55g for eel

K

kraze

AC Members
Jan 23, 2006
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A few months back my gf decided a Snowflake Eel would be a cool addition to my aquarium. I love the eel but hes gotten much bigger and hes going after some of my smaller fish. To get to the point I'm moving him to an old 55g that I have. Im basically looking for some recommendations on a filter for this tank. Its only going to house the eel and whatever I put in for a cleanup crew, no LR or corals. The tank is most likely going to be in my bedroom so I'm looking for it to be as quiet as possible but I dont want to substitute for quality. Ive only had experience with the Magnum 350 Pro (bio wheels, canister filter) and Cascade 300 (HOB Filter).

Also Im in a tossup between crushed gravel and sand, if anyone has had experience with eels in the past I dont know which is better or what they perfer.

This is my first post here so all info, advice, and recommendations are greatly appreciated

Thanks alot!

--Mike
 
Firstly welcome to AC and i hope you enjoy it here. ok, firstly for the eel, i would use calcium based sand as it is better for the eel, as they can burrow easier and do not get scratched. Next i would put in quite a lot of LR in this tank for biological filtration and seed the sand bed with LS. Next i would get 2-4 powerheads and get yourself a turnover rate of about 30 x per hour, ensuring that you have no dead spots around the LR and plenty of current to move around debris and remove them from the tank.

Due to the mess these fish can make i would definately use a mechanical filter to physicaly remove waste from the aquarium and also highly skim the water. due to this i would recommend a sump and a large skimmer, (something from the ASM range).


Or if you are tight for space you could use something like the aqua medic marin 1000, for more info go http://www.aqua-medic.de/eng/produkte/filtersysteme/marin1000.htm

There is more posibilites like running a cannister filter for mechanical filtration and cleaning it weekly, and then running a deltec mce600 or something like that quality to skim the aquarium.

What ever you use i would definately choose a very efficient skimmer (no cheap Jebo's) or anything like that. if you can afford it run a sump, if not you can still successfully run this aquarium :)
 
So running a canister like the magnum 350 pro i have with the deltec mce600 skimmer should be sufficient? Im looking into sumps now, I think that could be a possibility but if that falls thru I was just curious as to the canister and skimmer method
Ive never had LR before, ive read alot on it but no experience with it so just wanted to make sure

Thanks Again

--Mike
 
two last things
if i did build a sump and got that skimmer would i still need a mechanical filter, i know i would still need the powerheads.
and if i got the sump and skimmer all set and i let the tank cycle, and add the eel and cleanup crew. Can the LR be added at a later time when i have the funds to do so?

thanks

-- mike
 
Yes the cannister and the deltec would be sufficient, but remember that the cannister is a mechanical filter that means weekly cleanings of the cannister filter to stop nitrates from rising. Live Rock is the main biological filter, the more porous the rock the more water can run through it and then the bacteria (anerobic) will feed of nitrates and other organic oils in the water, i wouldn't set this tank up with out LR. you will need the tank to be drilled so water can siphon of into the sump, then you could use an ASM skimmer in the sump and then a return pump.

LR can be added at a later time, but it isn't a good idea, it is better to add all LR then the fish, LR will cause you aquarium to do a mini cycle you were to add it to an already established tank. better off saving up for it first.
 
Im not sure about the sump right now. I may be moving soon and if i can add one later i will do so with an overflow box. I think the mechanical filter along with skimmer and some powerheads is the way for me right now. Do you think the magnum 350 pro would be sufficient? Its rated for tanks up to 100 gallons. I have one on my other tank its quiet enough and easy to clean and if its a decent filter id like to just get another one, would make cleaning, setup, etc easier since im already familiar with it. I wanted to ask if I should have bio wheels or not and lastly lighting what sort of light and apporx. wattage? and are moon lights necessary

thanks again

--Mike
 
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You can use bio balls, but i have a cannister and i run crushed coral, it has more bacteria on it and take longer for the nitrates to become detectable. I have a 150 litre tank and i am running a 2140 litre per hour cannister on it. so yours is probably not big enough, but it will do, you just have to make sure that you clean the cannister weekly, do weekly water changes of about 15%, and the deltec will be the source of nutrient removal. Also you may want to start shopping around for the deltec, as they are pricey.

As for lights, i would go with fluros, get a dual lamp and run 1 actinic and 1 6700k that will be perfect. Unless you want corals?
 
well i wasnt looking for corals but then again i wasnt looking for live rock either lol if i did go for corals what would i need for lighting
 
Well, T5, Metal halide or PC lighting would be best. Also the eel can be housed with anemone and corals but not crustaceans. If i was you i would go with the PC you can keep some anemones and also quite a wide range of low light corals with them, just make sure you have about 5 watts of light per gallon. :)
 
Prehaps you could get your snoflake a friend, maybe a wolf eel, like the one below???










Lol JK :)

Wolf-eel.jpg
 
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