Eel Care

Icewing726 · 09/26/2018, 08:24 PM

So... my happiness has quickly turned to horror and I'm looking for advice.

Background:
1) Bought two ribbon eels a month ago, one ate frozen pretty easily and I got the other one eating after a month of intense work.
2) The smaller one that I just got started eating disappeared, I moved rocks, used flashlights, checked at all hours and nothing. Gone.
3) I assumed he was dead and an api test started to show a hint of green instead of yellow so I thought that was my ammonia spike and figured I needed to get it out since it was going to foul the water.

My plan was to evacuate the other eel (which was tougher then I thought but I managed it by luring him with food and holding him in the net) and use a siphon with an inner diameter as close to the tube as I could in case the eel was alive. I proceeded to move the water into a clean bucket with the plans of relocating him to the refugium where I could target feed him IF he turned out to be alive.

He did turn out to be alive and was actively swimming. However when I got done making a new pvc home for the refugium (should have done it first but I really thought he had died) the gravity of the situation became clear. I have no idea how it happened but the tail end of him was ripped off...

Questions:
1) Is all hope lost for this guy? When I saw him again I thought he looked small but I hadn't seen him in a long time. I mean most of him is there...
2) Advice on treating him if its even possible...

I really can't imagine how a siphon would have enough force to rip his tail off... I don't think anything could have attacked him though and done that. Seriously feel like an idiot now, thought I had planned this in a way that I would avoid harming him if he was alive.

Anyway, any advice/experiences with an injured eel would be appreciated.

Icewing726 · 09/26/2018, 09:19 PM

I looked at footage of when I bought him and did some rough measurements on what I saw. I think I only damaged the tip of his tail. I mean its a good tear don't get me wrong meat from cartalidge, but it only looks to be an inch at worst.

SantaMonica · 10/20/2018, 09:33 PM

Hope he is still alive. Search for my threat "my blue ribbon eel eats!".

09/26/2018, 08:24 PM	#1
Icewing726 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 248	Eel Care So... my happiness has quickly turned to horror and I'm looking for advice. Background: 1) Bought two ribbon eels a month ago, one ate frozen pretty easily and I got the other one eating after a month of intense work. 2) The smaller one that I just got started eating disappeared, I moved rocks, used flashlights, checked at all hours and nothing. Gone. 3) I assumed he was dead and an api test started to show a hint of green instead of yellow so I thought that was my ammonia spike and figured I needed to get it out since it was going to foul the water. My plan was to evacuate the other eel (which was tougher then I thought but I managed it by luring him with food and holding him in the net) and use a siphon with an inner diameter as close to the tube as I could in case the eel was alive. I proceeded to move the water into a clean bucket with the plans of relocating him to the refugium where I could target feed him IF he turned out to be alive. He did turn out to be alive and was actively swimming. However when I got done making a new pvc home for the refugium (should have done it first but I really thought he had died) the gravity of the situation became clear. I have no idea how it happened but the tail end of him was ripped off... Questions: 1) Is all hope lost for this guy? When I saw him again I thought he looked small but I hadn't seen him in a long time. I mean most of him is there... 2) Advice on treating him if its even possible... I really can't imagine how a siphon would have enough force to rip his tail off... I don't think anything could have attacked him though and done that. Seriously feel like an idiot now, thought I had planned this in a way that I would avoid harming him if he was alive. Anyway, any advice/experiences with an injured eel would be appreciated.

10/20/2018, 09:33 PM	#3
SantaMonica Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Santa Monica, California, USA Posts: 2,511	Hope he is still alive. Search for my threat "my blue ribbon eel eats!". __________________ Inventor of the easy-to-DIY upflow scrubber, and also the waterfall scrubber that everyone loves to build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1424843

09/26/2018, 09:19 PM	#2
Icewing726 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 248	I looked at footage of when I bought him and did some rough measurements on what I saw. I think I only damaged the tip of his tail. I mean its a good tear don't get me wrong meat from cartalidge, but it only looks to be an inch at worst.