50 replies to this topic

[tobias funke]

Back story- guy bought Blue Ribbon Eel, kept it in an inappropriate tank, fed inappropriate diet- eel changed from blue back to black. Guy traded Black Ribbon Eel into LFS. I bought it with hopes that it would transition back to blue but was somewhat skeptical. Clean water and a varied diet of fish seems to have payed off.

A couple of weeks back I noticed that the anterior nostrils changed from jet black to mottled- the color transition starts.

These were taken today

[tebmsu97]

Very nice Sir, oddly enough (after the "tanked" marathon due to this being my daughter's favorite show) I was wondering how the original was doing.

[Stang66GT]

As expected from you sir. Great work.

[mr salt]

Congrats. Those are some sexy eels.

[Roushinator]

Nice....

Were you at Aquahut yesterday around 6?

[tobias funke]

Roushinator, on 27 April 2012 - 02:07 PM, said:

Were you at Aquahut yesterday around 6?

Wasn't me, I'm generally in there about when he opens. 9/10 you'll know it's me by the faded Ole Miss hat.

Todd, what happened on the Tanked show?

[tebmsu97]

Just seems there has been an eel tank on every episode. Daughter was asking if I had ever seen any real eel tanks and yours came up.

[Roushinator]

tobias funke, on 27 April 2012 - 04:15 PM, said:

Wasn't me, I'm generally in there about when he opens. 9/10 you'll know it's me by the faded Ole Miss hat.

Todd, what happened on the Tanked show?

Okay. I recognized someone i thought from the acrylic workshop but they left before i could talk to them.

[J A B]

nice. im a eel person so i like to see different eels.

[Shayne]

Very nice!  Well done, good man.

[tobias funke]

One month progression






The smaller eel is still jet black but the nostrils appear to be changing. The contrast between the two is great when they are using the same opening- usually during meals.

[Shayne]

Wow!  Huge difference.  Nice!

[Will_D]

That's a very noticeable difference, you're obviously doing something right.  Congrats on achieving the transformation.

[kirk_m]

How large are those eels, Jordan?  Can they be kept with fish?  Are they aggressive enough that they will attack your hand if it is in the tank?

[tobias funke]

The larger eel is ~3', the smaller is ~2' but they are not thick
They are sharing a 3/4" opening for reference



They are true piscos but are not large enough to hurt most fish. Smaller fish- gobies, blennies..., would most likely vanish. The larger one killed a damsel the first couple of days I had it but I'm fairly certain it was because the eel was starving. I feed them small amounts of fish daily and I have not seen any aggression since. The larger eel could easily take out the 12 line wrasse if it were so inclined.

Not aggressive imo but I've kept some evil morays in the past so my opinion may be skewed. I spot feed using a weighted fishing string and my fingers are a few inches away from the food to keep the shrimp at bay. The eels take there time eating, finding the correct angle to swallow the food- similar to a snake eating a rat- their deliberate attack plan gives ample time to move fingers out of harms way.

You don't see these eels very often is due to the fact that getting them to eat live food can be very difficult and they may never accept frozen. The larger one was eating frozen when I got it. I had to wean the smaller onto frozen-pita. If you want to attempt one I can pm you the weaning details

Edited by tobias funke, 26 June 2012 - 12:53 PM.

[BlueHeavenAquaria]

when I started out it this hobby a long time ago I used to see them come in the store I worked in ( Ocean Aquatics , in Old Metairie).
They were my favorite eel next to the Dragon Eel. We used to feed them the frozen Formula One cubes.

Very nice specimens you have there. everytime I see you post on this thread about them I become more tempted to start up a eel tank or Octo tank.

[thatgrimguy]

How do you manage the eel tunnels? Do you worry about detritus or build up in the tunnels?

[tobias funke]

The pipes form an "H" in the tank and have holes drilled on all sides to aid in internal water movement/detritus escape. They sit elevated on rocks to prevent caking of the holes. My one regret is not drilling a couple of larger holes to allow hermits to fall out of the bottom. Luckily the pipe is somewhat sloped so they  always end up in the front left opening and I can scoop them out.

View from behind tank where pipe is not hidden

[mr salt]

Jordan, I would like to know what your theory is as to why the other eel has remained black?

[kirk_m]

What about the inappropriate diet and poor water quality will make the eel lose its blue color to start with?