New Chainlink Eel makes it into the sump

[hrdneglcry]

Last night was kind of comical. I heard my skimmer filtet making noose after I heard something. My Chainlink Eel is brand new to my tank so I started lookong for him on the floor. He was in the sump and after making it into the second chamber I caught him. So my skimmer would not start back up. The funny part is that while trying to get the skimmer started a blue legged hermit shot out of the pump. So that crab was making the skimmer pump stop which brought my attentio to the eel in the sump. Then I also found several Berghia that got pushed into the overflow due to an air wand. So it was kind of comical and productice that he got in there. And the small hermit that stopped the pump last night showed me a bunch of stuff.

 

[blaxsun]

You must have one interesting overflow for all these critters to be able to migrate into your sump!

 

[hrdneglcry]

Well eels are escape prone. Especially when you first get them. I made the mistake of using an air stone in the tank and at night the Berghia Nudibranchs were propelled into the water column when they came across the air bubbles. So the overflow was just doing its job in that regard. And the hermit crab, well I have a lot of them and they climb where they can. But he could have been put in the sump at some point too.

 

[hrdneglcry]

Well I lost him. I woke up several mornings ago and checked behind the tank. There he was on the carpet. I grabbed him and he was still alive but the damage had been done. Also the larger snowflake eel was up to more than I realized with targeting this eel. But the Chainlink died. And he was really awesome. He had such a personality. And he was way more active than my two other eels. I was very sorry. I don't know if this Snowflake Eel will ever let me add another Eel. I was looking at gettting a much larger Zebra Eel. A 24" Zebra would be much larger than my Snowflake Eel. But I wonder if he will still get attacked.

 

[Rifken]

Sorry to read about losing the eel. I have one in every tank I have, both salt and fresh. I've always read that in most instances, it's best to have just one in a tank. It seems that with some species you might get away with having two when they are smaller but not so much as they mature.

I'm sure some other folks who are experts will share their insights about keeping eels.

-Bob

 

[hrdneglcry]

Sorry to read about losing the eel. I have one in every tank I have, both salt and fresh. I've always read that in most instances, it's best to have just one in a tank. It seems that with some species you might get away with having two when they are smaller but not so much as they mature.

I'm sure some other folks who are experts will share their insights about keeping eels.

-Bob

Yes and No. I have seen people in person keep several large Eels with no trouble. Recently a guy was closing his large tank and he had a great many eels living peacefully with each other. I have found the Snowflakes don't like each other. Even though at the store many are kept together. So they grow up together. Like my Snowflake and my Barred Eel I purchased together and they were raised together. I have no trouble ever between them. The Snowflake though is aggressive during feeding but only with his vigor to get food. I thought mistakenly that the Chainlink was going to eventually work. I was very happy with that eel. After he got out and later died I saw that the Snowflake was still looking for him periodically so there may have been more going in than I knew. I assume now that there was and the Chainlink was getting attacked when I was not aware. Its upsetting because he was the more social eel. Way more social. I really enjoyed that eel in my tank. He was so cool. Would have been the end of me getting eels had he lived. Three would have been enough for me.

 

[richard b king]

Yes and No. I have seen people in person keep several large Eels with no trouble. Recently a guy was closing his large tank and he had a great many eels living peacefully with each other. I have found the Snowflakes don't like each other. Even though at the store many are kept together. So they grow up together. Like my Snowflake and my Barred Eel I purchased together and they were raised together. I have no trouble ever between them. The Snowflake though is aggressive during feeding but only with his vigor to get food. I thought mistakenly that the Chainlink was going to eventually work. I was very happy with that eel. After he got out and later died I saw that the Snowflake was still looking for him periodically so there may have been more going in than I knew. I assume now that there was and the Chainlink was getting attacked when I was not aware. Its upsetting because he was the more social eel. Way more social. I really enjoyed that eel in my tank. He was so cool. Would have been the end of me getting eels had he lived. Three would have been enough for me.

Eels are like people. They're all a little different..... I have three grown snowflakes in a 55 gallon tank. While the bio load is bad, they get along for the most part.... They just love to eat a lot. Young eels are very curious and will go everywhere they shouldn't and need safeguards in terms of escape. Had to fish mine out the sump a dozen times before finding the right ways to protect them from their own curiosity.