are dwarf morays fish safe?
- Thread starter humu
- Start date
My friend has one in his 50 gallon reef tank with much smaller fish than a purple firefish. He keeps it with a variety of gobies (neon gobies and Cortez red-heads) along with a couple of small dottybacks; all of which he can easily fit inside of his mouth. He feeds his eel frozen krill.
I thik it is important to realize that all moray eels are scavengers more than preditors. They look for food rather than hunt. Keep theem fed well and almost all the time no worries.
Shrimp and crabs are a hard thing for them to resist but hell, I have a hard time resisting them too.
[ September 09, 2001: Message edited by: Fishaholic ]
Shrimp and crabs are a hard thing for them to resist but hell, I have a hard time resisting them too.
[ September 09, 2001: Message edited by: Fishaholic ]
- Location
- Virginia
I don't think the firefish would be safe since they will share some of the same haunts and they're shaped perfectly to slide down that throat for an easy meal. I don't think there's ever been an eel in existence that is not a carnivore (although it could happen, I guess, my dogs love to eat carrots and I trained a lion fish to eat spirulina sticks) so I don't know how reef safe one would ever be. All fish in our trade more or less come from the reef to begin with, so I think describing something as reef safe is a misnomer.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Fishaholic:
<STRONG>I thik it is important to realize that all moray eels are scavengers more than preditors. They look for food rather than hunt.....</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I think this is wrong. Eels are predators of the reef. Some specialize in eating crustasean and some eat fish.
<STRONG>I thik it is important to realize that all moray eels are scavengers more than preditors. They look for food rather than hunt.....</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I think this is wrong. Eels are predators of the reef. Some specialize in eating crustasean and some eat fish.
my snowflake is about 10" long and never bothers my fish. (blue damsel and clarikii) i keep him fed 2-3 times a week with dethawed shrimp dipped in Selcon.
he was about 7-8" when i got him at the LFS. i didn't know that he'd eventually TRIPLE IN SIZE!! hopefully, my 125g will be setup later this year and i can give the snowflake some less tempting neighbors.
all in all, i'm glad i got him.
po
he was about 7-8" when i got him at the LFS. i didn't know that he'd eventually TRIPLE IN SIZE!! hopefully, my 125g will be setup later this year and i can give the snowflake some less tempting neighbors.
all in all, i'm glad i got him.
po
Based upon my own observations, there is a potential that any eel will eat your fish under the right circumstances.
For example, I had a medium size Snowflake (20") that ate a large corris wrasse within days of the eel's introduction into the tank. Since then, it had not bothered another fish (as far as I know). 2 possible conclusions. Once the eel is domesticated and feeding on frozen food, it will lose any desire to go after live prey. Or, eels cannot be trusted with fish that sleep in the sandbed (like most wrasses do). Since eels hunt at night, it makes sense that any fish that sleeps in the sandbed may become a meal if the eel stumbles across it.
By the way, you may want to look into a Zebra moray. The Zebra is not a fish eater, but it purportedly will eat your crabs (their main diet) and probably your shrimp.
For example, I had a medium size Snowflake (20") that ate a large corris wrasse within days of the eel's introduction into the tank. Since then, it had not bothered another fish (as far as I know). 2 possible conclusions. Once the eel is domesticated and feeding on frozen food, it will lose any desire to go after live prey. Or, eels cannot be trusted with fish that sleep in the sandbed (like most wrasses do). Since eels hunt at night, it makes sense that any fish that sleeps in the sandbed may become a meal if the eel stumbles across it.
By the way, you may want to look into a Zebra moray. The Zebra is not a fish eater, but it purportedly will eat your crabs (their main diet) and probably your shrimp.
Hi:
i can tell you that zebra morays will not touch fish. I have kept zebras with fish small enuf to eat, and they have left them alone.
The snowflakes have been a different story. My experience has been that snowflake are fine as juveniles, they seem only interested in shrimps, and meaty foods, but as soon as they get bigger they became more curious and more hungry, its then when they have taken out a few fish.
To me any moray w/ pointed teeth will eat a fish (regardless of how small the eel is), its just when they will do it.
my opinion
frank
i can tell you that zebra morays will not touch fish. I have kept zebras with fish small enuf to eat, and they have left them alone.
The snowflakes have been a different story. My experience has been that snowflake are fine as juveniles, they seem only interested in shrimps, and meaty foods, but as soon as they get bigger they became more curious and more hungry, its then when they have taken out a few fish.
To me any moray w/ pointed teeth will eat a fish (regardless of how small the eel is), its just when they will do it.
my opinion
frank
snowflakes should not be thought as a community fish. "snowflakes are scavengers" is WRONG!!!! maybe it's just my eel but I see my well fed snowflake chase my fish, and when I added a large reef lobster to me tank my then 10" snowflake destroyed it in seconds.
zebra morays are the best for a reef, but they get huge.
zebra morays are the best for a reef, but they get huge.
All eels are opportunisitic predators, and all have a chance of predating fishes - some more so then others. The zebra eel and the golden dwarf eel (amongst a few others) are primary crustacean feeders (as evinced by their conical teeth). However, they may eat fish if the fish is accessible. I wouldn't worry too much about fishes already established in the tank, but newly introduced fishes are sometimes seen as prey item.
- Location
- Virginia
Leonard voiced my exact sentiments. When it was said that they are mainly scavengers, it is more that they are opportunistic feeders. They will not pass by a free and easy meal of a dead or dying fish or crustacean or mollusk, but that does not mean they don't hunt. As was said, they often hunt at night, when other fish are sleeping, and make easy prey. That is why I would not trust an eel with small fish like firefish. During the day, the firefish may dart into the eels layer, and the eel may not do anything, but at night when they are sleeping, your eel will probably swim over and slurp them down. Also, as far as the zebra, it has already been said, but it bears repeating. Despite what they are inclined to eat, they won't pass up an easy meal, so if the opportunity presents itself, your fish could disappear. Snowflakes, by the way, are one of the less aggressive eels out there, and the zebras are just plain fat and lazy.
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