pregnant eel??

[deathtank]

I have a 20" jewel moray eel that recently has gotten huge in the stomach area. I do not over feed. The eel is about 7-8 years old and it has been in my tank for 2 years now. It looks like it swallowed a orange. The head and tail section are the same size as they have always been.

[Andrew]

.001% chance. Is there another eel in the tank?

[deathtank]

no other eel in the tank, 3 triggers, lionfish and harlequin tusk in a 125g. I asked my LFS and they don't have a clue to the sudden weight gain either. any suggestions?

[Andrew]

They dont reproduce asexauly. No way.

[Dragon Moray Eels]

No way is right, i would look more closely at this area for if you can take it to someone who knows what they are looking at i would suggest you do if in another month or so there appears to be no change for eels can get tumors and around the neck or head area they show much larger. So i will make you a suggest if your not squeamish to exam that area by touching and lightly rubbing. of course, only do this if no eggs are laid but you will have no young im sorry. For there be a number of things as well that you would need to do besides having a male and that is your tank nitrates would have to be extremely low, at zero be more preferable. But do keep a close watch of this area and for how long had you took notice of it? If you can, what is it size? But for you too have this eel for two years, in no way she will have young ones. So it is my best guess right now that this could/can be a tumor :(
Buddy ><{{{{">

[Absint Reefer]

sounds like bloat to me have you changed the eels diet recently? I have to say though I have seen eels lay eggs while they were the only fish in the tank.

[Dragon Moray Eels]

Yes, it can be, for how large of pieces of food had you been feeding your eel?
Buddy ><{{{{">

[Absint Reefer]

Do you still have all your other fish?
maybe your eel got hungry

[deathtank]

The eel is 20" inches in length, I would say his mid-section is like one of those nerf footballs...almost, not quite that big but it's close. The eel looks fine otherwise, swims around, still hungary. I weened it off goldfish when I got it and it eats silversides, tiger shrimp (which I cut length wise and into pieces the size of a nickel). I can handle the eel but haven't done it since this happened...I thought about giving it a gentle squeeze but I don't want to hurt it. Let's say it's going to lay eggs? how long is that process? Or if it's bloated how can I help it? I have all my other fish so it didn't get big from eating any of them. I appreciate all the help guys.

[Dragon Moray Eels]

I would say his mid-section is like one of those nerf footballs...almost, not quite that big but it's close
How can it be a she to lay eggs if it is a he? And i not can believe that this large bump could be eggs for as well, you would need a male of the species that would fertilize the eggs and anyone ever trying to mate their marine species for to have young, would need to make their tanks a species only tank.

I weened it off goldfish when I got it and it eats silversides
I would not feed your eel anymore feeders or silversides that you should be feeding now fresh strips of fish, squid, shrimp as you mentioned, octopus and the fish strips should be an avality of fish and not just one or two types of fish. Like those silversides, their little bodies hold more water then anything and are only good for one thing if anything and that is to attempt to get your eel(s) to feed and once they do so you must feed a more nutrishional diet then what you are doing now :(

Let's say it's going to lay eggs? how long is that process?
It can take any number of weeks or so, and it would depend on the mating pair for when they are ready for you not say how long ago you took notice of the eels present condition. And as far as the bloating, it will cure itself in time if you do all else correct in maintain high water quality and not over feeding as well as too large of pieces of strips of fish, but if this is a tumor, you not will see any change other then it may grow larger.
Buddy ><{{{{">

[deathtank]

I only have one eel in my tank, I made the mistake of using the term "his" in my letter and made that confusing. This happened 3 weeks ago with the eel and it's still very big in the stomach area. All it ate before I got it was goldfish, I slowly got it to eat a variety of foods, shrimp,scallops,squid,many types of fillets of various fish and the silversides. If it's a tumor than the tumor is big because it's the whole underside of the eel from a inch under it's chin to the vent that looks like it's going to burst. The head, back and tail are all the same size as it normally was since I had the eel. Is there anything I can do? medication?

[Dragon Moray Eels]

Let me ask you something, when you first took notice of this area being what it is, was it smaller before? Was it small at one time that you couldn't at first tell is any problem was there for a tumor will start out very small and grow in time becoming larger and if your eel is bloated, it will appear to what it is now. Please be sure you answer as correctly you can for if bloated, it will exceed in time and if not :(

It not really matter much what the gender of your eel for you still would need the other ;) Now three weeks ago, this area on your eel, was it slowly across time got to the point where it is or it suddenly appeared as it is now? I would suggest to you to make its diet more nutritional and a variety of different feedings. not all at one time understand. Like one feeding, try two types of foods and the next, another two types of foods for you any number of fresh fish for your eel you know and try to stay away from farm raised, least for now anyway.

If it's a tumor than the tumor is big because it's the whole underside of the eel from a inch under it's chin to the vent that looks like it's going to burst.
Like i said, if this is a tumor, it would appear to look much larger at the neck or head area of your eel and if this is a tumor, i can only believe that surgery be the only way to remove it for i cannot tell you to if this be a tumor that it would stop growing for myself as a person long time ago had a B9 tumor in a calf of my leg and the doc i was seeing first about it keep telling me it a something else and i could had lost my left leg because of him and it grown to the size of a soda can the doctor who done my surgery. So i cannot tell you if your eel do have a tumor or not and now for sure, i know it isn't carrying eggs to lay somewhere.
It might be best that if you can post a very clear photo of this eel in few different positions with up close shots of the area, etc.
Buddy ><{{{{">

[Dragon Moray Eels]

deathtank, I not believe your eel would bloat that close to its head area, so this has to be a tumor :( :(

[Dragon Moray Eels]

Sorry for this three post but i can be wrong :o because you been feeding your eel feeders so far all i know, this could be the source of your eels problem :o :eek:

[deathtank]

it was raised on feeders and ate that way for 5-6 years...then I got the eel from a friend and like I said I got it off feeders and on a sensible diet for the last 2 years. The area in question is the whole underside of the eel, it's not like one big bump sticking out abnormally. Even though it's big it fits the streamline shape of the eel's body. This makes me think it's not pooping...? and it keeps getting bigger. I will get some pictures this weekend, I want someone else to see this. Okay, picture this...I live in Wis. The first thing I thought when I seen how huge this eel was getting was it looked like a ruffed grouse when they stick there chest out and beat there wings. Thats exactly how big this eel is when it's sitting there arched up. why?

[dhoch]

deathtank,

I've heard of a product (don't recall the name) that can be used to break up the stool (it might have been the maracyn II product, but not sure) of fish... specific lions... and alow them to pass it easier...

Don't know if that helps at all or not.

Dave

[Dragon Moray Eels]

deathtank, I Sympathies with you, I really do. But what you need to know is that tumors not only be in the shape of a lump ball for it can take any shape as well being at any part of the body for im afraid this is a tumor, but without being able to examine the eel myself, it becomes rather differcult to give you a clear picture to what your eel`s problem is and so far from much you said in explaining the problem, im afraid i have to say it sounds as it is a tumor, im very sorry. What would be best right now if your LFS guy can access you in further identification in this area. And i can only believe that surgery be the only way to fix the problem.
For one thing, you not answered my question twice that i ask you, to when you first seen this, was it as large as it was or a bit smaller for it is difficult to be able to tell you anything differ then what i have because as i said, i no way of examing this myself and understand that a tumor wouldn`t grow as large as it is over night for any type of infection can cause this as well but with not details other then you took notice of it three weeks ago, I have little or nothing to access you with.
OK, you will post some photos this weekend, but when you got this eel some two years ago, you would had seen something thing on the eel where this area of the problem. And like i said, this could be anything from a tumor to a infection and God knows what else. And the best Diagnostics you can get is by one who understand Eels and examings your eel up close for you need to know what your feeling when one do examings any animal or person for even a picture with all honesty i can either guess wrong or simply tell you something that isn`t the case at all for your eel but i am still backing on this can be a tumor but if it grown so much large for i not believe if it was a tumor, it would done this so quickly and as i said, a tumor not need to be a ball shape for it could be oval shape or other wise.
I might even with a photo if i cannot come to a full conclusion of the problem to send it to two people i know for maybe they came across this problem some time before. And i will make a long distance phone call to another person i know who has a lot of background with all types of animals (Pets). For understyand that in all the eels i have eels, nothing as this or anything even near it ever took place for it could as well be only it not had all that much of a healthy diet that even lead to the situation here now that you have. For who to say what and how your eel would react to the less nutrishional diet that it had received through the years.
bUDDY ><{{{{">

[spamin76]

Wow that is really odd - I don't think eels are live bearers though.

Not absolutely sure on that one.

[deathtank]

dhoch, thanks for the tip I will look into maracynII. And to dragon moray eels....it slowly got bigger over the 3 week (now into the 4th. week) period. Up until that time the eel was always perfect in shape and form. I wrote a letter to Bob Fenner and just recieved a reply...he said, add one teaspoon of Epsom salt per 10 gals. to the system. From what I have heard Mr. Fenner knows alot about marine life so I'm going to try that today. Thanks for all your help.

[fishsoldseprtly]

I saw a snowflake die once and it had the neck part soo big it looked like it would burst. dont know what it was but the eel was dead after the huge neck

[fishsoldseprtly]

BTW goodluck with the eel

[Absint Reefer]

so are you saying give the eel some type of laxative

[Dragon Moray Eels]

deathtank, OK i got you an answer for it is as i figure that Epsom salt will not help much at all so would be nothing more then a waste of time. I can suggest to you to try Secure Copper, which is a liquid antibiotic which you would inject into the eels food for you can dose the tank, but it far more effective the other way or both, just not over dose.
Buddy ><{{{{">

[bob0110]

Do you speak engish dude?

[deathtank]

That photo I took is to big for the website to accept...still trying. Copper? The stuff used for ich? That has to be pretty harsh to put that in the eels food.

[Dragon Moray Eels]

Use this as a host then

http://imageshack.us/