Eels. good or bad?

I have always liked eels. (tessalated, black edge, fimbrated) I know they are really messy from what I have read and I just was to know if anyone with some exp. would say that it is worth it...? I want to know how bad they are if they truely have to be the only thing in the tank.

 

I have a snowflake, had it since it was a foot long, now it is around 3 feet long. I think this eel is the most peaceful one, it won't even bother my damsels. I would recommend this one, but I don't know about the rest.

 

I love eels especially with a nice unagi no tare

 

yummy

 

That's horrible

 

If you haven't tried it you really should. It has a wonderful sweet taste that has been described as candy for grown-ups. Also many of the eels prepared this way are farmed specifically for the industry.

I havn't had a chance to try Fugu (puffer fish) yet. That's a little tougher to come by since if the chef doesn't really know what he's doing, you'll wind up dead. The stuff is really expensive and a while back there were problems with people dying in Japan because they were eating the Fugu discarded by the experienced chefs. Now I think that they have to specially incinerate or otherwise dispose of the trimmings that aren't served.

 

i have a snowflake with two coral banded shrimp, and two clownfish and he doesnt bother any of them. i also hand feed him i love these guys give them a try. therre very easy to care for.

 

My hand-me-down 150 gallon aquarium was originally owned by someone who kept a tesselated eel. The eel was about 3 1/2 ft long and three years old. He had not been a "good companion" to any other aquarium creatures and lived alone amidst interesting rocks and a small gravel substrate. He had a lot of behaviors and seemed to have a personality.

His owner loved his eel but had difficulty in keeping him inside the tank 100% of the time. Eventually he got out when no one was around and died before he could be rescued.

So..the tesselated probably has to be kept in a large tank by himself but it would be a magnificient animal. Extra care keeping lid weighted down and escape routes blocked. (NOTE: Some people who are snake phobic generalize to eels and this can cause a bit of a problem for those guests.)

I think you'll have more recommendations for the snowflake eel as a bit easier to manage.

 

The only reel negative I can think of with Eels is the fact they are secretive in nature, tending to spend long periods holed up, popping their heads out to feed once in a while

interesting species, I agree, but hide to much for any quality enjoyment from me

also they are really great at getting out of the smallest gaps so you need something to cover the top of the tank - mesh netting works OK IMO as it does not totally prevent gas exchange but should keep your Eel in the tank

Steve

 

I have had a snowflake for years and years. He is very graceful as he navigates my corals and mostly very entertaining. I hand feed him shrimp, clams, mussels and lobster….he’s a bit of a pig actually. His bio load is dependent on how often you feed – and they need a large tank, plenty of room to scurry around.

All animals behave differently – but mine likes to be out and about, if he’s resting its usually on top of my toadstool coral. The toadstool is about 2 feet wide and the eel is about 2.5 feet, so he dips over the ends. He rarely hides and is quite entertaining for all guests in the house. It’s amazing how quickly children can run to your tank in utter amazement.