Reef Eel Tank

[puddle_inc]

i am getting a 55g reef tank with lots of inverts and a snowflake eel.

i don't want to have just the eel in there, but i don't want any fish that can get eaten. so i figure i could get just 1-2 big fish? what type of big fish could i get for a 55g reef tank with a snowflake eel? thanks!

 

[puddle_inc]

i'm thinking triggerfish. would a humu triggerfish do alright with an eel? i'll definatly read alot about them, but i want others opinion before i spend time reading.

let me hlep you answer to, instead of being like...

"OMFG you dumb ***hole son of a ***** what the **** were you thinking? Don't get one of those!"

or

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!"

please answer more like...

"well, it may not be a good/bad idea. the trigger fish (then you say info and a reason why i should or shouldn't get it)."

thanks!

 

[andywg]

Bad idea.

The eel's natural diet is motile inverts, so expect any shrimps to end up as a tasty snack.

A well fed eels is pretty lazy at hunting, but don't be surprised if you have to re stock your inverts quite often.

And the huma humna tiugger has a reputation as one of the most aggressive triggers there are, so you could well end up with problems keeping it with the eel.

Though going on your thread on sea donkies it doesn't matter how we answer, you still don't listen until someone says something you like

 

[puddle_inc]

OMG read the last post i had in there. i was not just gonna do these thigns because i don't care about the fish, i was just argueing for info, and seeing an swers and i had trouble finding someone to giv me direct answers. when i talked on there, they were IDEAS, i was not just gonna do it anyway and kill fish. i'm not llike that, and i'm sick of people being rude to me about it just because of a misunderstanding!!!!!

anyway, about the eel, let me NICELY argue IDEAS and THOUGHTS

i saw videos online with the triggers and eel being together. would there be much of a problem if they had room to stay away from each other? when i get the trigger it will be about 3 inches or so, so i may actually have to keep him somewhere else until he gets a little bit bigger so he doesn't get eaten by the eel. but anyway, do you think they would have a problem? or would it be more like a male and female betta? just a little scared at first, but with watch and control, they get along after time?

just thoughts above, just want clear answers, and don't want yelled at or griped at or anyone thinking i'm putting them together to kill each other. just want that to be clear for everyone.

 

[sianeds]

OK so...... The snowflake eel wouldn't eat the humu humu. The humu humu may attack the eel. Either way a 55gal tank is too small for any trigger. A trigger should have 75gal minimum, more like 100gal IMO or you are asking for aggresion problems.

You could put a lionfish in with it. In a 55gal you could house :
a twinspot lionfish (Dendrochirus biocellatus) This will also eat inverts and smaller fish. They can be a bugger to feed so usually don't do great.
a shortfin lionfish (Dendrochirus brachypterus) ^^^same as above
a zebra/dwarf lionfish (Dendrochirus zebra) will eat inverts and smaller fish
a spotfin lionfish (Pterois antennata) ^^^ same as above
a clearfin/radiata lionfish (Pterois radiata) ^^^same
You could possibly have a Russels or Volitans lionfish but they are probably a bit too big to be comfortable in a 55gal.

You can keep Grunts and Sweetlips with eels but they are all too big for a 55gal.

You could keep a small puffer (pretty much any Canthigaster sp. but NOT Arothron sp. as these are too big)
For example Canthigaster jactator or Canthigastor valentini are good readily available types.

You could try a trigger with an eel... Some triggers CAN be housed in a 55gal but as I said you would be chancing aggression as it grows and you could only keep one trigger and the eel. Nothing else.

Hope this helps

 

[puddle_inc]

ok, i'm going to nicely, creative argue, for a second.

ok, i read some places a 75g and some places a 55g. do they grow very fast? like if i had one small, but big enough to not get eaten, would that work for a while? i don't want to risk too much aggression. i really really like lionfish, but i'm afraid i'll get stung with my luck.

do the oones that come from petstores have there sting out of them, do they do anything to them to make them safe? and hjow dangerous are they? just a little scared of one of those.

and i know the shrimp will decline fast, but i'll bebreeding tons of them in one area and have about 80 or so white shrimp in the reef tank at a time. i am hoping the hermits will be fine from the eel, but i'm not for sure.

my favorite lfs has a lionfish right now, so i will probably get it from them if it's a good price.

 

[meso81]

I don't believe that they take the stingers out of lion fish..... It would be pretty sweet if they could... But then again, I think its venomous Stings is what make us so respectful and careful of its nature.

I also get my fish from Saltwaterfish.com The fish on this site happen to be alot cheaper then any of my LFS's.

Lions on here are affordable and I have never had a problem, they have a warranty and free shipping.

 

[sianeds]

ok, i'm going to nicely, creative argue, for a second.

ok, i read some places a 75g and some places a 55g. do they grow very fast? like if i had one small, but big enough to not get eaten, would that work for a while? i don't want to risk too much aggression. i really really like lionfish, but i'm afraid i'll get stung with my luck.

OK...I agree that some places do say you can house certain triggers (Humu humu included) in a 55gal. I am sitting next to my 55gal reef tank right now. I LOVE humu humu's and I wanted to put one in my 55gal and have it FOWLR. I only decided not to after visiting public aquariums and seeing how big triggers get when they are fully grown. I decided that I wouldn't be comfortalbe keeping the fish in my tank as I personally feel that it's too small. However...experts do say they CAN live in a 55gal so it's entirely up to you

do the oones that come from petstores have there sting out of them, do they do anything to them to make them safe? and hjow dangerous are they? just a little scared of one of those.

In a word NO I don't think you can take the sting out.

and i know the shrimp will decline fast, but i'll bebreeding tons of them in one area and have about 80 or so white shrimp in the reef tank at a time. i am hoping the hermits will be fine from the eel, but i'm not for sure.

If you can establish a breeding programme for the shrimp that will be fine Just be aware that if the fish get used to having live foods you may find it very difficult to get them to accept anything else. This isn't a problem if you have a ready supply of shrimp, but if you had any problems..... You may find it more practical to get them eating frozen foods and give them shrimps as a treat

my favorite lfs has a lionfish right now, so i will probably get it from them if it's a good price.

I am also a huge fan of lionfish If you did decide to go for a lionfish, apart from being a beautiful animal, they are pretty much the only fsh you could keep with an eel where you could also keep corals BONUS

 

[flamingonhot]

Well, IMHO... snowflakes are too large themselves for a 55. I've seen almost full grown ones... they're always just too cramped in tanks that size.


As for the lionfish, just be careful, they have a tendency to freak out at random moments in tank cleaning etc.

 

[Lynden]

One thing that people seem not to realize is that Snowflake Morays rarely eat fish. They have flat teeth used to crush crustaceans. Pretty much any semi-wary medium sized fish could be placed with a Snowflake, especially if the eel is well-fed.

Lionfish on the other hand eat small fish and ocassionally, an unwary shrimp. I consider Lionfish reef-safe.

Humuhumu Triggers, in my opinion, grow much too large for a 55 gallon tank. Anyone who has seen a full grown one, in the wild, cruising amoung the rocks at top speed I think will agree with me. They could blow a Tang out of the water. I would recommend at least a 90 gallon tank for one of these.

The smaller Rhinecanthus and Sufflamen Triggers are much more adept for smaller tanks. Sufflamen are also docile and can be considered reef-safe.

-Lynden

P.S.
Zebra Morays tend to be better for reef tanks than Snowflakes.

 

[puddle_inc]

i've seen the adult snowflakes in 55 gallons all over the internet, everywhere said they can be perfectly fine in a 55g, and when i've seen videos of them in there, they look like they have tons of room. i've never heard anyone say they can not be in a 55g so far.

could i get other opinions? it's just the first time i've heard that...

and even if they rarely do so, it's not enough for me to feel safe putting a seahorse or firefish goby in there with one. especially the goby.

and i'll probably read up a bit on the lionfish. i hope my lfs is cheaper because i don't like to worry about shipping big fish. but saltwaterfish.com really does have cheap fish, the eel has free shipping too, and it's only $18

i have about $99 right now, so i'm getting closer to the tank!! i should be getting even more money soon

 

[rhysiboy]

from what i know about lynden he has an outstanding knowledge on eels and triggers and things of the sort. id put my money on his advice every time. Also i believe that a snowflake in a 55g is a judgement call and depends on what you think is ' fair' to the animal

 

[puddle_inc]

well, lynden, do you think firefish gobies, or seahorses are safe with them? i've heard so much from others saying it's dangerous, but would some gobies be ok with him/her? i will definatly have seahorses in another tank, i don't want to risk that. but would the gobies beok as long as he is well fed?

and i'd like more opinios on feeding like a weekly feeder fish to him and the lionfish.

 

[andywg]

In a 55 gallon you will be looking at the smaller species of lionfish (either the Dendrochirus spp or the smaller Pterois spp - P. antennata or P. radiata being the more common).

The above lions do not feature fish as any large part (if at all) of their diet in the wild, so should not be considered necessary. They, like the snowflake eel, feed on crustaceans and other inverts.

Feeding live fish would be wholly unnecessary in this case. If you do want to see the more natural predation behaviour, then feed live shrimp as they will be a more natural food for your fish.

With the lionfish and the eel in the tank I would expect the ornamental shrimp population to become depleted somewhat swifter than most would like. They may be ok if well fed and kept with snails and hermits.

One can often keep relatively small fish with the inver eating eels, though there will always be an element of risk keeping any animal small enough to fit inside the mouth of another fish (and eels and lionfish have surprisingly large mouths).

 

[Lynden]

I agree.