snowflake Eel

I have no clue...but could he have scraped himself?

In some eel loosing much of its brighter colors will have nothing to do with any scars but rather your water quality in question as well as its diet being as variety and nutritional as possible.

If your water quality isn't in question here, another problem is that this eel of your has some stress issues in this tank.

You can put this to question first by explaining the tank size and all its inhabitants and filtration system and im sure that Grins will be able to come up with what the problem might be, Right Grins :lol:

Also, forget about feeding silversides for its one thing to see about starting to get your eel to feed and another is that this type of foods has nothing nutritional to offer to your eels diet and if you can, locate a fresh sea food market in your area to buy the food for your eel and see about what crab you can buy there and be sure that what you buy is from the oceans. And also look to try squid as well, but be sure that the tubes you buy are not too soft.

Nice size tank, but naming your live stock, this tank is however over stock and I would have to believe that your still issues with your water quality.

You not also listed what type of filtration system you have on this tank and if your a skimmer>

Also what can determine your a water quality issue or not, how often you do a water change and how many gals?

Also if your any power heads in this tank for water currents?

And what was your nitrate levels when you done the last water test?

some fish and eels (and such) will develop off colorations on there own, with you doing nothing wrong. Could be something that was wrong with the eel when it was born, or something in the genetic make-up. heres an example.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/Scopas 2.htm

This is a picture of a scopas (brown) tang, in a reef scientists tank. The tank water was fine, and the fish was alone in the tank (well there are a few cardinal fish, but nothing aggressive.). He got the tang when it was all yellow (juvinille, note that it also has a white tail, which is very unusual as well.), like usual... but it changed dramatically after a few months in captivity. It ended up being all yellow , with only a tad bit of brown. It also kept the white tail.

Heres what it ended up looking like.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/Scopas in Aquarium.htm

Good grief...if a Foxface Lo had a baby with a tang that would be it.

joander123, In all my years of owning and studying moray eels that if any birth defects that this would show and not have any sudden developed later on in life for which if and when something should appear, it will either mean it developed some type of internal infection or a skin issue due to water quality problems in which case the eel wouldn't live long enough for the full change over of what your speaking of.


As prior before, the eel will loose its appetite and fade away slowly. For at any sudden problem other then stress among other tank mates that if an eel developes most any type of illnesss what if infection (external or internal) or ulcers or any other problem one would care to mention here, the eel will appear strong at first and suddenly after weeks or so depending on the species will fade fast. That is if you look to do the best for the eel you own, you find that its life rewarding would be is that it would live far longer then most others.

On tangs and so, I seen something as that so many times