My new Golden Banana Moray Eel

[srcleary]

I’m setting up a new 820g pentagon shaped tank. My build is on another thread.

I set up a 125g tank in the meantime to house a Golden Moray Eel I snagged at my LFS. He will move into my DT tank once it’s set up and cycled.

His name is Rio and this morning I took some pics and also a video of him enjoying a clam on the half shell!

He seems to have lots of personality and already getting used to people approaching the tank.

I would enjoy learning of any one’s experience with these very cool eels!

Here is a link to the video of him eating this morning

 

[GHOSTLY]

Hehe so cute

 

[GHOSTLY]

Send us a video of it eating

 

[CMMorgan]

He really does look like a banana.

 

[lion king]

What a gorgeous eel, they are one the mildest fang tooth morays for the home aquarium; but they are a fang tooth so some care has to be taken. His tank mates needs to be on the large side and at least considered semi aggressive. They can fool you with their gentle nature when young, but when mature can be deadly. Keep on a strict feeding schedule and choose his tank mates carefully and he'll be your favorite. If he's to go in the dt first, be very careful introducing new fish. I wouldn't trust anything like butterflies or anthias if you were planning any schooling fish, these would be easy pickings. Regardless of how well you feed him, nature is nature, and when he's a solid 2' and as thick as your wrist, a fang tooth eel will do what a fang tooth eel does.

Do you have previous eel experience. If cared for properly he will live 15 or more years. But sadly most only live a few years mostly because of a poor diet. Try to include fresh when you can or freeze small batches yourself. Some fatty fish like salmon and shell on shrimp with the edges trimmed off. Stick with Hikari or Gamma brand silversides and avoid krill. Squid and octopus are also good additions. Feeding a couple times a week at most for younger eels but eventually once a week works well for many. Feed his full, he;ll let you know; in the wild they feed on a gorge/fast routine. At least reef level mg may help with digestion, I keep my predator tanks at 1400.

 

[burningmime]

It looks like someone was eating a banana and dropped the peel into your tank. Get it out quick before it starts leaching organics.

Oh, too late, now it's swimming around.

 

[srcleary]

What a gorgeous eel, they are one the mildest fang tooth morays for the home aquarium; but they are a fang tooth so some care has to be taken. His tank mates needs to be on the large side and at least considered semi aggressive. They can fool you with their gentle nature when young, but when mature can be deadly. Keep on a strict feeding schedule and choose his tank mates carefully and he'll be your favorite. If he's to go in the dt first, be very careful introducing new fish. I wouldn't trust anything like butterflies or anthias if you were planning any schooling fish, these would be easy pickings. Regardless of how well you feed him, nature is nature, and when he's a solid 2' and as thick as your wrist, a fang tooth eel will do what a fang tooth eel does.

Do you have previous eel experience. If cared for properly he will live 15 or more years. But sadly most only live a few years mostly because of a poor diet. Try to include fresh when you can or freeze small batches yourself. Some fatty fish like salmon and shell on shrimp with the edges trimmed off. Stick with Hikari or Gamma brand silversides and avoid krill. Squid and octopus are also good additions. Feeding a couple times a week at most for younger eels but eventually once a week works well for many. Feed his full, he;ll let you know; in the wild they feed on a gorge/fast routine. At least reef level mg may help with digestion, I keep my predator tanks at 1400.

Thanks so much for the info! Very helpful. This is my first eel. And I may be able to get another. How do Golden Morays do with more than one in the tank?

I’ve heard silversides can be a bit fatty. They were feeding him Krill at the LFS.

I plan on getting some squid, scallops and shrimp from the market and cutting up and freezing. What did you mean by trimming edges of shrimp?

I am also soaking his food in selcon. I’ve been feeding smaller amounts of food every other day while the tank matures. After he eats a clam he goes nuts looking for another one! Are the clams good food. He sure loves them.

overall he’s pretty friendly and active. He was in a small container at the LFS so I’m sure he’s enjoying the 6’ tank and rock work. He enjoys swimming throughout the entire tank and will put his head in the current coming off the return. He’s been a joy thus far!

 

[lion king]

A variety of food will always be best. I don't know about silversides being fatty, but the 2 brands I mentioned I know they use a variety of fish that doesn't contain thiaminese. Krill also contains a high amount of thiaminese, thiaminese binds vitamin B1 and will prove to be deadly. Shrimp also contains thiaminese but if using fresh or fresh frozen shrimp, the amount of vitamin B1 will offset the effects of the thiaminese. What I meant was to trim any sharp edges of the shell on the shrimp. Using shell on is best because of the nutrients in the shells, especially minerals like ca. Keeping your ca reef level is also good, fish do use the elements from the water. As I mentioned a fatty fish is really almost a necessity, while selcon is a good touch, much of it will likely rinse off. Fatty fish like salmon contains an abundance of efa's, as well as a carotenoid which will enhance the yellow color. Shrimp also contains this carotenoid. As long as you are not feeding any exclusively or dominant there usually isn't a concern. The guts and bones in silversides are a good addition.

You want to get him into a gorge/fast feeding routine rather that frequent smaller feeding cycles. Their natural metabolism is designed for this gorge/ fast routine as by their somewhat sedentary lifestyle. Feed him his full and he will let you know when he is full. Allow him to become active before you feed him again. It's 2 fold, you get to see his total beauty while he's cruising the tank, and he's letting you know he's hungry again. It will take a bit and you 2 will settle into regular routine. It's important to get into this routine and stick to it when you start introducing other fish. Especially when he matures.

In your size tank I don't see a problem with another eel. I would get them together while he's still young. This eel like I mentioned earlier is a milder fang tooth, and a really great eel if his tankmates are chosen with care.

 

[srcleary]

A variety of food will always be best. I don't know about silversides being fatty, but the 2 brands I mentioned I know they use a variety of fish that doesn't contain thiaminese. Krill also contains a high amount of thiaminese, thiaminese binds vitamin B1 and will prove to be deadly. Shrimp also contains thiaminese but if using fresh or fresh frozen shrimp, the amount of vitamin B1 will offset the effects of the thiaminese. What I meant was to trim any sharp edges of the shell on the shrimp. Using shell on is best because of the nutrients in the shells, especially minerals like ca. Keeping your ca reef level is also good, fish do use the elements from the water. As I mentioned a fatty fish is really almost a necessity, while selcon is a good touch, much of it will likely rinse off. Fatty fish like salmon contains an abundance of efa's, as well as a carotenoid which will enhance the yellow color. Shrimp also contains this carotenoid. As long as you are not feeding any exclusively or dominant there usually isn't a concern. The guts and bones in silversides are a good addition.

You want to get him into a gorge/fast feeding routine rather that frequent smaller feeding cycles. Their natural metabolism is designed for this gorge/ fast routine as by their somewhat sedentary lifestyle. Feed him his full and he will let you know when he is full. Allow him to become active before you feed him again. It's 2 fold, you get to see his total beauty while he's cruising the tank, and he's letting you know he's hungry again. It will take a bit and you 2 will settle into regular routine. It's important to get into this routine and stick to it when you start introducing other fish. Especially when he matures.

In your size tank I don't see a problem with another eel. I would get them together while he's still young. This eel like I mentioned earlier is a milder fang tooth, and a really great eel if his tankmates are chosen with care.

Again, thanks for the great advice. This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for!

i appreciate the detailed level of the recommendations. It’s always nice to know the “why” behind what we do to keep our livestock happy and healthy.

It sounds like you have raised a few of these? I have seen images of them with really bright and deep yellow color and looking forward to seeing this with Rio as well. As I mentioned he was really pale yellow in the small container at the LFS. I am going to inquire if they ran any copper in his tank as I know they run copper in some of their fish tanks.

I am also dosing with ca and mg for the coralline growth. Great to hear it will benefit Rio as well.

 

[JAMreef]

I’m setting up a new 820g pentagon shaped tank. My build is on another thread.

I set up a 125g tank in the meantime to house a Golden Moray Eel I snagged at my LFS. He will move into my DT tank once it’s set up and cycled.

His name is Rio and this morning I took some pics and also a video of him enjoying a clam on the half shell!

He seems to have lots of personality and already getting used to people approaching the tank.

I would enjoy learning of any one’s experience with these very cool eels!

Here is a link to the video of him eating this morning

Easily one of my favorites... please keep us posted on his growth, will be living vicariously through you!

 

[JumboShrimp]

I hate eels. But yours looks super-cool and I am excited for you!

 

[Chrisfish]

beautiful Eel!!

 

[lion king]

Again, thanks for the great advice. This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for!

i appreciate the detailed level of the recommendations. It’s always nice to know the “why” behind what we do to keep our livestock happy and healthy.

It sounds like you have raised a few of these? I have seen images of them with really bright and deep yellow color and looking forward to seeing this with Rio as well. As I mentioned he was really pale yellow in the small container at the LFS. I am going to inquire if they ran any copper in his tank as I know they run copper in some of their fish tanks.

I am also dosing with ca and mg for the coralline growth. Great to hear it will benefit Rio as well.

I really, really hope they did not run copper. If they did your only hope is if he wasn't thete that long. I hate to be doom and gloom, but most eels exposed to copper don't live much more than a year, year and a half. While I haven't dissected an eel, the lion's I've examined show major liver damage. I imagine the same thing happens to eels, as they are notorious for not handling copper.

The faded yellow color is indicative of a poor diet. As I mentioned earlier about the carotenoid found in salmon and fresh shrimp; it enhances yellow, orange, and red colors. The reason I advise to freezing your own food in small batches when you can't feed fresh, is because for frozen food to be comparable in nitrients it must be frozen properly when fresh, stored properly, and used within a recommended shelf life. Most seafood's shelf life can be as little as a few months to the most I've seen about 9 months.

 

[srcleary]

I hate eels. But yours looks super-cool and I am excited for you!

My wife feels the same way LOL

 

[srcleary]

I really, really hope they did not run copper. If they did your only hope is if he wasn't thete that long. I hate to be doom and gloom, but most eels exposed to copper don't live much more than a year, year and a half. While I haven't dissected an eel, the lion's I've examined show major liver damage. I imagine the same thing happens to eels, as they are notorious for not handling copper.

The faded yellow color is indicative of a poor diet. As I mentioned earlier about the carotenoid found in salmon and fresh shrimp; it enhances yellow, orange, and red colors. The reason I advise to freezing your own food in small batches when you can't feed fresh, is because for frozen food to be comparable in nitrients it must be frozen properly when fresh, stored properly, and used within a recommended shelf life. Most seafood's shelf life can be as little as a few months to the most I've seen about 9 months.

It seems so many people don't really know much about caring for eels and I would be devastated as well to have an eel die in a year or two. But I have read posts about an eel all of sudden stop eating and eventually die. Perhaps there is a correlation here.

My LFS said if I purchase fresh shrimp (or other seafood) to freeze it first as it may carry bacteria. Is that the case? Do you agree or is fresh better?

 

[lion king]

It seems so many people don't really know much about caring for eels and I would be devastated as well to have an eel die in a year or two. But I have read posts about an eel all of sudden stop eating and eventually die. Perhaps there is a correlation here.

My LFS said if I purchase fresh shrimp (or other seafood) to freeze it first as it may carry bacteria. Is that the case? Do you agree or is fresh better?

That is exactly the scenario that happens after some type of poisoning that caused internal organ damage. Everything is fine and then out of nowhere the fish stops eating then dies. Organ failure sometimes takes time, that time has many variables. Thiaminese which I have mentioned also shows this same scenario. After several months to a 1.5 years +/- of excessive thiaminese they develop a vitamin B1 deficiency which becomes deadly. This will show in a collapsed appetite and what some describe as lock jaw. this appears as if the fish wants to eat but just doesn't quite grab the food. So do you freeze your fresh seafood before you eat it, I know you cook it, but I will sometimes just sear tuna or even eat tuna and salmon raw(sushi). Yes I know this is risky, but I have never frozen fresh food before I feed it. I've been doing this for 30 years plus and to my knowledge have never seen an issue, with me or others I've talked to. Go to your trusted seafood counter and get a small sampling of fresh stuff, I've been known to get 2 prawns, 2 squids, etc. Show them the pic of what you are feeding to quickly become a vip at your seafood counter. I eat salmon regularly, I slice a sliver off for my preds which will partake, although most of my current fish(lions and scorps) eat live food. Unless noted "does not contain Ethoxyquin", food found at the lfs will contain this preservative, as well as most pet food that contains seafood, so check your other pet food. This preservative is very deadly, and fish like eels, lions. predatory fish as a whole may be more susceptible to such additives, as they do seem to process many things differently. If you are feeding frozen; make sure it is frozen fresh, not at the end of the fresh cycle; there is a packed on date, it is being stored properly around 0 degrees, and you use it within the prescribed shelf life. I say trusted seafood counter, if it's "really" fresh, you can't smell it, and some even use chemicals to present "fake" freshness. If it makes you feel safer, freeze your small batch, just make sure you use it within just a few months, providing you are storing it properly.

 

[srcleary]

That is exactly the scenario that happens after some type of poisoning that caused internal organ damage. Everything is fine and then out of nowhere the fish stops eating then dies. Organ failure sometimes takes time, that time has many variables. Thiaminese which I have mentioned also shows this same scenario. After several months to a 1.5 years +/- of excessive thiaminese they develop a vitamin B1 deficiency which becomes deadly. This will show in a collapsed appetite and what some describe as lock jaw. this appears as if the fish wants to eat but just doesn't quite grab the food. So do you freeze your fresh seafood before you eat it, I know you cook it, but I will sometimes just sear tuna or even eat tuna and salmon raw(sushi). Yes I know this is risky, but I have never frozen fresh food before I feed it. I've been doing this for 30 years plus and to my knowledge have never seen an issue, with me or others I've talked to. Go to your trusted seafood counter and get a small sampling of fresh stuff, I've been known to get 2 prawns, 2 squids, etc. Show them the pic of what you are feeding to quickly become a vip at your seafood counter. I eat salmon regularly, I slice a sliver off for my preds which will partake, although most of my current fish(lions and scorps) eat live food. Unless noted "does not contain Ethoxyquin", food found at the lfs will contain this preservative, as well as most pet food that contains seafood, so check your other pet food. This preservative is very deadly, and fish like eels, lions. predatory fish as a whole may be more susceptible to such additives, as they do seem to process many things differently. If you are feeding frozen; make sure it is frozen fresh, not at the end of the fresh cycle; there is a packed on date, it is being stored properly around 0 degrees, and you use it within the prescribed shelf life. I say trusted seafood counter, if it's "really" fresh, you can't smell it, and some even use chemicals to present "fake" freshness. If it makes you feel safer, freeze your small batch, just make sure you use it within just a few months, providing you are storing it properly.

More great info thanks! We shop at a higher end grocery store with lots of fresh seafood. When you feed shrimp, and with the shell on, do I need to cut up into pieces that will fit into his mouth or will he naturally just rip it apart and eat?

He seems capable of ripping his food apart but my only fear with a larger piece is if he carries it into his den and doesn't eat it all.

Sorry for all the questions but this is great information and hopefully will help others as well!

 

[lion king]

More great info thanks! We shop at a higher end grocery store with lots of fresh seafood. When you feed shrimp, and with the shell on, do I need to cut up into pieces that will fit into his mouth or will he naturally just rip it apart and eat?

He seems capable of ripping his food apart but my only fear with a larger piece is if he carries it into his den and doesn't eat it all.

Sorry for all the questions but this is great information and hopefully will help others as well!

I'm very happy to answer any questions you have, as I love all fish but especially have a passion for predatory fish. I want people to able to give these fish a full life, and sadly predatory fish live a very shortened life in captivity.

You've heard the thing, eels are messy, well part of that is the way people feed them. If you cut to food into chunks and slivers in which the eel can grab and get down without shaking and ripping and making a huge mess, your tank will be much cleaner for it. You'll find your preference, I prefer a little more than bite size as I think they do enjoy a good grab and shake(lol), but not so large as to have bits flying all over the place, about as wide as their mouth and twice as long. You'll even find them regurgitate food if they are taking down large pieces too fast. A good cuc addition with an eel is the nassarius snail, they will clean up bits of food chunks. Like the living dead; buried in the sand with their snout exposed then creepily popping up when they smell food.

 

[Hugh Mann]

I feed my Greyfaced moray bite sized pieces of food, pretty much the size Lion King described or smaller. Though he definitely seems to like a good rip and tear, a favorite seems to be whole baby squid. I would definitely recommend, if you didn't already plan to do so, training Rio to eat from tongs. Less mess than dropping food into the water, but it's great fun and very interactive. My eel now recognizes the tongs mean food, so comes to investigate if I am pulling out algae or other debris.

 

[srcleary]

I feed my Greyfaced moray bite sized pieces of food, pretty much the size Lion King described or smaller. Though he definitely seems to like a good rip and tear, a favorite seems to be whole baby squid. I would definitely recommend, if you didn't already plan to do so, training Rio to eat from tongs. Less mess than dropping food into the water, but it's great fun and very interactive. My eel now recognizes the tongs mean food, so comes to investigate if I am pulling out algae or other debris.

I have been using tongs. I agree it is a good idea so he knows food is coming for him. When he is in the DT with triggers and such he will need to act quick to grab his food. Will try baby squid. Thanks for the suggestion.