55 Gallon Tank Eel stocking question!

[SomeoneFISHy]

Howdy! I'm coming back into the hobby, and I'm very excited about it. I've got a 55 gallon, but I'm unsure how to go about it. I've got 2 clowns, and that is it in the tank. I want to get some bigger fish, coral, and some inverts. The "bang" is an eel!

I want to get a snowflake eel. I have all the resources (money, time, etc) for it, but I'm unsure what to house it with, and whether it is realistic to keep in a 55 gallon, because not many big fish can go in. Can I somehow keep the eel docile? Are there any ways, or any fish to keep it in check? I wanted to start from scratch, but having the two clowns make it hard to put any predator in. Cheers, and thanks for reading!

 

[NotSoAggressiveAquatics]

Sorry I don’t have much info on them so hopefully others can help but I do know that they are expert escape artists so a lot of these eels people keep die from slithering out of the tank so a tight lid is a must

 

[SomeoneFISHy]

Sorry I don’t have much info on them so hopefully others can help but I do know that they are expert escape artists so a lot of these eels people keep die from slithering out of the tank so a tight lid is a must

No worries! Just replying helps out! I'll be sure to get a tighter lid, I don't think mine is necessarily the tightest.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I, too, have no idea on the eel, but I'm curious to how it works out.

Plus your avi pic is GIR, so we must be friends.

 

[Dennis57]

Hi, Welcome to Fishlore and welcome back to a great hobby.
The Snowflake eel can grow up to 24" in a tank. They do say the smallest tank should be 55 gallons or bigger.
As stated above, make sure you lid is very tight and also where the filter and the heater is, make sure you either use some time of tape or a sponge to cover any openings that the eel can fit through.

 

[SomeoneFISHy]

Hi, Welcome to Fishlore and welcome back to a great hobby.
The Snowflake eel can grow up to 24" in a tank. They do say the smallest tank should be 55 gallons or bigger.
As stated above, make sure you lid is very tight and also where the filter and the heater is, make sure you either use some time of tape or a sponge to cover any openings that the eel can fit through.

Thanks for the answer! Do you know anything about their tankmates, or rules around what they should be placed with? Can I place them in a reef tank?

 

[Dennis57]

Thanks for the answer! Do you know anything about their tankmates, or rules around what they should be placed with? Can I place them in a reef tank?

Yes they are reef safe, but they do require a good filter.
You can keep them with Lionfish, Large Angelfish, Boxfish and Groupers

 

[SomeoneFISHy]

Yes they are reef safe, but they do require a good filter.
You can keep them with Lionfish, Large Angelfish, Boxfish and Groupers

How about smaller fish? If I keep it fed, will it stay docile, or will any inverts and small fish become a snack? Also, what fish can I keep in a 55 gallon that can keep the eel in check?

 

[Jesterrace]

Howdy! I'm coming back into the hobby, and I'm very excited about it. I've got a 55 gallon, but I'm unsure how to go about it. I've got 2 clowns, and that is it in the tank. I want to get some bigger fish, coral, and some inverts. The "bang" is an eel!

I want to get a snowflake eel. I have all the resources (money, time, etc) for it, but I'm unsure what to house it with, and whether it is realistic to keep in a 55 gallon, because not many big fish can go in. Can I somehow keep the eel docile? Are there any ways, or any fish to keep it in check? I wanted to start from scratch, but having the two clowns make it hard to put any predator in. Cheers, and thanks for reading!

Just my opinion but eels really belong in predator tanks. Snowflakes are generally among the better behaved of the bunch but they still can be opportunists and go for other fish. Lionfish and Toby Puffers (ie Valentini) would be best for them. Is this tank reef or fish only?

 

[ChrissFishes01]

Agreed with Jesterrace above - predators really do best in predator tanks. There will always be exceptions, but it's a little risky to mix predator and prey fish, for obvious reasons.

What species of clown do you have? If it's Ocellaris or Percula, I'd be nervous about putting any predator in there with them, as they stay pretty small. If it's something larger, like a Maroon, Fire, or Clarkii clown, you might be alright with one of the smaller eels. This goes for basically all predator fish, though - if you put something that can eat the other fish in your tank, more than likely it eventually will.

All that said... I've got a 55 that I'm growing out some predators in. A small frogfish, a small Volitan Lion, and a Banded Snake eel. The eel is around 22" long currently, and is set to get around 3' - but, in general, they're considered okay in 55-75 gallon tanks due to their inactivity. They also tend to have very small mouths when compared to the other common eels - mine is 22" long, but it's barely 1 1/2" thick. He'll be moving to a 75 eventually, but I'd feel pretty comfortable having this guy in a 55 for life, despite the size.

That said, a 55 would be pretty much bare minimum, and I wouldn't add too many fish in there just due to bioload. Predator fish make lots of waste - especially large eels.

 

[Jesterrace]

Agreed. If they are the larger more aggressive clowns then the chance of success would be higher. Ocellaris or Percula I would be very worried about if they are younger as they are pretty small in size.

 

[SomeoneFISHy]

Just my opinion but eels really belong in predator tanks. Snowflakes are generally among the better behaved of the bunch but they still can be opportunists and go for other fish. Lionfish and Toby Puffers (ie Valentini) would be best for them. Is this tank reef or fish only?

I just have clowns in currently. Ideally a reef tank in the future

 

[Jesterrace]

I just have clowns in currently. Ideally a reef tank in the future

I would do a separate tank if you really want an eel. Have a reef with your current setup and a predator tank for the eel and a few other non-reef safe fish.