dwarf golden eel-
- Thread starter KEEPERZ
- Start date
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480greefer
Active Member
Very nice looking eel, doesn't bother anything, but you may have to be careful with your CL 
chadfarmer
profilux in the house
chelsey had one for over 6 months contact her
Old Man Of The Sea
Community Member
The dwarf golden morays are as picky as its larger cousins in feeding and so on. You can even have a pair, or what seems like a pair and one day your one that bites the other. The chances in this of happening on your one that bites the other are slim, but not unheard of. Their quite shy, but will venture into the opening after well establish and that the eel is healthy. But not expect to see it in the opening as much, except for when its dark and they will venture then for sure.
You cannot or shouldn`t if this be a reef tank, have so smaller or thin looking fishes and even the Gobiodon Goby species I would leave out and if your a carpet anemone, then you might as well forget about the idea of ever having a dwarf eel.
Being that this eel might be going into your 700 gal (Nice size reef system) SPS system, you need to know for sure that you want this eel and that your no too small fishes and no carpet anemones for it will be difficult for you in trying to remove this eel from your tank.
Buddy
You cannot or shouldn`t if this be a reef tank, have so smaller or thin looking fishes and even the Gobiodon Goby species I would leave out and if your a carpet anemone, then you might as well forget about the idea of ever having a dwarf eel.
Being that this eel might be going into your 700 gal (Nice size reef system) SPS system, you need to know for sure that you want this eel and that your no too small fishes and no carpet anemones for it will be difficult for you in trying to remove this eel from your tank.
Buddy
Mine has been in my 90 for a good long time. If I had to do it all over again I don't think I would have him. don't get me wrong, he's got tons of personality and attitude but he makes it impossible for me to keep helpful shrimp and nudis of any kind. He was cool for over 3 years and then one night he ate 2 corris wrasses, 1 cleaner shrimp, bit the head and eyes of my female maroon clown and then ate her mate. Even after that episode, my wife wouldn't let me "remove" him from the tank.
He's been carpet surfing (wood floor surfing actually) 3 times. 1 of those times was because he was attached to my arm and I freaked out and launched him at the ceiling and bounced him off the wall. He has also been stung by a venomous worm of some sort that paralyzed him for about 30 mins. I had to hold his mouth in front of a power head the entire time to resuscitate him. (fishie cpr) I think all this them as pretty hardy animals.
I have been able to switch him between tanks before (they aren't too smart)so it's not impossible to get them out but a 700 gal setup would definately make it more difficult.
The kids love him too. Especially feeding time. He does a great job fragging digis too from time to time.
That's my input.
He's been carpet surfing (wood floor surfing actually) 3 times. 1 of those times was because he was attached to my arm and I freaked out and launched him at the ceiling and bounced him off the wall. He has also been stung by a venomous worm of some sort that paralyzed him for about 30 mins. I had to hold his mouth in front of a power head the entire time to resuscitate him. (fishie cpr) I think all this them as pretty hardy animals.
I have been able to switch him between tanks before (they aren't too smart)so it's not impossible to get them out but a 700 gal setup would definately make it more difficult.
The kids love him too. Especially feeding time. He does a great job fragging digis too from time to time.
That's my input.
Old Man Of The Sea
Community Member
Many eels, fish have something of a personality, but I wouldn`t go saying that your eel or any eel is not too smart is really an understatement. Only the common aquarium hobbyist would say something as that. Also, for your dwarf eel to had eaten so many of your reef aquarium inhabitants be is that you not had fed it as well as you should. For yes, it will take one inhabitant here or there, but also the idea is to limited those missing fish by not having so small a fish or inverts and such. Like shrimps for one or soft shelled craps.
Eels of no matter which Genus or family group all act out in some form of aggression when hungry and it not matter the size of the eel or species in general. When hungry, they will hunt for a prey. Also, a hungry eel can and will bite at any fish and size of that fish can be even as large as 4-5" to where as a larger eel would put the bite on some larger inhabitants.
I myself find eels to be with some level of intelligence and it would be wrong to say no eel can or could not think for itself. The tess or green morays, they show me this level of intelligence for every time one has a large prey such as a full grown trigger fish in their jaws, they release the fish after a good struggle to take it and for reasons many home aquarium hobbyists not know of, the eel releases their prey. The reason is really quite simply you know, for in the neck of those eels just happens to be what is called a "ligament"
If the eels ligament becomes damaged, they could and will starve to death. This my good young man shows me a level of intelligence. The same that the eel like the snake on lands take their prey in head first, for here too is showing intelligence.
da6d2003, being that your a large enough tank, you feed other fish chopped shrimps and such and with that, you can spear feed your eel octopus and squid, I done so for many eels like the dwarf golden and such.
Have you ever noticed that eels not attack one another and continues too attack until the other is dead, but rather they do is give the other a bite or two and withdraw from the attack. That is why those who two eels, the healthy eel still alive and chances that eel could heal and make a recovery from its wounds.
Like when I start the reef tanks will have a cleaner shrimp and I know it will become a meal, but I will not attempt to have other shrimps and crabs. And yes, eels are extremely a hardy species. If the eel isn't as bright as you say, you would catch it easy like then. For the only way with lots of LR in ones tank, one could catch their eel is if its sick or dying.
When the first goldentail eel I had so many years ago in a 90 gal tank, I had this large black damsel that was about 4.5" large and after two years or so, one morning the black damsel had a bite injury, and the goldentail moray was the only likely suspect to had done it. For that damsel always gone into the goldentails lair every night and I knew that the buddy, buddy system wouldn't last to much longer.
Buddy
Eels of no matter which Genus or family group all act out in some form of aggression when hungry and it not matter the size of the eel or species in general. When hungry, they will hunt for a prey. Also, a hungry eel can and will bite at any fish and size of that fish can be even as large as 4-5" to where as a larger eel would put the bite on some larger inhabitants.
I myself find eels to be with some level of intelligence and it would be wrong to say no eel can or could not think for itself. The tess or green morays, they show me this level of intelligence for every time one has a large prey such as a full grown trigger fish in their jaws, they release the fish after a good struggle to take it and for reasons many home aquarium hobbyists not know of, the eel releases their prey. The reason is really quite simply you know, for in the neck of those eels just happens to be what is called a "ligament"
If the eels ligament becomes damaged, they could and will starve to death. This my good young man shows me a level of intelligence. The same that the eel like the snake on lands take their prey in head first, for here too is showing intelligence.
da6d2003, being that your a large enough tank, you feed other fish chopped shrimps and such and with that, you can spear feed your eel octopus and squid, I done so for many eels like the dwarf golden and such.
Have you ever noticed that eels not attack one another and continues too attack until the other is dead, but rather they do is give the other a bite or two and withdraw from the attack. That is why those who two eels, the healthy eel still alive and chances that eel could heal and make a recovery from its wounds.
Like when I start the reef tanks will have a cleaner shrimp and I know it will become a meal, but I will not attempt to have other shrimps and crabs. And yes, eels are extremely a hardy species. If the eel isn't as bright as you say, you would catch it easy like then. For the only way with lots of LR in ones tank, one could catch their eel is if its sick or dying.
When the first goldentail eel I had so many years ago in a 90 gal tank, I had this large black damsel that was about 4.5" large and after two years or so, one morning the black damsel had a bite injury, and the goldentail moray was the only likely suspect to had done it. For that damsel always gone into the goldentails lair every night and I knew that the buddy, buddy system wouldn't last to much longer.
Buddy
Point taken Old Man. I don't want to debate the intelligence of these creatures. I was just making a point that he keeps falling for the same trick time after time when I go to catch him. Having said that, I'm sure that I would still qualify as a common hobbyist though.
Feeding wise, I don't remember where we were in the feeding schedule but I totally agree with your statements. I feed predominately squid and silver sides. (and the occasional tank inhabitant)
Feeding wise, I don't remember where we were in the feeding schedule but I totally agree with your statements. I feed predominately squid and silver sides. (and the occasional tank inhabitant)
Old Man Of The Sea
Community Member
Please remove the silversides from your eels menu, it does nothing for your eel in the long term of its health. Also, whatever im to add to any discussion or yourself is only a matter of opinion, people can believe what they want. Also, sorry if i hurt your feelings, for the term "common hobbyist" was too loose a term to mention, for what I should had said was that most novice hobbyists not understand this 
Buddy
Buddy
No feelings hurt here Brother. I'm bullet proof.
Interesting about the silver sides. My understanding was that gut loaded silver sides were more nutritious than the squid. Would you point me at some reading?
Interesting about the silver sides. My understanding was that gut loaded silver sides were more nutritious than the squid. Would you point me at some reading?
Old Man Of The Sea
Community Member
I cant point you in any direction there for the silversides have little to their bodies and holds mostly water. I have no facts sheet to show you in this and if you want to get more opinions on the silverside fish, then post this in question around the forums. And yes, that was what I too thought many years ago as you do today of the silversides. I also never buy farm raised sea foods for the eels I keep, for did you know that the farm raised salmon has a red dye they use on it in order for the farm to get the red coloration of the fish when is cut. I not even buy farm raised shrimp. 
Buddy
Buddy
OP
OP
KEEPERZ
TOTM March 08'
Thanks much for the responses!! I have one coming on wednesday and it should be an experience.I do not have any shrimp/crabs or anenome's,but my neon gobies might be goners and I guess I should add some gutter guard to my overflows?
Old Man Of The Sea
Community Member
KEEPERZ, that is what these forums are for, for other marine hobbyists to ask questions no matter on how stupid some may sound, for it be silly of you to go into it with a blindfold. Do have your reef tanks overflow box covered with something and being that your tank is so large, your tank must be built that the top of the tank moves or is build into the tank. Sorry on my explanation there for if your tank can be climbed out of at the back, you will need to do what I will be doing on my 180 and 40 gal breeder tanks. I will have a strip of glass going across the back of the tank. Also, if i remember something correctly within those Gobiodon Goby species have a toxic mucus on their skin for protection.
Buddy
Buddy
Old Man Of The Sea
Community Member
We are generly speaking about a shy creature in which will take a long time before you might ever see it venture into the open, but it will most never during daylight time venture into the wide open areas of the tank. Even that I had one in its own tank for years and not once did it come out. But then again, im to in time will have a pair in either my 180 or 240 reef tanks for im to get as well a pair of red face morays and these grow no larger then 7". Now the tank the single dwarf golden eel was in, was a 30 gal tank, with a sump. Your eel will move about at night under the darkness So at most to when it will finally show itself, the dwarf eel will not move to far from the rocks.
Like in the wild, the majority of the eels will never come out until after dusk. Like look at this, many who eels get out of their tanks, when is this discovered? When the hobbyists get up in the morning, and why is this? Eels are generally active at night. But it never means that you will never see the little guy/girl. also not that any aggressive fishes that pest your eel would cause it to most likely never come out during the day.
Its like another person I readied that his a very young juvenile sfe in his tank with triggers and he wanted to know when will his sfe finally feed and I told him not until he places the sfe that is 6" into its own tank. If you gone with a sfe yourself, your a far better chance to see it before you see the dwarf golden moray.
On the feeding, you will feed it a long with your fish and corals that feed on chop fish, shrimp, squid and ect You will also best until the eel figures that its safe enough to move around some that you look to target feed it using a long plastic tubing object and try to keep a watchful eye out to what if it feeds or not, and this can take some time. of all the eels I had through the decades, the one which took the most time before feeding was Gymnothorax nudivomer (Starry moray). It was during the time, sometime after I became serious about eels, there was little data about to assist me in knowing what I had. But still, this eel has a toxic slim and the one thing I not knew for sure back then, was how large it can grow. I sold this eel to an aquarium zoo some 45 years ago. But this eel took seven months before it finally fed and thank god the eel was already a little more then 4'.
Eels feel secured in what is a normal home for them, for a good number of eels borrow themselves into the soft sand and usually using their tails and the rest must have a well built lair that they can hide out in total darkness. In all eels diets, must be a variety of types of foods. For if a hobbyist feeds only one or up to three kinds of foods, like there is one that I already know about. But I not blame him for this, but rather what advise his gotten from his LFS or so for he been not feeding it any fish or octopus for the nearly six years he had the eel. I already touched base with him on water changes and he will attempt to feed small thin strips of fresh fish every other day. But being that the eel is not as healthy as it should be, my concerns for this eel in the long term is that it will not survive a long hunger strike and asked him on how he felt about force feeding.
In any case, these are main facts to my own personal knowledge when it comes to eels. If you have a sudden shift in your PH, it affects their diet. If your nitrates are too high, it affects their diet. Poor water quality affects their diet. You cannot have a sudden shift in PH and correct it with buffering it and expect your eel to feed, for mostly, the eel will not feed at that time. Now you will have a dwarf eel in so hugh a reef tank, but normally in FO tanks and those who do a very large water change, not expect your eel to feed that day.
Of course, this not apply to exactly every species, the most aggressive and larger eels like the yellowhead, tess morays, and a very few others like the viper moray, and I not mean the viper eel that grows around a foot long, I mean the larger viper species who is extremely aggressive, and also the blackedge moray is another exception to this.
Now when getting this dwarf eel, not expect it to feed right away even in the lfs, what you can mostly go by if the health of this eel is in question, watch it to see how aware it is or if any activity and check its skin coloration for if it looks good, no fading areas or so. But to when the eel will feed, I cannot tell any exact time period to when this will happen for each persons eel. The point here is, if I had the eel, it would feed anytime in a matter of a few days, if not the next day. and depending on which eel the hobbyists gets, you can be extremely lucky to get one that feeds even the very same day. But on average, most eels will and should feed in a manner of days.
When you get the eel, prepare it very slowly for a few hours with a slow drip, for all a hobbyists can do is all the best from the beginning. Also not forget, im sure that your PH is a great deal higher then your LFS, for at most, every LFS keeps their salinity at 1.019 and when I start the 18o SPS tank, the salinity will be at 1.025-6.
On my question to you before was not on just any anemones, but if you had yourself any carpet anemones for this would be a danger for a dwarf eel.
I hope and trust that I had answered your questions without leaving you with more questions and if so, you have my permission to ask them.
OOPS!! :hammer:
Good luck with the little fella
Buddy
Like in the wild, the majority of the eels will never come out until after dusk. Like look at this, many who eels get out of their tanks, when is this discovered? When the hobbyists get up in the morning, and why is this? Eels are generally active at night. But it never means that you will never see the little guy/girl. also not that any aggressive fishes that pest your eel would cause it to most likely never come out during the day.
Its like another person I readied that his a very young juvenile sfe in his tank with triggers and he wanted to know when will his sfe finally feed and I told him not until he places the sfe that is 6" into its own tank. If you gone with a sfe yourself, your a far better chance to see it before you see the dwarf golden moray.
On the feeding, you will feed it a long with your fish and corals that feed on chop fish, shrimp, squid and ect You will also best until the eel figures that its safe enough to move around some that you look to target feed it using a long plastic tubing object and try to keep a watchful eye out to what if it feeds or not, and this can take some time. of all the eels I had through the decades, the one which took the most time before feeding was Gymnothorax nudivomer (Starry moray). It was during the time, sometime after I became serious about eels, there was little data about to assist me in knowing what I had. But still, this eel has a toxic slim and the one thing I not knew for sure back then, was how large it can grow. I sold this eel to an aquarium zoo some 45 years ago. But this eel took seven months before it finally fed and thank god the eel was already a little more then 4'.
Eels feel secured in what is a normal home for them, for a good number of eels borrow themselves into the soft sand and usually using their tails and the rest must have a well built lair that they can hide out in total darkness. In all eels diets, must be a variety of types of foods. For if a hobbyist feeds only one or up to three kinds of foods, like there is one that I already know about. But I not blame him for this, but rather what advise his gotten from his LFS or so for he been not feeding it any fish or octopus for the nearly six years he had the eel. I already touched base with him on water changes and he will attempt to feed small thin strips of fresh fish every other day. But being that the eel is not as healthy as it should be, my concerns for this eel in the long term is that it will not survive a long hunger strike and asked him on how he felt about force feeding.
In any case, these are main facts to my own personal knowledge when it comes to eels. If you have a sudden shift in your PH, it affects their diet. If your nitrates are too high, it affects their diet. Poor water quality affects their diet. You cannot have a sudden shift in PH and correct it with buffering it and expect your eel to feed, for mostly, the eel will not feed at that time. Now you will have a dwarf eel in so hugh a reef tank, but normally in FO tanks and those who do a very large water change, not expect your eel to feed that day.
Of course, this not apply to exactly every species, the most aggressive and larger eels like the yellowhead, tess morays, and a very few others like the viper moray, and I not mean the viper eel that grows around a foot long, I mean the larger viper species who is extremely aggressive, and also the blackedge moray is another exception to this.
Now when getting this dwarf eel, not expect it to feed right away even in the lfs, what you can mostly go by if the health of this eel is in question, watch it to see how aware it is or if any activity and check its skin coloration for if it looks good, no fading areas or so. But to when the eel will feed, I cannot tell any exact time period to when this will happen for each persons eel. The point here is, if I had the eel, it would feed anytime in a matter of a few days, if not the next day. and depending on which eel the hobbyists gets, you can be extremely lucky to get one that feeds even the very same day. But on average, most eels will and should feed in a manner of days.
When you get the eel, prepare it very slowly for a few hours with a slow drip, for all a hobbyists can do is all the best from the beginning. Also not forget, im sure that your PH is a great deal higher then your LFS, for at most, every LFS keeps their salinity at 1.019 and when I start the 18o SPS tank, the salinity will be at 1.025-6.
On my question to you before was not on just any anemones, but if you had yourself any carpet anemones for this would be a danger for a dwarf eel.
I hope and trust that I had answered your questions without leaving you with more questions and if so, you have my permission to ask them.
OOPS!! :hammer:
It may never come out in the matter you want it too, just be happy when it feeds
Good luck with the little fella
Buddy
Old Man Of The Sea
Community Member
Gosh, anyway you might have those links to paste it here, I like to see what they say. 
I not ever readied this, but I thought it might tell you something>
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-12/fm/index.php
I just thought of this, while your trying to get your eel to eat fish or so, still have on hand what he been feeding on for as long as he feeds there is always a chance he will switch over to the other foods as well. Good Luck
Buddy
I not ever readied this, but I thought it might tell you something>
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-12/fm/index.php
I just thought of this, while your trying to get your eel to eat fish or so, still have on hand what he been feeding on for as long as he feeds there is always a chance he will switch over to the other foods as well. Good Luck
Buddy
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