-32" and really thick. Very big fish, and very beautiful.

It's aggressive towards other eels in that it will take caves by force, and try to intimidate others with posturing. It never actually bit the other eels, though. He's not aggressive towards other fish unless he perceives them as food during or around feeding time. Keep it well fed. They're very aggressive eaters and not finicky in the slightest. Feeding can be tricky at first- just know that you have to be fast. Watch how the eel eats and learn from it. I do not recommend this fish for someone who has never kept an eel before.

Mine isn't shy, and if you want an eel you'll definitely see, this is a good choice. When it's not hungry it's a lazy eel that just hangs out with 1/3-1/2 its body exposed from the rockwork. Not afraid of other fish or people walking by.

A 120g would be okay as a minimum if you keep it lightly stocked.

8 months ago:


Now:

You can see part of his tail is even on the sand.

[myerst2]

that tusk looks like it could be lunch..... Tim

[LukFox]

Originally posted by myerst2
that tusk looks like it could be lunch..... Tim

The saddest part is he's big lol. He's a good 8-9". Fortunately he dominates the eel. He's the only fish who's successfully taken food right from the eel's mouth. Not a nice guy, and while the eel isn't actually scared of the tusk, he knows not to mess with the tusk anymore like he did in the beginning.

[LisaD]

You guys are making me REALLY want to get a goldentail! Unfortunately, I just don't have room. One of these days, I'll have to pull the zebra moray and black tip grouper out of the 210 and find them homes, as it is.

Sorry I don't have any pics yet. My tank shots never come out looking good and I don't take the time to work at it. I'll try, in the next week or so, to get some pics posted.

BTW, LukFox, thanks for your input/experience/recommendations with your eels. I don't have experience with your other species, but you really nailed it with the BDM. Everything you wrote is consistent with my understanding of this species.

[myerst2]

Here is my pride and joy. A fish I have wanted since I was about 8 years old when I first saw one in person and was quite scared actually. The one I saw as a kid was about 30" and had teeth that reminded me of the charachters I saw in the comics I read. So in the past 6 months i was in pursuit of the smallest Hawaiian or Japanese Dragon Moray I could find. i was able to find larger specimens easily, 18"+. i wanted something around 12", 15" max. i finally got one from a friend in HI, 13".

Not the same family as the dragon above. This dragon is Enchelymore pardalis. They are very heavy bodied and get almost 3'. Known to be difficult to feed. Mine took a week to eat. Finally took fresh tuna chunks. Notoriously aggressive, but from those who I have talked with this may not always be the case. If brought up from a young age on "dead" foods, they are less likely to strike out on other tank mates. Unfortunately one strike can cause severe damage with these guys. So far zero aggression what so ever. Colors of Japanese Dragons are known to be more vibrant as well as males are more colorful. My guy is from HI and i am told it is a male. Not sure if you can really tell the sex at this age or any age for that matter. Tim

[DamnPepShrimp]

Love the Hawaiian Dragon morays! Beautiful colors! I'd love to get one, but the price tags are a bit too high for me unfortunately.

[Grouperhead]

Don't have any pics of my current eel, but right now I'm keeping a banded moray - E. polyzona that still has its juvie pattern. It crawled out of the tank through a .25"-.5" opening the first night I had it and was on the floor for an estimated 5hrs +. Overcame it all but didn't eat for almost four weeks. Now eats anything - krill, shrimp, squid, clam, mysis, prime reef, etc. I always feed with a stick or target feed with a baster. Acts pretty much like a snowflake but a bit more shy. I keep it with a red coris and it pays the wrasse no attention - I also have a multitude of hermits and snails in the tank that aren't bothered. Not too many people keeping banded morays, so I don't really know when of if her pattern will change. She is probably 15-18" and shows no sign of changing. Hopefully I can get a pic next time I'm home. I'm also planning on adding a goldentail to the tank when I find a nice one.

[bluedevils32701]

nice pics. i want to post pics of my hawaiian dragon moray mated pairs but i am having trouble uploading them!!

[myerst2]

Best way to show pictures is to set up a photobucket account. photobucket.com. Then after upload the photos to photobucket and can view them on their site, you will different img. codes below your pictures. Copy and paste the img code under the picture. The last address under the picture. Hope this helps. Tim

[myerst2]

Hey Ian what ever happened with that incident with that guy and your fish???? Tim

[Grouperhead]

Do any of you keep cleaner shrimp with your piscivorous eels? Tim, do you have any with your dragons? Just curious, but it would be so awesome to see some dragons with cleaners in their mouths going to work.

[myerst2]

Yes I have been considering getting some cleaners but my Crosshatch and Tinker's crush ghost shrimp. I may get a couple of skunk cleaners and put them in a critter pen so they can look at them for a while and maybe accept the shrimp. Tim

[billdogg]

I'm at work now so can't post a pic - my Gymnothorax Undulatus was about 15-18" when i got him. That was over 18 years ago. He is now about 4' long and the diameter of my upper arm. I feed him an assortment of marine fish fillets from the seafood counter at krogers. He especiall likes the Ocean Perch. He'll eat 2 or 3 hand sized fillets about every 3 weeks or so. I have tried several times to keep other fish with him, but...................HE EATS THEM ALL!!! huge yellow tang? lunch
18" emperor snapper - tasty dinner golden puffer 12" midnight snack

His name is HANNIBAL


The only critters i can keep with him are large hermits, brittle stars, and very small mean fish that didn't work out so well in my "happyfish" tank. He also lives with several skunk cleaner shrimp - they are all over him pretty much all the time. It's about as cool as it gets to watch one crawl into his mouth (my what big teeth you have...) only to pop out a gill opening a short while later. I would eventually like to convert his tank into a reef tank with SPS and clams, but he may very well outlive me! Yes - he's escaped several times - once for so long he was literally stiff! I plopped him into the tank, and went to work. When i got home you never would have known he was out. The only side effect from that was a hunger strike that lasted about 6 months.

[myerst2]

wow I can't wait to see that. Congrats on a great job keeping any animal alive that especially a marine fish where there are so many different things that can cause them to lose him that are out of your controls. If you do in fact convert that tank to an sps tank, you have one very nicely cycled tank!!!! Got to see this eel. Can you put your hand in the tank? I had a Tessy that big that would destru hand held algae scrubbers in half. Tim

[LukFox]

Wow I can't wait to see it!

[GreatReefs]

Sweet new shots Tim! I love your new guy

[billdogg]

[/IMG]

well - maybe i did, and maybe i didn't...post a picture that is. we'll see

and yes, i can put my hands in the tank (after he's well fed!!!)

[billdogg]

[IMG][/IMG]

[billdogg]

wow - it worked! that'll never happen again! lol

did i mention that bill gates is the DEVIL???

[aquaman67]

This is Dubbin1's spotted snake eel.

[myerst2]

PLEASE more shots of that monster undulated!!!! Could you answer those questions I asked above when you get a chance. That eel is one mean looking SOB. Well I am going to post Bluedevils Dragons. He is dealing with that storm down in FL, hopefully everyone has no problems with their family and their fish!!! So here are pics of his big boy Dragons. Tim