Golden Dwarf Moray Eel Questions?

[brannock_16]

Hello Everyone,

I am looking to add a pair of Golden Dwarf Moral Eels to my current 120 gallon mixed reef tank. Before I take the plunge I want to make sure that everything will work out as peaceful as possible and not have any dire consequences down the road.

First of all, the eels were caught together as a pair so they are relatively established. Now currently I have the following fish:

1 x 4 inch Hippo tang
2 x Oscellaris clowns (3 inch and 2 inch respectively)
1 x Diamond Goby (3 inches)
1 x Target Mandarin (1.5 inches)

The GDM's in question are 5-7 inches, so still relatively small. In my 120 I have roughly 90-100 lbs of live rock with nice caves and holes for them to hide, and it has a 40 breeder sump filled with live rock rubble and chaeto. They are made into two sturdy islands with the middle of the tank open. I have a mesh screen top on the top of the tank that I will weigh down to ensure no eels jump out of the tank.

For flow I have a Mag 24 return, 2 Vortech MP40 W ES and 1 Vortech MP10 W ES. I have a Tek 6 bulb T5 lighting system (heavy on the blues), and run a Vertex 170 alpha skimmer. I also am able to run Carbon in a TLF media reactor if it is suggested.

My questions are as follows:

I am able to get a great deal for both eels, would they be a viable fit in my tank?
They are relatively newly caught (less than 3 days out of the ocean), is this an issue?
If I purchase them, should I QT them? If so, with what?
Since they are small, what should I offer to feed?
Do I need more than 1-2 inches of sand for them in my DT?
Are they reef safe in terms of corals? I have a ton of LPS and some SPS. There are some scolys and welsos on the sand bed.

If anyone has any first hand experience with them please chime in! I would like to place my order for these soon if they are a viable fit...I have been looking for a nice GDM for over 4 months and now have the opportunity to get 2!

Thanks in advance,

Robert

 

[secretreefer]

soft sand would be nice, i've had 3 in the past and fed mine raw octopus strips injected with selcon, medium sized live ghost shrimp (just put a bunch in the tank and not worry about feeding for awhile), and small live baby crabs. they're reef safe and haven't had any issues with them bothering other fish.

 

[brannock_16]

soft sand would be nice, i've had 3 in the past and fed mine raw octopus strips injected with selcon, medium sized live ghost shrimp (just put a bunch in the tank and not worry about feeding for awhile), and small live baby crabs. they're reef safe and haven't had any issues with them bothering other fish.

I have pretty fine sand to begin with. I just wanted to know if I need more than the 1-2 inches that are presently in my tank.

Also, where did you get live ghost shrimp? How often did you feed them to the GDM's? Did you just purchase your octopus from the supermarket?

I was also thinking about feeding fresh shrimp, clams, mussels, crab, and other meaty fare (from the supermarket...but fresh stuff of course) soaked in garlic and selcon.

 

[FishLipz]

Mine is a model tankmate with all my fish, including a perc clown pair, pygmy angel and a green mandarin. He eats chopped table shrimp and frozen silversides off a skewer. You'll be surprised how big a chunk they can swallow.

 

[secretreefer]

yup you can also feed those things i'm sure. you should be able to purchase live saltwater ghost shrimp at your LFS or online. you're fine on the sand. my buddy caught a octopus and gve me some to feed my eels. not sure if they have raw at supermarkets but i'm sure strips of frozen squid will suffice.

I have pretty fine sand to begin with. I just wanted to know if I need more than the 1-2 inches that are presently in my tank.

Also, where did you get live ghost shrimp? How often did you feed them to the GDM's? Did you just purchase your octopus from the supermarket?

I was also thinking about feeding fresh shrimp, clams, mussels, crab, and other meaty fare (from the supermarket...but fresh stuff of course) soaked in garlic and selcon.

 

[bct15]

I got two from someone on here...not sure if they want me to keep it a secret.... I feed mine sliced fresh gulf shrimp (have shrimp boats in the fam), silversides, ghost shrimp and frozen krill. I feed mine with some 10" forceps, when not alive. Mine do not bother anything, and I have a very small basslet that he ignores. They do not bother coral and I have two to three inches of fine sand. One almost bit an acro one time during feeding time but I think it was because he can't see good and thought it was food, he smells everything before he eats it and once he smelled the acro he left it alone. I second the fact that you will be amazed on how much they eat...quarantining can be iffy, I have hear if many people losing them in a quarantine tank from then escaping. One of mine was fresh out the sea and he still is great.

 

[caudill187]

I've had one for about two years and he is now a full-sized adult. My experience says:

I am able to get a great deal for both eels, would they be a viable fit in my tank? Yes
They are relatively newly caught (less than 3 days out of the ocean), is this an issue? No
If I purchase them, should I QT them? If so, with what? Not necessary, eels don't get sick much.
Since they are small, what should I offer to feed? Shrimp chunks, fish chunks, scallop chunks. Start with shrimp.
Do I need more than 1-2 inches of sand for them in my DT? No
Are they reef safe in terms of corals? I have a ton of LPS and some SPS. There are some scolys and welsos on the sand bed. Yes


Mine hasn't killed any fish, but has nipped fins (maybe you should avoid feeding fish). Otherwise, a model citizen and worth having

 

[brannock_16]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the replies! I went ahead and paid in full for my pair of GDM's! :xd: They will be shipped on Monday for a Tuesday morning delivery. I will update this thread once they come in and I start to acclimate them.

I think that upon visual inspection and close examination i will forgo a QT after reading up on them. Wish me luck everyone!

 

[brannock_16]

Big day is tomorrow! Both eels will be arriving via UPS morning delivery. I will post pics once they arrive.

On a related note, I already have a mesh top (used to have a bunch of wrasses) that easily pulls off. What should I do to weight it down to prevent jumping and possibly them knocking it out of the tank frame? It's only made of screen door framing and mesh.

Thanks,

Robert

 

[divewsharks]

Big day is tomorrow! Both eels will be arriving via UPS morning delivery. I will post pics once they arrive.

On a related note, I already have a mesh top (used to have a bunch of wrasses) that easily pulls off. What should I do to weight it down to prevent jumping and possibly them knocking it out of the tank frame? It's only made of screen door framing and mesh.

Thanks,

Robert

My screen is quite tight in the frame, and it attached to the eurobracing via velcro; that way fish can bounce off it and back into the tank should the need to jump arise.

 

[brannock_16]

My screen is quite tight in the frame, and it attached to the eurobracing via velcro; that way fish can bounce off it and back into the tank should the need to jump arise.

Great idea on the velcro! I am going to have to go to the Home Depot and pick some up today....just the idea I was looking for. :smile:

 

[brannock_16]

[TABLE="class: tborder, width: 100%"]
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[TD="class: alt1, bgcolor: #F1F1F1"]The day has arrived! The GDM's arrived this morning around 10 o'clock. I was in class (of course) so my roommate had to bring them in. She placed them inside near a heater to help them warm up a bit.

I made it home by 11:40 and started to unpack the box (which was expertly packed). I floated them for about 45 minutes in my dark sump and then drip acclimated them for 1.5-2 hours. Once acclimation was complete, I put them into a dark DT and let them find a spot. I kept the DT dark for a couple more hours and turned the lights on an hour or so ago.

Anyways, on to the fun part...pics!

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[/TABLE]

 

[brannock_16]

What I assume to be the male (due to dark coloration)

What I assume to be the female (due to lighter coloration)

Both (note they are in a 5 gallon bucket for size reference)

And of course I had a helper

 

[brannock_16]

[TABLE="class: tborder, width: 100%"]
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[TD="class: alt1, bgcolor: #F1F1F1"]Since they are roughly 3-4 inches in length they quickly disappeared in my reef tank! I have seen them skirting about the bottom of the rocks probing for hiding spots every now and then, but they have been mostly unseen.

I figure they will remain reclusive and hidden for a couple of days, but should come out as I start to feed the rest of the tank. I bought some fresh scallops and shrimp today to feed them either tomorrow or Thursday.

Well, I am going to stare at my tank now...I will update with more pics as they become more comfortable. [/TD]
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[caudill187]

Cool. Thanks for sharing the pics. Here is my guy when he was similar sized:

When I first got him he was shy but pretty quickly found a hole and would stick his head down when he found food. After a couple of days, he started taking small pieces of shrimp that I was offering with tongs.

On a side note, I have never really had my top secured and he has not once ended up in the overflows, or obviously on the floor. I have a pretty deep 120 gallon tank but he tends to stay low in the tank and I feel pretty confident after a few years that he won't escape. He seems much less prone to escape than the other eel species I have kept but every eel may be different in this regard.

 

[brannock_16]

Thanks for the input caudill! The female has found a nice spot in the rocks and can be seen moving in and out of the holes in the rocks. I have yet to see the male again...I guess he is in hiding and still trying to find his spot. I won't worry to much about it for a couple days. I am sure he will come out once I feed the tank.

 

[KoleTang]

This is another reason why we need to win in Hawaii, that's where these awesome guys come from!

That cat made me laugh dude.

Where did you order them from?

 

[brannock_16]

This is another reason why we need to win in Hawaii, that's where these awesome guys come from!

That cat made me laugh dude.

Where did you order them from?

Ya, she is a very inquisitive cat. She thinks she has to know what everything is in the house.

Anyways, I purchased the eels from a local diver in Hawaii. He was an excellent guy to deal with, everything was shipped exceptionally well and arrived in good health.