Anyone looking for a black ribbon eel?

stealthbimmer · #1 05/23/2007, 07:11 PM

I was at pet world on hwy 100 and saw this beauty....never seen one anywhere local..

Gem Tang Rider · #2 05/23/2007, 07:38 PM

Make sure you see it eat before you buy.

Red Sea Purple Tang · #3 05/23/2007, 07:41 PM

Sweet!

cschwaj · #4 05/23/2007, 09:20 PM

The fish room dude who does their saltwater setups and seems to know his stuff made it a point to show me this ribbon several weeks ago.

At that time it ate a good sized krill in one gulp. It has been there at least a month and is about 5 feet long.

There is a niger trigger in the same tank that is quite a character and has been there a couple months.

The store on 84th-ish and Oklahoma has had blue and black ribbons in the past. Their m.o. is to sell stuff before it dies.

techigirl78 · #5 05/24/2007, 08:27 AM

cschwaj - Is it really 5'? I thought these eels only got 3'?

Oh, are you talking about the Fish Factory? Those little holding tanks they put larger clowns, tangs, etc. in frustrates me.

cschwaj · #6 05/24/2007, 12:30 PM

Well... the 5' number came from the worker at Pet World. My book says they grow to 3.9'. I could see at least 2.5-3' of him, but there was more. He sort of hangs in that rock arch they built in that tank; its hard to get a feel for the overall size.

And yep, the Fish Factory is the one I meant. My issue with them is the advice they give. Everything can be solved with something they sell. The focus is on product, not good husbandry.

Peter Eichler · #7 05/25/2007, 05:11 AM

I stopped in Pet Supplies Plus a couple weeks ago and they had 3 of them

That place makes me sick. There is something seriously wrong with their water, I've never seen so many nervous, ick, and stressed out fish in one place before.

techigirl78 · #8 07/26/2007, 09:41 AM

I ended up getting the eel. It does eat pretty much anything I offer with tongs now. I have had it two months eating on a daily or every other day basis (silversides seem to fill it up a little longer). Primarily, I feed it frozen, garlic/selcon soaked silversides, krill, and squid.

I ended up reaquascaping my 75 and putting in pvc tunnels that are buried in the sand based on another thread I found on RC (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...ght=ribbon+eel). The eel really does seem to love the tunnels.

As the thread indicates, I also have the eel with some active fish that eat more agressively - a mid sized convict tang and coris venusta wrasse. It seems that the activity of the fish really do get these eels interested in food. Pet World had it eating when housed with a trigger as well. I thought I'd mention it as the thread and my experience so far does go against some other info I read that ribbon eels should be housed with peaceful / slowmoving tankmates.

Anyways - thanks for mentioning it stealthbimmer as it has been a really great addition to my tank! Always wanted one, but wouldn't take the chance on it till I saw it eat with my own two eyes.

shred5 · #9 07/26/2007, 10:22 AM

I have kept them in the past.. The blacks seem very easy to maintain but the blues rarely eat.

They feel more at home in a reef tank and makes it easier to get them to eat.

They do require their own tank because they will eat your other fish unless they are big fish... Believe me they eat clowns and royal grammas. I used to feed mine live feeder fish From time to time. Mine would eat right out of my hand or feeder stick. Fed him pretty much anything frozen from fish, shrimp, silversides, squid etc.

Dave

techigirl78 · #10 07/26/2007, 11:54 AM

The tank has a good amount of live rock. I want to add some soft corals from my other tank, just haven't gotten around to it.

I have no intentions of keeping the eel with smaller fish. As the fish mature, I only want my dwarf lionfish, coris wrasse, and eel in the tank. Depending on how fast my tang grows (about 4" now), I may keep that in the 75 long term as well. I may get a few small damsels occassionally just to keep the predators on their feet. My coris wrasse seems to love it when I give him an occassional live urchin or shrimp to eat.

Hopefully, it will change to a blue male. From the thread I referenced, it seems to take from a few months to a year for the change to take place.

fe342185 · #11 07/30/2007, 12:30 AM

Mine changed from Black to a yellowish body. Only half of it is this color though. Some parts are electric blue in color. So im confused what it will be.

It loves the 1" PVC so much that it rarely comes out. Oh well.

C-Water · #12 07/30/2007, 07:58 AM

Techgirl78,

What size (diameter) and length of PVC did you use?

Years ago, I kept one for good period of time and ate plenty. I always made sure that at least 3 times a week the food was soaked in vitamins.

It was kept with a few other passive fish. As mentioned, I feel a few passive/non-agressive fish stimulates the eel to look for food. However, I wouldn't keep it with small or agressive fish.

I hope others that are interested in this fish research about it and provide it with a quality tank, instead of an impulse buy at the store.

fe342185 · #13 07/30/2007, 08:30 AM

I used a 1" PVC with 90 degree elbows on each end and a T in the middle which gives him 3 spots to come out of. An Algae blenny often sits next to him in the hole while eating the algae off the PVC. So far the eel has not mistaken him for food.

I feed only once a week with larger portions. 2-3 large silversides.