snowflake eel had an accident

[ileolai]

My snowflake eel got out of the tank at some point last night and was on the floor for at least an hour. my roommate found him and put him in a box thinking he was dead and i would bury him, but when they told me i put him back in the tank. he started gasping, so he's at least somewhat alive. I turned up all the pumps to get more oxygen to him. he has been lying in the same spot gasping for about 4-5 hours now and hasn't really moved.

is he likely to recover at this point? is there anything more i can do for him?

 

[littlefoxx]

My snowflake eel got out of the tank at some point last night and was on the floor for at least an hour. my roommate found him and put him in a box thinking he was dead and i would bury him, but when they told me i put him back in the tank. he started gasping, so he's at least somewhat alive. I turned up all the pumps to get more oxygen to him. he has been lying in the same spot gasping for about 4-5 hours now and hasn't really moved.

is he likely to recover at this point? is there anything more i can do for him?

Eels are really resilient, its surprising how long they can be out of water.

 

[VintageReefer]

This actually happens a lot. I read about it several times a year here. Search the forum and see what others experiences were.

 

[fishguy242]

odds are in you're favor ,may not want to eat for a few days, but should be back to normal soon

 

[ileolai]

Eels are really resilient, its surprising how long they can be out of water.

yeah, that's why i put him back in immediately. he's still lying in the same spot though, hasn't moved at all :/ just gasping.

 

[ileolai]

odds are in you're favor ,may not want to eat for a few days, but should be back to normal soon

i hope so, he still hasn't moved in 6-7 hours and i don't want him to be suffering

 

[buruskeee]

Going to follow along. Hoping it makes it! Let us know how it’s doing tomorrow.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My snowflake eel got out of the tank at some point last night and was on the floor for at least an hour. my roommate found him and put him in a box thinking he was dead and i would bury him, but when they told me i put him back in the tank. he started gasping, so he's at least somewhat alive. I turned up all the pumps to get more oxygen to him. he has been lying in the same spot gasping for about 4-5 hours now and hasn't really moved.

is he likely to recover at this point? is there anything more i can do for him?

The steps you took should get it back on track. It can go weeks without a meal- Focus on allowing it to heal and regain normal respiration and rebuilding its slime coat. Maintain good water quality and the eel itself will do the rest

 

[ileolai]

Going to follow along. Hoping it makes it! Let us know how it’s doing tomorrow.

took nearly 24 hours but my dude has rejoined us in the land of the living

Crowley the eel says ''never surrender''

 

[capted]

Yeah, I had one that jumped a few times. hours out of the water, dry and covered in dust. I thought for sure it was gone but put it back in the tank and sure enough started breathing and swimming around again. Pretty resilient. Be careful though because if it is still moving on the floor they will bite even though I hand fed it when it was in the tank. So much for not biting the hand that feeds you!

 

[ileolai]

Yeah, I had one that jumped a few times. hours out of the water, dry and covered in dust. I thought for sure it was gone but put it back in the tank and sure enough started breathing and swimming around again. Pretty resilient. Be careful though because if it is still moving on the floor they will bite even though I hand fed it when it was in the tank. So much for not biting the hand that feeds you!

last time i lost a fish it hit my hardwood floor and ended up dying from shock / internal injuries even tho i got it back in the tank straight away. so that's what i was worried about mostly. good to know eels are considerably tougher lol