Feeding eels...got experience anyone?!

[ayla]

Hello out there everyone. I've got me a new friend. The problem I've come across now is...I don't think he's eating. I've tried everything I have...frozen blood worms, flake food, shirmp pellets, another type of flake food...but still no luck. The other Fire Eel that I own will touch nothing but live shrimp...but he's spoiled. Anyone out there got any experience with these eels...or other types of spiney eels for that matter? And if so...what kind of food did they accept? Maybe perhaps I'm not doing something right, and if that's the case I'd like to correct it as soon as possible. Help!

 

[julia]

HAVE YOU TRIED EARTHWORMS? they tempt a lot of fussy fish, just a thought.

 

[CFC]

Spiney eels are well known for their fussy eating habbits and fire eels are no exception, often they will only accept one type food and refuse to even look at anything else. However it is a rare fish that will turn its nose up at live foods and glass worms and large bloodworms are probably the best of these, if your eels will take these then once they are used to them you can start to thin the live food out with frozen to make for a cheaper diet but i wouldnt recomend actually switching to a fully frozen diet.

 

[wuvmybetta]

My eel was extremely picky for the first 8 months,all I could get him to take was live brine which isn't very nutritional. I've managed to get him to take frozen Hikari brine now...nothing else, it's not from lack of trying either. Best of luck, they're fickle little boogers

 

[ayla]

Brine shrimp...might work, never thought of that. Well lucky me, I got me so live brine on hand also. I'm going to try that out. Picky indeed though these awesome creatures. I really hope he isn't starving though. Just a thought...but maybe perhaps he isn't too familiar with his new home so he isn't comfortable with the fact of eating yet? If that's the case I hope he adjusts soon. Hmm...he's pretty large...about oh say pushing 12 inches. He had to be eating something to get this big...and he ain't one of those slim ones either. Pretty hefty one. Thank you all for your input...keep them coming. I hope something works.

 

[ayla]

They don't like brine shrimp either. *Frustrated*.

 

[wuvmybetta]

How long have you had them, ayla?

I hate to say it but....if they get hungry enough they'll eventually eat, just keep trying. If you fear you're overfeeding your other fish in an effort to feed the eel you can use a turkey baster to try and feed him, most will eat from the end of the baster. Call the shop that they came from and ask if they were eating (and what) while they were there.

 

[ayla]

Alright, I've contacted the good ol' LFS. Turns out that they had him for only a short period of time but were feeding them flakes. No one actually witnessed the eel eating though. Good news though...I've noticed while feeding my other Fire Eel the newer one also started trying to attack some live shrimp...with little success. Think he gives up to easily. Does anyone know what they feed these things orginally...at the distributors, before they hit the LFS. I've read that most of them are fed bloodworms. Both of them won't even bother with bloodworms.

I've had the smaller of the two for about 3 months...the newer one for about a week or so.

 

[Genero]

You can try raw shrimp, sea scallops or squid. It took a few attempts to transition my tire track from ghost shrimp to krill and finally to fresh sea food - it's cheaper too! I also heard of people applying garlic extract to tempt fish to eat.

The turkey baster is a good idea to target your bottom feeders but I use a feeding stick.

 

[wuvmybetta]

Hey ayla..

I'm not sure what breeders feed them, probably brine ,worms or possibly feeder fish. But...the ever so picky eel that I told you about has finally accepted a new food, I tried some live blackworms and he went crazy for them, maybe try something like that I've never seen mine touch a frozen bloodworm, live one's might be a different story though

 

[judcoynehunter]

when i first bought my tyretrack eel it would only eat frozen bloodworm that was when it was about 10'' long it ate about 5 blocks a day, at the time i was feeding my large discus and caecilian worm on frozen mussles and prawns.In the end the eel changed its diet to this and now is 19.5'' and very well looking. eels will eat whatever goes in the tank when they settle. he eats about 6 or 7 full mussles at a time he is very greedy so i dont feed him on demand. but is a very impressive fish ill post a pic of him when i get my digital cam working again see you all later bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[simonas]

my 15 inch fire eel and 8 inch tyre track take frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp beef heart etc yet I had another large fire eel that came with other and that refused point blank to eat for three months till it died. I tried everything and it just wouldn't feed. apart from that all eels I have had have taken frozen

 

[ayla]

Congrats to all those out there that ever got their eel to eat frozen foods. I'm so envious of those lucky eel owners who can feed frozen or non-moving foods. (This might sound like I'm from the planet Mars or something but I've never seen a live blackworm, or a blackworm for that matter in my life. And I've been keeping aquariums for a while, guess they don't sell em around here. Tee Hee.) Every week I go down to the local pond with a net and bucket and catch me some shrimp. Guess that's why I love my eels so much, I try to dedicate alot of time and effort to them.
OoOoOo judcoynehunter...I'd love to see a pic of your Tyre Track Eel. Or a pic of anyone's eels for that matter.
And that's one of my biggest concerns...the eel starving to death.

 

[Silva_Fishy]

i got 1, feed it live black worms

 

[judcoynehunter]

ill post the pic soon just got prob with usb and i have never see a black worm either