Help with Ghost Eel- varying diet

[67Demon]

Hello everyone. I was hoping to receive some help regarding my Ghost Eel. I have owned him for about 10 months now and have ben very happy with him (purchased from Louis @ Aquatic WareHouse). My question involves feeding, specifically options for a varied diet. To this point, i have exclusively fed krill, but have tried to feed silversides and scallops without any success. When i introduce the silversides to him, it's almost like he doesn't care for the smell of it. He will retract his head from the food and go back into his cave. I was wondering if any of you have any suggestions on other foods that he may be interested in.

Otherwise, he is a very healthy eel.

Thanks,
Jakob

[caferacermike]

I really like those guys. I had one for about 6 months, until it had an accident with a pump. Let's just say the pump was evicted from the tank immediately afterwards. I now have 2 banded snake eels in my tank, very similar. They don't actually feed when I feed the tank. I can tell you I add rotifers, cyclops, mysis, and brine both frozen and live to the tank as food. One has been with me for over a year, the other is a recent addition at about 3 months. I think they cruise around and mainly eat my pods.

[Isis]

Hey Jakob, from what I can tell you in regards to eels and their diets, they are finiky. My eels will like only krill one month, then only like smelt the next, then move on to octopus, and of course never the same thing at the same time. Sometimes they will eat two or different things, but it all depends on their mood. I would recommend that you always have various foods on hand to entice them. One thing I like to do it let them go an extra a day or so before the next feeding so they are a little more hungry in order to get them to try something new. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I also don't feed but once or twice a week since they normally eat quite a bit at every feeding.

[67Demon]

Mike & Isis, thank you very much for your replies. On average, i feed my eel about 2-3 times per week, with 3 being on the high side. I guess i'll try the other foods that you guys have described to see if my eel takes to em'.

[SaltyJim]

Have you tried any live foods? I had a little difficulty with a moray once that would not eat anything frozen. I had to buy all live and slowly wean him away (by putting some live goldfish in with frozen silversides). Soon, I was able to put in thawed squid and silversides and it would eat heartily.

I think feeding 2-3 times a week is right on.

[67Demon]

I don't have any difficulty with feeding, i am just trying to supplement and vary my eel's diet. It'll eat frozen krill and has done so for about 10 months now. I have tried live ghost shrimp, but am unaware if he was able to catch and eat the shrimp, since my eel primarily comes out of his cave at night; i wasn't able to visually see him eat the shrimp.

One of my dilemna's with feeding my eel is the size of food that it is able to consume. I realize it's mouth/jaws are able to expand to eat, but i don't know what it's limits are in shoving food down its throat. So, i guess i'm looking for others who have kept a ghost eel (or one of similar size) and food alternatives. But of course, all recommendations and advice are welcomed. :)

[brewercm]

I had a moray that I'd just put small junks of thawed out frozen shrimp in that I'd take the peel off of. He would come out and it was a blast watching it eat, he'd wrap himself up in knots while attacking that poor dead chunk.

[SaltyJim]

To this point, i have exclusively fed krill, but have tried to feed silversides and scallops without any success. When i introduce the silversides to him, it's almost like he doesn't care for the smell of it. He will retract his head from the food and go back into his cave.

Sorry, I took this as having difficulty in getting him to eat frozen foods.

The natural diet in the wild is squid for most eels. Also try feeding some live fish (like ruby reds) and see if he even likes something like the silversides. The nice thing about those is that they die in the saltwater, so they slow down a lot before they expire. If your eel has poor eyesight (most do), this will help allow more time for the eel to catch it's prey. I know my eels would devour any fish (frozen or live) that touched the water. Along with table shrimp and thawed squid.

Just try to vary as much as possible. If you try Isis' suggestion and go a day or so longer in between, the eel will be more prone to try something new, and you might even be able to entice it to eat during the daylight hours.

[Isis]

My eels also go anywhere around 3-4 days up to a week without eating. I can usually tell when they are hungry. Normally there are very reclusive with their head poking out. When they stick it out more and start looking around, like they are looking for food, I know it is time to feed. My goldentail will sometimes fast, which is normal for eels.

[67Demon]

To this point, i have exclusively fed krill, but have tried to feed silversides and scallops without any success. When i introduce the silversides to him, it's almost like he doesn't care for the smell of it. He will retract his head from the food and go back into his cave.

Sorry, I took this as having difficulty in getting him to eat frozen foods.

The natural diet in the wild is squid for most eels. Also try feeding some live fish (like ruby reds) and see if he even likes something like the silversides. The nice thing about those is that they die in the saltwater, so they slow down a lot before they expire. If your eel has poor eyesight (most do), this will help allow more time for the eel to catch it's prey. I know my eels would devour any fish (frozen or live) that touched the water. Along with table shrimp and thawed squid.

I apologize if i confused you and others. Yeah, my eel will eat frozen foods, but he ONLY eats krill.

About the other foods (i.e. ruby red's, squid, octopus, etc.) that have been suggested, are they typically sold in the local aquarium stores or can i also find them at HEB?

Just try to vary as much as possible. If you try Isis' suggestion and go a day or so longer in between, the eel will be more prone to try something new, and you might even be able to entice it to eat during the daylight hours.

I apologize if i confused you and others. Yeah, my eel will eat frozen foods, but he ONLY eats krill.

About the other foods (i.e. ruby red's, squid, octopus, etc.) that have been suggested, are they typically sold in the local aquarium stores or can i also find them at HEB?

Thanks again for all of the help and suggestions.

[Isis]

I would avoid feeding any saltwater fish anything that is of freshwater origin, especially ruby reds and goldfish. Not only are they an equivelent of potatoe chips, but they are normally not kept in well cleaned areas, and could spread bacteria and bad viruses to your main display.

As for other foods, you can find them in regular markets, like HEB, or in Asian stores. In the frozen section of the grocery store, there is usually a frozen bag of various seafoods, which also includes imitation crab meat. You don't want to put that in your tank. The rest should be unseasoned and uncooked. You can thaw it and feed to the eel. You can also use this same mix to feed your corals if you put in food processor.




To this point, i have exclusively fed krill, but have tried to feed silversides and scallops without any success. When i introduce the silversides to him, it's almost like he doesn't care for the smell of it. He will retract his head from the food and go back into his cave.

Sorry, I took this as having difficulty in getting him to eat frozen foods.

The natural diet in the wild is squid for most eels. Also try feeding some live fish (like ruby reds) and see if he even likes something like the silversides. The nice thing about those is that they die in the saltwater, so they slow down a lot before they expire. If your eel has poor eyesight (most do), this will help allow more time for the eel to catch it's prey. I know my eels would devour any fish (frozen or live) that touched the water. Along with table shrimp and thawed squid.

I apologize if i confused you and others. Yeah, my eel will eat frozen foods, but he ONLY eats krill.

About the other foods (i.e. ruby red's, squid, octopus, etc.) that have been suggested, are they typically sold in the local aquarium stores or can i also find them at HEB?

Just try to vary as much as possible. If you try Isis' suggestion and go a day or so longer in between, the eel will be more prone to try something new, and you might even be able to entice it to eat during the daylight hours.

I apologize if i confused you and others. Yeah, my eel will eat frozen foods, but he ONLY eats krill.

About the other foods (i.e. ruby red's, squid, octopus, etc.) that have been suggested, are they typically sold in the local aquarium stores or can i also find them at HEB?

Thanks again for all of the help and suggestions.

[SaltyJim]

I would avoid feeding any saltwater fish anything that is of freshwater origin, especially ruby reds and goldfish. Not only are they an equivelent of potatoe chips, but they are normally not kept in well cleaned areas, and could spread bacteria and bad viruses to your main display.


I agree with this, and I was mearly suggesting to try live feeders as a way to introdce the eels to food other than krill. I do not recommend feeding feeders for a long term since they really do not have the nutritional value they need to survive. A few here or there will not hurt the tank or inhabitants, and may actually help the eel vary it's diet.

Jakob, you can get frozen squid and other foods at a LFS as well as the local grocery. Sometimes, the frozen blocks of food from the LFS will be loaded with vitamins, which with a varied diet should not be necessary. The HEB is much cheaper ;)

Hope this helps.

[67Demon]

Thanks a bunch Kim & Jim. Definately the advice i was looking for.