Zebra Eel, yes or no?

[Baffels]

Hey all!

Thinking about a zebra eel for my 136G Redsea 625 G2. I have done some serious research and here are the points I have taken:

1. Pretty easy to take care of, feed twice a week down to once when they get older.
2. Needs spots to hide, PVC etc.
3. Typically won't attack fish but can get shrimps n' snails.
4. This is the big one. Some say its a "pointless fish" and they never see them in the tank unless its feeding time and its impossible to get them out without destroying your scape. Some say its out all the time and acts like a long, slinky puppy.

Any current or recent owners have any input on the Zebras they have?

 

[Peter C]

So I haven't owned a zebra eel myself but have worked with a number of eels. I think a big part of it comes down to who else is in your tank, how comfortable the eels is, and just personality. I've had two eels of the same species act totally differently in the same space. I think it also depends on age too. I find older eels sometimes are more lazy and prefer to just chill in their cover. Also remember that zebra eels are nocturnal so will usually be more active in the evening.

 

[Speaker]

Mine used to come out to swim in the evening when hungry. My wife swears she had seen it chasing my clownfish around. One did eventually go missing. I got rid of it about a year ago because it was a pain to feed it and I wanted acroporas. It would stop eating for weeks sometimes and always had to be hand fed. If you have a lot of SPS corals I would not do it as the eel will break them rather frequently.