Hurt ribbon eel tail! Help please!

[thesaiyans]

We have a ribbon eel and a snowflake eel as well as a foxface rabbitfish, bengai cardinal, pajama cardinal, and a black occelaris clownfish.
Someone must have bitten our ribbon eels tail tip and we do not know who did it. But we are concerned if this is going to heal or not. Also shoukd we take him out and put him in a quarantine tank? Please hel

 

[Big G]

Treating in a QT with methylene blue for 3-5 days. Dose once. MB can "use" O2 from the water column, so use a powerhead aimed up at the surface where it is actively rippling the surface.
Can also add Stress Coat to help with the healing in the QT while soaking in the MB.

 

[thesaiyans]

Treating in a QT with methylene blue for 3-5 days. Dose once. MB can "use" O2 from the water column, so use a powerhead aimed up at the surface where it is actively rippling the surface.
Can also add Stress Coat to help with the healing in the QT while soaking in the MB.

Thank you so much. In your opinion what do you think happened? Do you think it was my other eel? Or maybe he got caught on a live rock?

 

[MTBake]

It almost looks like the tail was crushed. Could be from live rock shifting or maybe the snowflake eel.

Agree with @Big G on treatment.

Hope it heals well for you.

 

[Big G]

That tail can look like a mighty tasty morsel wiggling out from under a rock.

 

[thesaiyans]

That tail can look like a mighty tasty morsel wiggling out from under a rock.

If we dont have a quarantine tank or methylene blue right now what else could be done? Do you think he could die from this injury?

 

[thesaiyans]

And im guessing find a new tank for the snowflake ?

 

[salty joe]

The ribbon could die for sure if it got infected or freaked out and just stopped eating. How long have you had it?
My guess would be the snowflake mauled the ribbon's tail.
If you cant QT the ribbon, I'd find another tank for the snowflake and make sure the water is clean and get it to eat. I hate to say add something else, probably not worth the risk, but I've read of instances where a cleaner shrimp was helpful for a wounded fish. Good luck.

 

[thesaiyans]

Weve only had it 15 days. We were trying to get it to eat. Our lfs said that they would be fine around eachother ugh. I already took our serpent star out so he cant hurt him but I dont know what to do with the snowflake all our other tanks are smaller with fish we dont want to get eaten.

 

[thesaiyans]

Weve only had it 15 days. We were trying to get it to eat. Our lfs said that they would be fine around eachother ugh. I already took our serpent star out so he cant hurt him but I dont know what to do with the snowflake all our other tanks are smaller with fish we dont want to get eaten.

 

[salty joe]

Ribbons are hard to get to eat. I assumed it was eating....You really need to treat it in QT as Big G outlined. Make sure QT has a super tight fitting lid or screen. After treatment, you could add a couple acclimated mollies to live with the ribbon with the hope that the eel eats them. I had a ribbon years ago I had to treat for an infection of the antenna or nostrils or whatever those appendages are on the snout. I got lucky and the ABX worked. I then kept it with a clown and two or three weeks later, the ribbon ate the clown and was a good eater from then on. Until it slipped out of the tank.

Speaking of slipping out of a tank, Snowflakes are notorious for that. They get strong. I had one for 11 years that slipped out of a hole that was too small for it to fit through. Or, so I thought.

 

[thesaiyans]

We already experienced the ribbon eel getting out already and he recovered pretty fast. The snowflake hasnt tried because of how many caves we have that he likes. But great news we got him to eat tonight! He ate a platys. I read that was okay until he will eat the krill. Heres a pic of most of our tank

 

[Flippers4pups]

Tank is too small for both of them. Respectfully.

 

[Snuffy The Seal]

We already experienced the ribbon eel getting out already and he recovered pretty fast. The snowflake hasnt tried because of how many caves we have that he likes. But great news we got him to eat tonight! He ate a platys. I read that was okay until he will eat the krill. Heres a pic of most of our tank
View attachment 1480521

Agreed with flipper. Tank is too small and stocking options are destined for failure. Seperate the ribbon eel and snowflake into larger tanks so they arent risking any of the smaller fish while still getting what they need.

 

[thesaiyans]

Thank you everyone. We got rid of the snowflake eel, he ate alot of our fish anyways. And we had to move our giant serpentine starfish as well since he tried going towards his tail. Now his tail is healing and he's been eating mollys and platys. Yayyyy.

 

[salty joe]

Nice!

 

[lion king]

Ribbons are difficult to get to eat, even when eating dead food, it is a constant challenge, and my experience has proven they don't live too long without at least some live food supplementation. Mollies are a better food, as they can also easily live in sw and give him a chance to hunt them down. Medicating a ribbon is a very delicate order, I have never seen any live too long after treatment with any med other than gc, prazi pro, or metroplex. I would make sure that water quality is pristine and you would be surprised how it would heal on it's own. If you saw any redness, rawness, looks of possible infection; then obviously you would have to medicate. If you do use some sort of antibiotic, and he even makes it through the treatment, really don't expect him to live much more than a few months to a year afterwards.