Zebra Moray Eel

Kurtis1 · Mar 24, 2020

Hey guys, I've recently been offered to trade one of my clams for a zebra eel. The zebra eel looks really cool to have as a pet but as a beginner reefer I have some doubts. Anyone able to tell me what to watch out for when taking care of the eel? Like whats the best food to give it and how reef safe is it? Thanks guys!

Spare time · Mar 25, 2020

I like to feed them krill. You can soak it in vitamins if you want or anything. They are very safe as long as you feed them. I ahve never seen or heard of one eating anyone peppermint or cleaner shrimps but I figure if you don't feet the eel then its fair game. Honestly they are one of my favorite "fish" to keep.

Kurtis1 · Mar 25, 2020

woah thanks man! Ya I also heard some people say that their peppermint shrimps got eaten by their eels but I had my doubts. They're definitely a very interesting pet to have

Spare time · Mar 25, 2020

Kurtis1 said:
woah thanks man! Ya I also heard some people say that their peppermint shrimps got eaten by their eels but I had my doubts. They're definitely a very interesting pet to have

Like I said I am sure if you don't feed them then they will go for your shrimps but most people have fun feeding these guys so its not a problem. Like sharks in aquariums, lots of things will get lazy and leave everything else alone as long as they get fed.

ca1ore · Mar 25, 2020

Not a great fish frankly. I have one but I never see it except at night when I feed it every two weeks. Mine eats crustaceans but leaves everything else alone.

Eggs · Mar 25, 2020

When I had one I offered raw whole shrimp from the grocery store (frozen was fine) every 2-3 days. Use tongs because it will rip it from you.
They don’t have great vision but will smell it, just offer close and it will find it.
Mine always laid low and with no inclination to try and escape the aquarium, but you never know with eels.
Didn’t bother any other fish but I had somewhat of an aggressive tank. Wasn’t difficult to keep. Was in a Fish-only tank where nitrates where higher.

Kurtis1 · Apr 1, 2020

Eggs said:
When I had one I offered raw whole shrimp from the grocery store (frozen was fine) every 2-3 days. Use tongs because it will rip it from you.
They don’t have great vision but will smell it, just offer close and it will find it.
Mine always laid low and with no inclination to try and escape the aquarium, but you never know with eels.
Didn’t bother any other fish but I had somewhat of an aggressive tank. Wasn’t difficult to keep. Was in a Fish-only tank where nitrates where higher.

Huh wow very interesting, yeah I was wondering why I had to feed the eel so close, its because they're super blind lol. I spent hours trying to find it in my 120 gallon tank and then out of nowhere I see it's head pop out of my fake rock sculpture. I was so mad because I thought it got out and slithered away lol.

Kurtis1 · Apr 1, 2020

ca1ore said:
Not a great fish frankly. I have one but I never see it except at night when I feed it every two weeks. Mine eats crustaceans but leaves everything else alone.

Interesting, yeah they really don't like light. How much do you feed your eel? If it's every 2 weeks is it a big portion?

Kurtis1 · Apr 1, 2020

Spare time said:
Like I said I am sure if you don't feed them then they will go for your shrimps but most people have fun feeding these guys so its not a problem. Like sharks in aquariums, lots of things will get lazy and leave everything else alone as long as they get fed.

Wow thanks man! Yeah i'm always looking out for my eel because it's my first and since i'm new to reefing I'm still fascinated about seeing it. It's so cool every time you try feeding it because of how it tries to rip off the shrimp from your tongs and looks like it just hunted something.

joe0813 · Apr 1, 2020

I have one in my 180 gallon reef... I also feed him raw shrimp from the grocery store every 3 days. He doesnt swim much around the tank but he does come out about 6 inches from the rock work almost daily. I have peppermint, cleaner and a pistol shrimp and he is completely fine with them and my smaller fish i have. Definitely feed with tongs, they are blind as a bat and could very easily get your fingers with the food.