***HELP*** Zebra Eel in Distress

Water parameters are all normal at the surface, due to what test readings you get. But do know that there be perfect water parameters, and perfect water parameters. What I mean by it is that what you consider to be near perfect, another person looks for it being better.

As for feeding, I wouldn't concern myself when my ell not feeds a few days at any time period. For one, eels in my book feed far too often then they ever do in the wild. But where it is that you say its laying upside down, do you mean its more like its too it side, rather then upside down?

If it is upside down as you say, I would consider your just one issue her, and that is water quality!

Im sorry, I known eels all my life to be the most hardy marine tank inhabitants a hobbyist can own. It was like one time when one person eel was kicking around in its tank, trashing about. And the owner had no idea in why this was. It became known right away that he was having far too much water currents in his tank, that the eel had no place to go in order to get away from it.

There happens to be a few things that we as eel owners must keep in mind, and those be as follows:

(1) Tank must be completely setup with an area or two build from LR, its lair and it would be a plus if your have it that the eel could be in total darkness. With no possible escaping from your tank, your a closed lid and cover the overflow box as well.

(2) High water quality

(3) A variety and nutritional diet

(4) Never overcrowd fish in with your eel

Now understand this, to where you say your water parameters are fine, there also happens to be other problems, such as waste build ups in the tank, that there be no test for.

I never in all my years keeping eels did one not become ill and nothing happened in the tank. Like another fish bitten the eel, or that if LR in the tank falling over on the eel and that eel shouldn't ever be on its back, just because it refused to feed three days ago.

Also, how often you do a water change? How many gals? Do you use RO water?

Now let me tell you a little something on the idea of water changes. At another forum link, this persons eel water to me acting in the way that wasn't normal by it. His eel hang out in the open, After I spoken to him on this, he done large water changes and then he witnessed his eel behave as it should, he has a H. dragon moray. He too as your saying, thought to had excellent water conditions.

Buddy ><{{{{">

I would be trying to get the trates down below 30 and even better 20. What do you have for filtration??

Sorry to hear you lost him.

catpicklesdog said:

Sorry to hear you lost him.

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I second it, Sorry

Thanks for the comments, but he just passed away.

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That was kind of quick, don't you think? The problems for your lost eel was going on from the time you began having it and to think on buying another so soon, you should hold off and first look to better your tanks conditions.

1) i have a 4 foot long 3" diameter piece of PVC pipe covered with rock and rocks forming cave like opening on the ends. so he had a good place to hide and there was minimal water current through this area.

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From most of what you said here, and in having such an eel in a 75, for a full grown adult Zebra, in having a reef and with the number of small fish in the same tank, I find that a minimum size tank to have, be 150, but not smaller then a 125 for an adult. You can also use a turkey baster or better yet, a powerhead to blow out and junk inside of the pipe.

2.) Water quality as of yesterday morning Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 0PPm, Nitrate 80ppm, Phosphate .5ppm, Alkalinity 4.0, Ph 8.4, Salinity 30 ppm(1.023), Calcium 400ppm I use API or red sea test kits. The temp is up to 82F. I take my water samples below the surface about 3-4 inches.

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Nitrate for one with eels, not mix in so well and what happens there is that your eel tends to not feed as well as it should. For your nitrates, you want to do well, keep it no higher then 20 PPM. Also, a sudden shift in your Ph, not by one point or so, but rather a larger shift in dropping below 8.0. This too happens to cause much affect on your eels diet.

Water changes are 10 gallons every week, occasionally 2 weeks if I travel for work. I do them this frequently because he did produce a lot of waste and my nitrates were always 40-60ppm. Last water change was Thursday night June 25th. My Ph(8.2) and alkalinity(2.5) was low so i added buffer for three days mixed in RO water. Water I use for changes I buy from LFS. Can't remember name of salt he uses, he mixes with Ro/DI, I have used since day one in this tank.

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Dear me, your water changes are much too small for your tank size. And by your levels in your tanks nitrates, tells me that you should had been making a weekly water change of not less then 25 gals. Also, if you see in doing such a water change, not helping you as it should, you need to upgrade to 30 gal, if not larger.

Also, im not familiar in the ALK you must be using, I hope that others see this and comments on that issue.

You left out one thing there I think, your salinity level. Your a strictly reef eel, you need to have it up there some, not under 1.023. But 1.024, would be better.

Your an eel that can feed on small fish as well, but most would prefer crab and such, with shells to allow it to feel more at home. Im sorry that your lost this eel, but im unaware to just how long you must have had the eel. So before thinking on a replacement eel, you first need to make a number of corrections to better your tanks water quality. After, you can think on a replacement eel, and then we talk further on the eels diet. From what I could make out, you feed the eel only shrimp and krill

UV serialize for eels, are not required for the eels have their own protection that works a great deal better then a UV ever can.
Andrew, I hope with this that most of your questions are being answered. maybe, you like to think in another type of eel to have, after you make some serious corrections for your tank. Hoiw long had you the eel?

Buddy ><{{{{">

OldManOfTheSea said:

Water parameters are all normal at the surface, due to what test readings you get. But do know that there be perfect water parameters, and perfect water parameters. What I mean by it is that what you consider to be near perfect, another person looks for it being better.

As for feeding, I wouldn't concern myself when my ell not feeds a few days at any time period. For one, eels in my book feed far too often then they ever do in the wild. But where it is that you say its laying upside down, do you mean its more like its too it side, rather then upside down?

If it is upside down as you say, I would consider your just one issue her, and that is water quality!

Im sorry, I known eels all my life to be the most hardy marine tank inhabitants a hobbyist can own. It was like one time when one person eel was kicking around in its tank, trashing about. And the owner had no idea in why this was. It became known right away that he was having far too much water currents in his tank, that the eel had no place to go in order to get away from it.

There happens to be a few things that we as eel owners must keep in mind, and those be as follows:

(1) Tank must be completely setup with an area or two build from LR, its lair and it would be a plus if your have it that the eel could be in total darkness. With no possible escaping from your tank, your a closed lid and cover the overflow box as well.

(2) High water quality

(3) A variety and nutritional diet

(4) Never overcrowd fish in with your eel

Now understand this, to where you say your water parameters are fine, there also happens to be other problems, such as waste build ups in the tank, that there be no test for.

I never in all my years keeping eels did one not become ill and nothing happened in the tank. Like another fish bitten the eel, or that if LR in the tank falling over on the eel and that eel shouldn't ever be on its back, just because it refused to feed three days ago.

Also, how often you do a water change? How many gals? Do you use RO water?

Now let me tell you a little something on the idea of water changes. At another forum link, this persons eel water to me acting in the way that wasn't normal by it. His eel hang out in the open, After I spoken to him on this, he done large water changes and then he witnessed his eel behave as it should, he has a H. dragon moray. He too as your saying, thought to had excellent water conditions.

Buddy ><{{{{">

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Great Response ...

Water quality is a MUST for eel's ...

I have several types of eels all are fresh water
except for a 2 & 1/2 foot snowflake that I just picked up last night
They are a good source of warning that your tank is crashing.

Here is something in which I post a good while back. This should give the person of this thread a far greater idea then simply relying on his test results. Also, water quality is a must for all your tank inhabitants, not just your eel. For which your eel in general speaking, should survive/suffer a long time before death calls. But the starter of this thread, being he already lost the eel, he or she no longer wishes to answer certain questions. That however will be your mistake, for if you decide too buy another eel, you only place that eel at risk as well.

It is like I said, you must review how you do your own maintenance for your tank and make changes in how often you would do them.


"Wastewater Pollution Effects on Eels"

Some 15 years or so, an eel expert has done some studies on the effects on wastewater pollution on eels. For the findings revealed structural and functional alterations of the gills, hence an influence on osmoregulation. Lemaire Gony reported that these injuries are to be reversible, but the liver lesions however is irreversible. This was writing by Lemaire Gony in around the year of 1993, in which I myself for many decades before viewing this writers/experts findings, I been telling others for many decades before.

Cadmium was administered with an water produced perivascular fibroses, where as a one time injection of benzo(a)pyren has led to a decrease in glycogen and a accumulationof the lipid globules. The liver of eels exposed to both cadmium and benz(a)pyren showed complete disorganisation of the parenchyma and nuclear degeneration.

Test as well on the japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) (Freshwater), with various heavy metals disrupted the eels growth. Within eels, even relativety low concentrations caused vertibral malformations.

Now note, all of my background on eels are from both, researched facts and by having any number of various eels through the decades in studying at home on these species. Both are a proven fact for ones success in maintaining and if any medical problems should arise. At some point, you can be a success at it or fail all due to the complexity of making the correct or incorrect diagnoses from the start.

I hope and pray, that from posting something in which is as imporant as this, other members would do far better for their eels then just admiring them in their tanks

witmerboarder, I hope that this helps you to understand certain things before you move forward

Buddy ><{{{{">

Im too am dying to go on some type of vacation, but im so busy helping with my grandchildren that im not enough free time to go somewhere.

purchased the tank and eel for me in December it was my Christmas present. the LFS sold her the eel to cycle the tamk as he said they could live in any water quality.

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I can use the panther grouper to cycle a tank, but an eel, you get a huge ammonia or so and the nitrates are always higher then 20 ppm. I find that zero nitrates as well as ammonia is ideal. Never would I use some poor eel to cycle a tank, and I assume that the person who told you this is your LFS.

Before any of you start I Know this is NOT the way to go.

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No one will start anything, call names or say something stupid, we all done things wrong at one time or another ourselves, so no one is perfect. So hopefully this was a well learned experience, if nothing else and look too not do anything as what you now have up too this point in time.

Also, those who do bash you for something, aren't experienced hobbyist themselves:headshake2:

Other than the Nitrates in my tank everything has been stable

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Please remember what I had said about what is water quality and perfect water quality for you said it yourself, you done a 10 gal water change each week, this for your tank size and bio load was not enough You needed to at most do 3x the amount each week. But that young man is my suggestion.

I have a the overflow fliter box with a pe filter pad which i clean every water change and bio balls below that which I have never cleaned. Should I?

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I never clean the bio balls on my twin tank system and nitrates after the tanks were moved to my new home five years ago, nitrates stand at untraceable levels .

The eel eat 4-5 small salad shrimp every night and would come out and great me when it was feeding time. I switched to a larger shrimp size and gave him one a night and most nights he would come looking for more. I talked to a different LFS while I was on vacation and the guy there said by what i described of my eels demise he was poisioned by the preservatives on the shrimp i had feed him.

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I always get fresh seafoods to feed all my tank inhabitants, and I never buy what is setup as a sea food cocktail for my eels.

I can not believe that a lone killed your eel!

For you had the eel six months or so, and you been feeding it just shrimps, or was it also something else?

I also mentioned that you needed to widen it diet with other sea foods as well, not just shrimp, even the tubes of a squid, but the parts that are crunchy to the bite, if you follow me.

You can get another eel, only you must first better the conditions in your tank, and location a fresh sea food market in your area. Im sure that between the shrimp only menu and high nitrates with very possible waste build ups in your tank, it all contributed to your eels demise

Another thing be is that you had the eel for months, you would been best to try and feed it everu third day or so, and not each and every day for there be things that I can says, and none of it be good, for you needed to feed that eel a varity of sea foods, and feeding days, you feed the eel until it refuses further feeding.

Im sorry that you not had some good advise from your lfs on what best to do and feed your eel

Buddy