Looking for ways to keep eel in rimless tank

[mrsaltwaterguy]

As the title states I'm looking at getting an eel but have a rimless tank. I've seen the BRS DIY screen tops but I'm thinking that the eel will still be able to push it's way out of the tank as those aren't very heavy. Does anyone have experience keeping one in a rimless tank and how did you do it?

 

[Oshengems]

I had a teselated eel in a 55g no cover, had him for about 3 years i never actually saw him try to get away or even swim out of the caves I had created for Him only came out completely during feeding and the rest of the time just poke out his head

 

[norfolkgarden]

Not guaranteed...

We had a snowflake eel in a tank full of rock for 6 years.
It went on a hunger strike when I changed foods and then wouldn't even eat the old foods.
The glass lid was left open more than it was closed.
Water level was almost an inch from the rim.
Eel went from a 6" pencil to 22" long and thicker than my thumb.
It died inside the tank after refusing to eat for over 2 months.

I believe if you give them a safe place to feel comfortable in and hide in adequately and maintain your parameters, then they have less reason to "escape to the next tide pool."

Definitely not guaranteed.

Depends a lot on whether or not you want a tank that is a Rubik's cube of rocks. [emoji846]

 

[lion king]

There are companies that make custom lids for rimless tanks, you get get clips to secure the lid. If you are up to it you can manage to customize a method to secure the lids, magnets, small weighted pieces on the edges. While there is no guarantee ever if you risk an open top with an eel. Its not like they are even trying to escape, just cruising and curiousity they can end up on the floor.

 

[HB AL]

My snowflakes in the past would always find the gap in the glass for say cords to get out. Good thing was they lived out of water for quite some time as although they were stiff they would go back to normal quickly once in the water. A screen top with no gaps would probably work fine as the eel would feel it and I don’t think they would continue on out of the tank. I found one once 8 feet from the tank and it had been out for a while. My kids would freak out, when I asked them to help me find the eel.

 

[Waters]

Anybody that kept a moray in a topless tank for any length of time should play the lottery. They will find the smallest of gaps and end up on your floor. I have had it happen multiple times (with large tanks, full of rock). They ALWAYS find a way out lol...it is only a matter of time. Your odds are better if you make it past the first couple of weeks though. To answer the original question though, I have kept them successfully with screen tops, although if the moray was big enough and determined, it could probably push the top up.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Anybody that kept a moray in a topless tank for any length of time should play the lottery. They will find the smallest of gaps and end up on your floor. I have had it happen multiple times (with large tanks, full of rock). They ALWAYS find a way out lol...it is only a matter of time. Your odds are better if you make it past the first couple of weeks though. To answer the original question though, I have kept them successfully with screen tops, although if the moray was big enough and determined, it could probably push the top up.

Lol, the lottery part isn't working yet.

And yes, that is what I read everywhere. That they would climb out faster than an octopus if you gave them even the tiniest option.

Other than the fact that the tank was mostly rockwork with more "hiding space" than open water, I can only attribute it to being one individual eel.
Lol, seriously, the whole tank was a 'fish only' open cube of white rock. Maybe 3" to 4" clear water space above everywhere except for a 6" open feeding area.
Lousy 'fish only' lighting that would barely support caulerpa directly under it. No coralline in the tank. My other build is called Hotel Coralline.
(This may have been a huge factor. They don't like sps lighting, supposedly.)

"snow" was never an escape artist. Not even once. Not even when it went on a 2 month hunger strike and died inside the tank after 6 years.

Seldom even stuck it's head above water even when it was ready to feed. Fed it like a snake.
If it was out and curious for a day it was time to feed.
Once a week, often once every 3 weeks as it got larger.
2 or 3 IQF small thawed silversides.
Then read they were too oily. Bad owner, etc.
Tried transitioning to large krill and shrimp and wasn't having any of it.
Tried going back to silversides and wasn't interested anymore.
First feeding attempt with krill was at the usual 3 week mark. Then another 2 months of not eating before it died.

All still inside the tank with the front lid open.

That's just one person's experience with 1 eel. Everyone else says they will jump out of the tank in a heartbeat.
:-/

 

[scriptmonkey]

Maybe try dosing antidepressants and it would be a little less suicidal?

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

I think some eels are way to good at being out of the water to have confidence in a coverless set up long term

 

[lion king]

In a captive environment, people actually think the eel is aware that they are in tank of water and there's a floor on the other side. Like they are making a decision to escape, not just cruising and squeezing as in nature. By luck sometimes an eel will stay tucked away into the rocks, people running a topless tank with an eel, are just getting lucky. Your water conditions or keeping them fed well and happy has nothing to do with it.

 

[4FordFamily]

Best bet is a lid with a clip. @HotRocks had a lineautus torpedo out, moving a big heavy acrylic lid out of his way and landing in the middle of the rear of the tank where it took 5 minutes to retrieve him. It's such an unbelievable story that I felt could never be repeated... but after reading about clips for lids I am wondering if this is a bigger problem than we realized.

Where can we get these clips? LOL

 

[Jon Fishman]

This guy is probably 3.5-4’ long and he has no secure top, just a canopy thingy. I think I would either “try it” or just not bother. I don’t think I would negate the great aesthetics that a rimless provides for any one tank-addition



Sorry. screen-shot my video!

 

[norfolkgarden]

In a captive environment, people actually think the eel is aware that they are in tank of water and there's a floor on the other side. Like they are making a decision to escape, not just cruising and squeezing as in nature. By luck sometimes an eel will stay tucked away into the rocks, people running a topless tank with an eel, are just getting lucky. Your water conditions or keeping them fed well and happy has nothing to do with it.

Lol, since I want to see other people's pets *live* I certainly won't argue the point.

1 individual eel, low lighting and a cube of rock for a tank worked that time.

If I ever got another eel I would get a strong lid.

 

[norfolkgarden]

I think some eels are way to good at being out of the water to have confidence in a coverless set up long term

Awesome series!

Can you imagine spending days in the hopes of getting well framed 3 second clips of activity?

I can't get a decent picture of half of the goings-on in my tank. :-(

 

[Peter Clark]

When I had a snowflake 10 years ago in a 120g I had a canopy on top but never covered the big opening in the back. Huge risk and I got lucky. The only thing it ever did was swim through the u part and into the back of my cpr overflow box. Had to put a light on it to encourage it back into the rest of the tank and then covered the overflow. I never thought of a screen top back then and as a student couldn't afford custom cut glass for the top (the local glass shop quoted me a high price I remember).

I remember reading at the time to give them lots of space, ideally only have 1 unless you have a massive tank, give it plenty of rock to hide in, but then also not have the rock near the top of the tank. The idea was if the rock doesn't go up to the top, it would be less likely to hang out near the surface. Sure they could swim up, but more likely to swim just on the surface of the rocks. I would still try some sort of screen, but other measures could help. And a species that stays small should also help.

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

Awesome series!

Can you imagine spending days in the hopes of getting well framed 3 second clips of activity?

I can't get a decent picture of half of the goings-on in my tank. :-(

I'm really into wildlife photography, all I can think about when I watch these things is how long some person must have been sitting in a blind waiting for something that may or may not happen! When I see the shots they get though I understand how they can power through!

For some reason I thought my background in photography would help when I'm taking photos of my tank... I can't even get a decent shot of my hermit crab;Hilarious

 

[Brittany Marie]

I’ve never actually seen my Golden Dwarf attempt to escape. But I did get the RedSea DIY screen top as a precaution. It’s a very nice kit, the screen has stayed taught for months.