Snowflake vs. Chainlink eel

[AC2020x]

I have been looking for a while to get a snowflake eel for my 125g. So far I have nothing in there as the tank is still cycling but my plan is for- sometype of puffer, trigger, tang, angel or wrasse. That is until I was at a LFS the other day and they had a couple of chainlink eel. I really liked them, they look similar and they seem to swim around alot more- where as snowflakes will hide alot and then swim a little. I would much rather have an eel that is swimming around alot. I don't know if this was just abnormal behavior for them or what but I definitely liked there activeness which continued for over 1/2 hour.

My question is would a chainlink be fine with these fish in this size of tank? Does it also eat the same stuff as a snowflake? And is it compatable with the same fish?

Thanks alot
-AC

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

Eels, in general for the most part when in their young juvenile stages do often appeal to be more active then when in their adult stages. Myself, as far as mixing with a more aggressive F/O tank, you would need to allow as many hiding places as possible. The idea with puffers and eels, I always look to not house the two together, for one thing if or when the puffer fish were too take a bite out of your eel, it could cause some serious injury to which can cause the demise of your eel, and as for a triggerfish, I would select one that appears for less aggressive.

So you know now that eels while in their juvenile stages, do appear to be moor active, as I seen all too often through the eels keeping a great many different species, that when they grow, most take to their normal active behavior by hiding most of the day. But your idea on some such a mixer of fish species in a 125, im afraid to have to say that in my opinion, you will not be able to manage an adult angelfish, the tank is too small for this selection.

Also, if you did have a bit larger tank, and you did lets say gotten yourself any large angelfish and of the wrasse family, most always are selecting the Harlequin Tuskfish (Lienardella fasciata), this mixer in no matter how large a tank, can become a bad idea, for the adult angelfishes often attack the Tuskfish. It was like this seafood restaurant, they have a 1000 gal tank, a odd shape large tank to had so many angelfish with a tuskfish. But I told them that they should remove the tusk or the angelfishes to which they desire more to have, for the angels will some day attack the tuskfish. It was a few months later that I heard about their tuskfish died from injuries due to the attacks of the angelfishes in the same tank.

Also in what you said that your LFS has a number of the chainlink eels, in the same tank as a group, eels find safety in their numbers and are often active. But still they are eels and each of their survival will depend on its own will to survive, not on a group saying, all for one and one for all. Eels are often aggressive among their own when it comes to feeding, and this matters not even if you were to house a well known mated pair.

So when the chainlink do grow, it will lay around in one spot for hours on end, and in a reef system with zero aggressiveness, it could even be seen in the near open areas of the tank. But you are looking to house this eel with aggressive fish, so it will require the ability to hide it self in total darkness, lairs as they be. Also, if you get this eel or any eel, during its young juvenile years, it is most surely an easy target for aggressive tank mates. A QT however would assist you well until your eel gains some growth before adding to the main tank.

Buddy

 

[rdfriend]

As you can see by my setup I have a chainlink eel with a humu trigger, dog faced puffer, dragon wrasse, 2 tomato clowns and although I haven't updated as of yet I have recently added a porcupine puffer that I caught recently in my cast net while fishing and I have not had any problems with any of them. The eel is wildly active at feeding time and at others can usually be found in one of many hiding spots with his head sticking out. As a matter of fact we named him Waldo as in "Where's Waldo".

 

[Ace25]

As you can see by my setup I have a chainlink eel with a humu trigger, dog faced puffer, dragon wrasse, 2 tomato clowns and although I haven't updated as of yet I have recently added a porcupine puffer that I caught recently in my cast net while fishing and I have not had any problems with any of them.

Sounds like a bunch of great fish, as long as you have a 400+ gallon setup for them all. I think I would have to do 600G myself for that type of stocking level. I tried a single Stars and Strips in a 100G once and it was way to small for it. Tried a single Porcupine in a 55G and again, way to small. I had to be hard headed and learn the hard way several times over about how and why certain fish require xx amount of space to live in. I, like most people, thought I could be the exception to the rule in the early days and only ended up harming the fish in the process (although eventually I got some sense in me and returned them all to my LFS and they got resold to much larger tanks which made me happy). Of course, this is all just my opinion!

 

[AC2020x]

Although I have heard alot about porcupine puffers and how they need a very large tank, I am still highly considering getting one in my 125. I was on craigslist and theres a guy who has had one for about 3 years in his tank healthy. And he's about 4-5 inches. So just from hearing this is makes me feel like I could have a smallish one for years before it got to big and I would have to send him back to the store. Although this may not be the case in reality, it still makes me feel like I should be fine to have one for a few years.

Also RD freind, how do you like your dragon wrasse? I have looked at those a good bit and may consider one for my upcoming predatory tank. The stuff you have in yours sounds exactly like I want with mine. But I agree with ACE it does sound a bit overcrowded with the size that alot of those get and the space they need to swim at least once they are all full grown. But mine is probably going to end up overcrowded, so I'm not really one to talk.

 

[Ace25]

I had a porcupine by itself in the 55G for 7 years.. first 5 years I thought things were great.. last 2 years I felt very guilty after being scolded about it on every forum I visited. Finally at 7 years and starting to see its health decline from its living conditions I finally brought it back. It was, and still is, my favorite fish. "Dogs of the ocean" I say. Only fish that would come to me and want to be pet and have its chin scratched. Such an amazing fish which made me feel even more guilty having it in such a small tank for selfish reasons. It really was heartbreaking bringing it back to the store but I was so happy to learn it made a new home in a 300G tank with just a few tank mates and lived many more years until I lost contact with the new owner.

 

[AC2020x]

Cool, that makes me feel pretty good about getting one. Although it won't be by itself my mission is not to overstock my tank. (meaning no large angels) even though I really wanted to get one!- Maybe I will get a flame angel instead. And then a trigger (Niger or humu humu or humu picasso), a wrasse- (Red corris, Dragon, Harlequin Tusk) and an eel, Chainlink or Snowflake. (Out of that stocking list which would you suggest go into the tank first?) Currently I have some pijama cardinals in the tank kind of making sure it's good to go for my next fish. But I plan on taking them out when adding other fish cause the powerheads are way too intense for them!

Thats I think what i'm mainly looking at right now. I'd really like to get a tang but I'll decide on that when the time comes and I have everything that I really really want for sure.