Blue Ribbon Eel?

[Lucas Kane]

I would really like a Blue ribbon Eel but im very discouraged by what I have read on them. They say 99% of them die in captivity, they stop eating some people are recommending the stop of sale on these and if they wont live in captivity I don’t want to contribute to the sale of these animals.

Does anyone have one of these that has been living well for at least 2 months? If so can you post pics of the Eel, the tank, what you are feeding it how often or just tell me everything you do for them.

Thanks

Also if its a black ribbon eel that u have that fine also :D

[Ghost_knife]

i would stay away from them if they have that sort of track reccord. It's not fair to them to have them die in captivity where they cannot adapt. fwiw there's other interedting critters out there that wont die on you.

[jencrane63]

Lucas, you knew the answer to that question before you even asked. Why would you consider obtaining a specimen that has a 1% survival rate???? It isn't fair to the creature. Stick with what you know and research the unknown and only purchase what you can handle.

[Lucas Kane]

lol i got that % for an unrepeatable source so I was simple hoping there were success stories unfortunately it seems there are none so I will stay clear I do not contribute to the sale of fish or anything for that matter that will cause harm to any ecosystems nore do I want them to die

anyway thank you guys for the help I will for sure stay clear from the ribbon Eels :thm:

[Russy pelican]

I worked at an aquarium store for several years, and I don't think a single one of those sold that lived very long. Someone may have figured out the cause of death (dietary, sensitivity to toxins, etc) by now, though. If anyone is having success with this species, that'd be great and I'd love to hear about it.

[gugo46]

I have one for 2 months now, it was not feeding initially for about 4 weeks. Then it started taking feeder fish. He is doing good now, I feed him about twice a week, he takes about 4-7 fish depending on size. I heard the horror stories, but saw this guy at the LFS and figured if it is destined to die, I would try to keep him as long and as happy as I can. He loves swimming into the overflow, resting there then coming back (have a mesh on the filter intake so he does not go in there). I am not sure what to recommend, but if LFS already has it statistically it is destined to die. These should NOT be collected from the wild in the first place. Hope this helps

[BIGgourami]

i know one chich that had one but that's about it, i don't know if it's still alive or what, though

[Riverserver]

Ribbon eels have a VERY thin slim coat. Anything they rub against in your tank can introduce parasites and disease to it. Successful setups have PVC pipe run under a deep soft sand bed that the eel houses itself in. The real trick to these guys is feeding and maintaining their coat. Keep in mind that they can reach about 6 feet long! If you see one feeding in the store, that blue ribbon is worth a million bucks. But still, 1 out of 10 will make the move to aquarium life.

There is a species of ribbon eel called a "white ribbon eel" they is typically easier to move to aquarium life feeding wise. You should try your luck with one of them before trying its more difficult cousin.

And to keep him in your tank, you'll need something to secure the top of your tank. I'm not a fan of the mesh screens, but instead build a 4" tall wall all the way around your tank with acrylic, this will keep the critter from hopping out.

I would also like to add that a black ribbon eel is just an immature blue ribbon eel. Same species exactly, they change color with age.

[blackwolfXKAV]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99413

That having been said (and read), i wouldn't exactly say they're easy just yet.

like riverserver said, you might want to try the "white ribbon eel" first.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2004/fish.htm

Good luck, and remember to let us know how you make out!

:cool2: B.W.

[gugo46]

Just FYI... The distance between water level in the overflow and the top wall of my overflow is about 6 inches and my blue ribbon has no problem going over it. As I stated before, he likes to climb over into overflow (easy part) stay there a bit, then climb back (6+ inches) with seemingly no extra effort. So I would recommend a mesh or a wall thats higher than 6 with inward facing edge at 90 degrees.

Riverserver, nice pic of an angler, have one just like that with less brown on it. These things are amazing!

[5xevy]

I recently read a great thread on someone's trials and tribulations with their BRE. I'll try to dig it up. It includes the "home" they made for it, how they got it to eat, and great pictures.

Edit- just realized this thread is almost 7 months old...and I usually don't catch that sort of thing!

:D