Snowflake eel

[Darth-Tater]

My wife wants to by me a snowflake eel for father's day. :roll Really she wants our two sons to cough up the money so she can buy me something else. I think that I woould like a snowflake eel. I have a fowlr tank 55 gal. A couple of clowns, a pajama cardnal, yellow tail damesal. Since I am new to this I wanted to ask the question. Will it get along with my fish? should I wait and buy a yellow tang instead? Or, should I just say the heck with it give me the cash.
David

[carlinsa]

yeah snowflake eels are cool very laid back and rarely will eat a fish in the tank. just make sure you keep it fed.

[Dozer]

They will eat anything they can get their mouths on, so anything that rests at night- and is not too big for it- it will go after. It's just the way it is with eels. Also, snowflakes are major escape artists. I once sat and watched one leap completely up and out of my acrylic tank- yes, a standard acrylic with the bracing on the sides even! I saw him do it but it still seemed so weird after it happened. Like a living spring or something.

On the bright side, they look really cool. I just love watching them slithering around in the tank. I can't wait until I have enough room/money for a second tank, it's going to be non-reef with some combination of triggers/snowflake eels with a puffer or lion.

[CD]

They will eat anything they can get their mouths on,

Yeppers, and those fish that were listed were all small enough to be lunch - especially if the eel is of a decent size. I'd stick with fish for that tank. Were there any other fish you were considering besides a Yellow Tang? If you wanted a "snakey" looking fish, you could always go with an engineer goby...or something else? Do you have a sand bed, or is your tank BB?

W.

[Darth-Tater]

I have a sand bed. really any fish is ok. We haven't kept a salt tank in about 28 yrs. Woke up one morning and evrything was dead. :( So we gave up fish and started raising kids (2 boys). :wacko I think the fish may have been eaisier to raise. I am just looking for something that is cool to watch. With 3yr old twins visiting they always run to the tank and look for Nemo and Marlin. :P Need something else that they would like.

David

[don-n-sa]

Snowflake morays are one of the few that are designed to eat crustaceans. Their teeth are made for crushing shells not the long teeth that most morays have. I have a full grown snowflake in my 240g ( about 30") and half of my fish would fit in his mouth but he leaves them alone. Maybe I am lucky or it might be that I keep him well fed. I would not trust him with crabs or shrimps though, but I have puffers and triggers anyway.