I`ve giving you my personal/professional view on your eel and tank over crowded situation. You will need first to know and learn that the eel by itself will grow to large for that tank a lone. Leaving it be that there be no place of escape for the other inhabitants. It be only a matter of time, what if a few months or longer, still the outcome will be just the same as for all others who attempted this in over crowding too small a tank.
Your an eel there that its minimum growth will be of 5' and yet it could grow yet much larger then that. Its jaws are build to bite any fish right in half. But like you said, its still a baby, but what of when its 4' ? Then what? before that time, you already lost a number of inhabitants.
Like I have a 240 gal tank, but its to be a SPS system in some time from now, depending on the rebuilding cost, it may be some time before it happens. but I would never do exactly what your doing right now in your 220, for which the results would be just the same. As is, your eel should be the tanks only occupant, as is, it will be with no place of its own to where it could swim. With the stock you have now, you would require a much larger tank, much larger.
As is, the eel will as well gain much body strength/power, the LR will be knock all around the tank, and in time to come, it could break out of your tank, and a 30 lb bag of gravel on the glass cover will not be enough to keep it in..
You want to try to see if you can keep your eels aggression under control? But know that there be no promises in maintaining this. You need to at most offer feedings every two days of feeding, until the eel refuse more, this by most will lead to over feeding problems from your eels normal diet plan, and will lead to liver conditions. And then later when growth is a bit larger, offer every day feeding. This im afraid is something I could never recommend if under normal conditions.
Im afraid that you made yourself the wrong decision in your choice of inhabitants.
In your tanks over stock, you have to be making a water change of 40 gals a week or better. The possibilities of your over feeding and waste build ups.
There must be something you like to ask me on my recommendations!!??
Apparently, you not done any research on the stocking of your tank.
It's not like OldManOfTheSea has a lifetime of experience with eels... oh wait... that is exactly what he has. I would take his word as gospel when it came to anything eel related. :cheers: Cool looking eel though, but really reminds me of a large version of my engineer goby, which is happy living with tank mates and everyone that sees it still thinks it is an eel.
