If my eels are fighting when I introduce a new will it get better or just continue. I have two eels one of which atracks an new snowflake. The attacker is a 13" Snowfalake and the one getting attacked is a 8" Snowflake. The 12" Barred Eel bothers no one. So I'm willing to see if they will work it out but I'm scared the larger eel might eat the smaller one.
If my eels are fighting will it subsist or improve?
- Thread starter hrdneglcry
- Start date
50/50, when keeping conspecies 1st the tank needs to be large enough and designed in a way to present multiple den sites. You may risk it with something like a 75g, but that may not work with 2 males. Since there is no visual way to sex them, it's just the luck of the draw. At least a 6' tank would be better. Initial angst may subside if the lesser eel submits, but if 2 males in a smaller tank with limited den space, the dominant male may eventually kill the other one. If it ends up being male and female many times they will work it out, this usually happens pretty quickly and you may even see them sharing then same den.
Its a 120. 4x2 base. The smaller eel wants nothing to do with the bigger one. The bigger one gets along just fine with anlike sized Barred Eel. Lots of rock work in the tank. Will try to add some more piping. The smaller one is the most active which is why I am risking it. He swims around while the other two hide alot.
I thought about buying one or two more small ones. I've seen pictures where they have ten of them sticking their heads out of a pipe. A store around here was surprised they were fighting. I hope it works. The bigger one does seem to want trouble. I had a 15" snowflake that did the same thing to the one I have now that is big 13". But the 15" escaped the tank I had him in temporarily.
I thought about buying one or two more small ones. I've seen pictures where they have ten of them sticking their heads out of a pipe. A store around here was surprised they were fighting. I hope it works. The bigger one does seem to want trouble. I had a 15" snowflake that did the same thing to the one I have now that is big 13". But the 15" escaped the tank I had him in temporarily.
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Eels grow up, as well as all fish; people get the wrong idea when they see juvenile conspecies hanging out. When eels mature they are more solitary, many times not tolerating each other, and males may fight, actually to the death with each other. When you see 2 mature eels of the same species hanging together, it may be a male and female, or every females hanging together. Not the same with males, it's the law of the jungle, just because they are in captivity, doesn't mean that they are domesticated. When you see people displaying tanks with eels, reporting on the model citizen, you must check on the size(maturity) of the eel, and the tank size. As well as the purchase size, the more maturity at collection, the more propensity the eel may have to be more aggressive. This can also happen with different species of eels as well, it is a delicate balance that needs to be carefully considered.
I was hoping for the best. I don't think its going to work. Not with these two snowflakes. Plus its apartment life which makes fish keeping more challenging. In a home setting I'd engineer the crap out of the tank. I probably should try that. It nice when you see eels coexisting. I guess I've gotten unlucky with three male Snowflake purchases. I read there was some thinking about certain eels being hermaphroditic but not sure it was Snowflakes. Oh well. My friend had two or three large eels living together. It was pretty cool. In a 6 foot 150 gallon. I once had a Tesselata in a 180 but only a Black Durgeon Trigger could hang with him.
For how long is the broader question. Some will say oh I had 2-3-5 snowflakes iving together, then you find out that it ended after months to a year for one reason or another. Or even quicker, people will post after 2 weeks that they have no.problems. When you get a juvi eel it can be more than a year before their true aggressive nature comes out. Juvi eels are not the same as mature eels, and sadly most captive eels don't live that long. As in nature, mature eels are solitary. While I have seen successful long term tanksnwith multiple eels, I have also seen tanks fine for a year then an eel goes on a murder spree. Back to my first post 50/50
I hope it works out. It seems likenits definitely not guaranteed. One day it can gonoff the rails. The Snowflake and Barred Eel have been tankmates for a few years. I had a bigger 15" Snowflake that attacked the 13". 15" Jumped out/died. Was a pretty eel. Ordered a 12-17" Snowflake but they sent a 7-8". Nice Eel. Energetic. 13" Snowflake goes after him. Hoping it will pass.
I thank everyone who posted. I have kept an Eel a long time ago and it was a large Tess Eel. This time around I thought I'd try for Snowflakes. One jumped out to his death after I purchased a 15" that was supposed to be 24" from a local guy. It was in a covered bucket and I took him at his word. He was in a 90 on a time out for attacking the 13" Eel. So just dumb in the purchase and in not securing the tank enough. Now the new one I got by mistake I cannot find. Maybe the 13" ate him. He is not on the carpeting, or in the overflow. I hope he will appear or is maybe living in the same cave with the bigger one. I ordered a 12-17" Eel but received a 7" Eel. I would have preferred they tell me they had no 12-17" left and I would not have ordered at all. Plus the price was more. But thanks alot for the post to all. Years ago I had this Tess in a 180. He was awesome. And I did not have trouble. I like these Snowflakes. But I might be done with more Eels. I was contemplating getting a 36" Zebra Eel. But I know it will probably eat all of my hermit crabs and maybe my shrimp. But I think it would fit with the eels that I have since Zebras are suppose to be very docile.
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