Eel compatibility

[L0L_Z]

Im gonna be getting 2 eels, one blue ribbon and the other a banded/goldpotted snake eel. In inverts, i plan on having a reef lobster. Would it be a danger to midas blennies? Can the reef lobster eat mandarins (since they are venomous? the stocking is in order. Will reef lobsters harm snails and hermits and urchins (i hope not, that would hurt)

boxfish
foxface
chelmon marginalis
bannerfish trio
snake eel
cirrhilabrus naokae
macropharyngodon meleagris
midas blenny
yellow tail tamarin
regal angelfish
Blue ribbon eel
PBT
mandarin

 

[vlangel]

I would not put a midas blenny nor a mandarin with any eels or reef lobsters. I even had an pistol shrimp go after my firefish goby and the goby was bigger.

 

[L0L_Z]

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I would not put a midas blenny nor a mandarin with any eels or reef lobsters. I even had an pistol shrimp go after my firefish goby and the goby was bigger.

guess so. I do love them alot, and i do want to give it a try. Idk why but eeverything down here in australia is massive. the midas blennies at my lfs are 6,5inches

 

[L0L_Z]

also, if anyone cares, heres my invert list
6 trochus snails
1 halloween urchin
1 blue tuxedo urchin
1 reef lobster
1 coral banded shrimp
filter feeding crabs
3 emerald crabs
1 spider decorator crab
3 gold ring cowries

 

[Steve and his Animals]

Any fish that has a slender body is fair game for a blue ribbon eel. If it eats anything at all, that is. The smaller wrasses and blennies on your list can be food if it can catch them. The mandarin being poisonous doesn't always mean anything to things like eels and lobsters either. Eels are regularly known to be eating lionfish, rabbitfish, etc.

Also, from what I can tell snake eels prefer to eat invertebrates, specifically crabs, shrimp, and echinoderms, so a lot of those inverts you have might end up missing.

 

[L0L_Z]

Any fish that has a slender body is fair game for a blue ribbon eel. If it eats anything at all, that is. The smaller wrasses and blennies on your list can be food if it can catch them. The mandarin being poisonous doesn't always mean anything to things like eels and lobsters either. Eels are regularly known to be eating lionfish, rabbitfish, etc.

Also, from what I can tell snake eels prefer to eat invertebrates, specifically crabs, shrimp, and echinoderms, so a lot of those inverts you have might end up missing.

as long as it doesnt touch my larger fish or my naokos wrasse (lets face it, its never gonna catch that thing) it can have a feast. I will be replacing cuc. Would it kill stars? chocolate stars to be exact. also, I really hope they dont kill urchins because they cost 50$ each here

 

[Steve and his Animals]

as long as it doesnt touch my larger fish or my naokos wrasse (lets face it, its never gonna catch that thing) it can have a feast. I will be replacing cuc. Would it kill stars? chocolate stars to be exact. also, I really hope they dont kill urchins because they cost 50$ each here

Never say never. I thought the same thing about a lot of faster fish with some of my eels when I first kept them. If it fits in it's mouth, it's sometimes more of an eventuality. This is an aquarium, there's only so much running that's possible until the fish gets tired. I've even had eels take out cleaner wrasses and tiny chromis.

There's someone on this forum keeping a banded and goldspotted snake eel together, if I recall he says they don't bother looking at fish but I don't think he has ever tried keeping many inverts with them. The bulk of their diet seems to be shelled inverts but, if I had to guess, larger snake eels probably take urchins as sea stars and cucumbers don't tend to be very edible to a lot of things, and their teeth seem to be more similar to the pebble-toothed morays.

 

[srobertb]

I think the answer is unfortunately “maybe.” I’d put the fish in first then add the eels. Predators get conditioned that “big dumb air breather outside clear rock add things to tank so is food”

Id say keeping them well fed and lazy will give them little reason to go hunting. But there’s always that one dang ****** that wants to hunt and you just never know.

 

[vlangel]

I had an eel eat a clown tang so I definitely wouldn't risk smaller fish.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

As mentioned, very few fish eat star fish and sea cucumbers - or brittle stars - so I'd assume those would be safe. Urchins are generally more palatable to fish though, so I don't know if they would be safe.

Also, just a slight clarification here: mandarins are poisonous (they have a toxic mucus covering them - it tastes bad and deters predation) - many poisonous creatures will kill you if you touch/eat them; lionfish, scorpionfish, rabbitfish, etc. are venomous (they have a sting/bite that injects toxin) - many venomous creatures, like bees and scorpions, are edible (and, from what I've heard, quite tasty). I don't know if the poison of the mandarin would be enough to keep it safe from eels that eat fish, but an unavoidable bad taste should (in theory) be a better deterrent against impressive predators like eels than an avoidable sting. (That said, I'd still ask for opinions from people who have kept these eels before putting a mandarin in with them.)

 

[lion king]

The reef lobster is a bad idea, they are a special creature that tank mates need to be carefully considered. They will eat small fish and will behead the mandarin whether they eat him or not, they will chomp on urchins and stars which would be safe with all your other choices, shrimp would also be a goner. The ribbon eel will swallow the mandarin, poison or not, as well as any other small fish. Any eel, including the snake eel gold spotted can be a threat to small fish and soft bodied inverts like shrimp. Ribbon eels also take very special care and without understanding how to feed them have really no chance at survival, there are many threads here discussing ribbon eels I suggest you read. Shrimp will be at risk from many on your list.

 

[L0L_Z]

Ive decided not to go with a mandarin (and forgot abt this thread in the process). No reef lobster. Got it. I bought a ribbon eel that eats frozen and it lives ina tank that a friend of mine owns. Hes willing to pay me 3000$ for it lol. I also have live SW mollies so ye.
Updated stocking
Boxfish
foxface
chelmon rostratum
bannerfish trio
snake eel or barred fin moray eel (gymnothorax zonepticus?)
silver belly wrasse
cirrhilabrus naokae
cirrhirablus aquamarinus
Halichoeres Iridis
macropharyngodon meleagris
yellow tail tamarin
leopard toby
regal angelfish
Blue ribbon eel
bellus angelfish'
Harlequin tuskfish
PBT or scopas tang.

Inverts
6 trochus snails
2 chocolate chip stars
2 urchins
2 conches
2 nassarius snails
1 banded brittle stars
6 asterina stars (to start a population)
6 micro brittle stars (to start a population)

 

[Steve and his Animals]

Ive decided not to go with a mandarin (and forgot abt this thread in the process). No reef lobster. Got it. I bought a ribbon eel that eats frozen and it lives ina tank that a friend of mine owns. Hes willing to pay me 3000$ for it lol. I also have live SW mollies so ye.
Updated stocking
Boxfish
foxface
chelmon rostratum
bannerfish trio
snake eel or barred fin moray eel (gymnothorax zonepticus?)
silver belly wrasse
cirrhilabrus naokae
cirrhirablus aquamarinus
Halichoeres Iridis
macropharyngodon meleagris
yellow tail tamarin
leopard toby
regal angelfish
Blue ribbon eel
bellus angelfish'
Harlequin tuskfish
PBT or scopas tang.

Inverts
6 trochus snails
2 chocolate chip stars
2 urchins
2 conches
2 nassarius snails
1 banded brittle stars
6 asterina stars (to start a population)
6 micro brittle stars (to start a population)

Good luck finding one of those morays. Anything other than the 15-20 commonly available species might as well be a fairy tail unless you can request from a collector/diver.

 

[L0L_Z]

Good luck finding one of those morays. Anything other than the 15-20 commonly available species might as well be a fairy tail unless you can request from a collector/diver.

funny my lfs stocks those regularly. They have atleast 15 rn in stock. Go check gee marine if youd like

 

[L0L_Z]

Stubby Tail Eel – Gee Marine

www.geemarine.com.au

Barred Fin Moray Eel – Gee Marine

www.geemarine.com.au

Enigmatic Moray Eel – Gee Marine

www.geemarine.com.au

 

[Steve and his Animals]

funny my lfs stocks those regularly. They have atleast 15 rn in stock. Go check gee marine if youd like

That's interesting. Any idea who they get them from? Unless you are mistaking G. zonipectus for the barred moray, Echidna polyzona.

If it's actually zonipectus that will likely still eat your smaller wrasses as they grow.

 

[Steve and his Animals]

Stubby Tail Eel – Gee Marine

www.geemarine.com.au

Barred Fin Moray Eel – Gee Marine

www.geemarine.com.au

Enigmatic Moray Eel – Gee Marine

www.geemarine.com.au

Oh you're in Australia, that makes more sense.

 

[L0L_Z]

That's interesting. Any idea who they get them from? Unless you are mistaking G. zonipectus for the barred moray, Echidna polyzona.

If it's actually zonipectus that will likely still eat your smaller wrasses as they grow.

Like? I know the naokos a target but aquamarinus?

 

[L0L_Z]

Is gymonthorax enigmatus fish safe?

 

[WitheredMantis]

I wouldn’t really trust any Gymnothorax species with small fish but you could possibly get away with a pebble-toothed species. Ime it depends on the eel I currently have a 2’ snowflake moray with many fish (including a mandarin) and have for over three years. He also shares his cave with a pair of blood shrimp. Yet I also had a much smaller snowflake go after many fish. I think it’s luck of the draw & up to the individual fish.