Zebra eel

[btackerman]

I wanted to get others opinions. I have a 400 gallon system and have always loved zebra eels. My only hesitation is are they fish safe. I do not want to add a large active fish who will eat my other fish if it has an opportunity.

 

[lion king]

If you have alot of little flitty reef fish, I wouldn;t. Zebra;s are pebble tooth eels and are good tank mates for larger fish. This is a good size eel and if they can easily slurp a fish down, they just might, especially a new addition right from the ocean. So what are some of the other fish you are housing, shrimp and crabs and such will eventually disappear. Don't follow the logic, "well fed", nature is nature,

 

[btackerman]

I have several tangs, a blue ring angel,
niger trigger, moorish idol 2 anthias, Harlequin bass, maroon clown fish, bird wrasse, 2 mandarins and a lawnmower blenny, and 1 coral cat shark

inverts I have 1 sand sifting starfish and 1 long sine starfish.

 

[DeepintheReef]

I have two customers with large tanks and each has a zebra eel 24”+. The tanks are 450 gallons each and have resin coral inserts like you’d see on tanked or some other fish show with built in caves for the eels. The zebras are trained to eat frozen shrimp (make absolutely sure it’s organic and not treated with any kind of phosphate preservatives) and LRS Chunky seafood mix. They usually come out of their cave and swim around when hungry so the staff at those locations knows to throw some food in when they see them.

There are a mix of hermits, snails, and starfish in both of those tanks. The zebras absolutely love urchins, shrimp, and crabs so those are a no go for me when keeping a zebra. They may occasionally eat a big turbo snail if it falls off and is sitting upside down for a few days, but they have never gone after fish to my knowledge and haven’t had any small ones disappear. There is a big eye squirrel fish, much smaller snowflake eel, and small blue throat trigger that shares a cave with one of the bigger eels without issue.

 

[mtfish]

I say go for it. Nothing on that stocking list will be a problem with the eel. I have one in a 430 gallon tank with a mandarin pair. I am sure it would eat my pistol shrimp if he could get to them but they hide well in the rocks. I even have two tuxedo urchins that the eel has not messed with (maybe just lucky).

 

[ca1ore]

Zebra is a pebble tooth. Tough on crabs and shrimp but leaves fish alone, even small ones. I have a 30” eel in my tank .... if I ever see it I’d take a picture. Mostly a useless addition.

 

[btackerman]

So would you guys say it is the more active of the eels, a local restaurant had one and it was always out swimming and very large. It was also a build that was on Tanked.

 

[DeepintheReef]

So would you guys say it is the more active of the eels, a local restaurant had one and it was always out swimming and very large. It was also a build that was on Tanked.

They almost always have their head poking out but not always out and about. I think my snowflakes are usually more active, but it depends on the individual. My banana eel however is always on the move.