New Addition: Ghost Ribbon Eel

[Kristen Marie]

Hey there!

I've just put in my latest addition.... a ghost ribbon eel that is about 2 feet long.

Anyone had any experience with these? Anyone have any pointers? What should i feed him? I tried shrimp pieces but he doesn't seem interested.

Any help would be appreciated.

BTW... my clown trigger is doing tons better (potential ick).... thanks to a little garlic, Meleflex and some TLC... YAY!

 

[wade1]

Beautiful fish.

If you seriously added a ribbon eel, you made a fatal mistake (for the fish). RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. Very difficult to keep alive, especially in a non-species tank.

I've never attempted to keep one (never will) because of the difficulty so I will step off my soapbox and hope that some here will have more experience to help you keep it alive. PLEASE research the animals you wish to keep before purchasing them!! Buy and read good books, they are more reliable in many ways than the internet.

Wade

 

[Anonymous]

please slow down :wink:

fwiw-ime, ribbon eels are difficult to keep long term.if you're dealing with a disease in your tank, the last thing you should do is add a new animal to your system.you may want to research the care and relative ease/difficulty involved in an animal before you buy it :wink:

try sticking some chopped clam pieces into the substrate, just before lights out.

i'm pretty sure the sexes are dimorphic by color-one is black, and the other is blue.

wait at least a month between solving/treating ich, and adding a new fish. or between additions in general.

no flame meant-just trying to save you dissapointment


from the marine depot website:

The Rhinomuraena quaesita grows up to 45 inches. The Black Ribbon Eel prefers a tank of at least 60 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. The Rhinomuraena quaesita is a carnivore and likes to eat meaty treats (like live feeder, fiddler crabs, small fish & grass shrimp). The Black Ribbon Eel is a high maintenance fish and may act peacefully toward other fish. Not reef-safe. Needs plenty of places to hide (substrate). PVC pipe may help. Will peak out of tank. Keep water quality high (SG 1.020 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F). The Black Ribbon Eel is commonly collected from the Indian Ocean.

Restricted Species. This species is very difficult to keep and should only be attempted by expert aquarists, or is a 'delicate shipper.' Our Stay Alive guarantee is not available on this item

good luck.

 

[Kristen Marie]

sorry for the confusion vitz. the eel is not in the tank with the healing clown trigger. The eel is in a 55 with live rock and a maroon clown. both animals are healthy, and the maroon clown will be moved shortly.

thank you vitz for the specific feeding advice, it is appreciated.

also, wade - just because the eel is difficult to keep, and you've never kept one does not discourage me from trying. perhaps i will succeed.

if anyone else has any more specific advice, i would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Anonymous]

Check in Scott Michaels small book- I don't have it with me but this species is covered there (I think).

 

[Chucker]

also, wade - just because the eel is difficult to keep, and you've never kept one does not discourage me from trying. perhaps i will succeed.

Kristen, I think you misinterpret wade's reply. He is not saying "no one else has kept them, so neither can you". He is trying to emphasize a very important point that many aquarists neglect - providing the proper conditions for a new inhabitant.

From your post, it appears that you purchased the animal, and then posted here to ask about its care. Hopefully that is not the case. Our intent is to encourage hobbyists to research the proper environment and care of organisms they intend to keep before purchasing them. This is a win-win situation for both the aquarist and the animal. The aquarist will only purchase those species they can adequately care for, and the new inhabitant will have a much better chance for survival after the arduous journey from the wild to the aquarium.

 

[wombat1]

I've never kept one but I've heard that live guppy or molly fry are good food to start them eating in the aquarium.

 

[neap]

I've been watching 2 ribbon eels in the LFS for the last couple of months. They are just amazing. They have both changed colour from black to blue and are constantly intertwined in some sort of knot. They have assorted tangs for company and appear to have survived a bout of whitespot. Still too scary and expensive for me. I'll keep dreaming.
Good Luck

TC

 

[john f]

BTW,
A Ghost ribbon eel is not the same fish as the Blue ribbon eel.

The fish sold as the Ghost is a white eel Pseudechidna brummeri and is far easier to keep than the Blue ribbon eel Rhinomuraena quaesita.

That said............
The Blue ribbon eel CAN be kept in a small species tank. I kept one years ago that did great but after about a year found a crack in the top and went carpet surfing
Blue ribbons do need a special tank of about 20-55 gallons with rock decorations and no fish competitors. They also need to be feed either live fish or dead silversides once trained to eat. And they need an absolutely secure tank using no powerheads and a VERY tight top.
Definitely NOT a fish for the average Joe.



John

 

[esmithiii]

also, wade - just because the eel is difficult to keep, and you've never kept one does not discourage me from trying. perhaps i will succeed.

Perhapse you will succeed, but the chances are you won't. The message is simply please research before buying.

Good luck. Now that you own the fish I hope it lives.

Do you own Scott Michaels book? It is a good addition to anyone's library.

Ernie

 

[FMarini]

John your right on the money.
Ghost ribbon eels are not the same eel as the blue, yellow, green or black ribbon eels they we all struggle w/. In fact the ghost ribbon eels do fairly well, they ween over well and can somewhat adapt to a tank full of fish, however you won't see them frequently. I would spend the next week or 2 teaching this eel to feed off a stick, use hunks of gulf shrimp w/ shell on, chunks of squid/octi, or clam meat. The key for success w/ this fish is getting it to eat off a stick, theese eels will never successfully compete in a tank w/ any sort of swimming fish.
One of the keys for this fish is seeing i eat at your LFS, if you LFS can show you its eating live ghost shrimp then you can ge tit home and adapt it over. I would equate the difficulty of keeping this fish to be on par w/ weenin over a zebra eel onto dead foods (on a scale 1-10 10=really hard) i would say 6.5-7.5
frank

 

[holeinone1972]

Hey easy with the clam meat here guys. My clams are getting nervous.

Rob From East Coast Clams!

 

[neap]

Looks like i was thinking about the wrong eel. Ooops. Well i wasn't even close as they even have a different genus name. More research needed. I'd better go check out some eel pics. They all sound rather difficult to feed. I was impressed to see the Blue Ribbons at the LFS but i think i would rather keep a few fish with coral than eels with coral.

cheers
TC