How to Keep a Snowflake Eel in Your Salt Water Aquarium

Snowflake Eels are some of the most beautiful, elegant additions that you can possibly add to your aquarium. They are hardy, acclimate well and have interesting personalities too. This article tells you a little bit more about these fascinating creatures and the care that they require. These eels are a member of the Muraenidae (Moray Eel) family, and are also known as Nebulous Eels, Starry Eels, Clouded Eels and sometimes just a Moray Eel.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Salt Water Aquarium
• Snowflake Eel
• Krill, clam, crabs, shrimp
• Supplies to help eel thrive
• hiding places

1. You will need to have an established salt water tank at home, with plenty of room (a 50 gallon tank is recommended at a minimum) and plenty of places to hide. Live Rock and coral work well, however, be sure that your rock is stacked firmly to prevent possibly toppling over or entrapping your eel when it moves around- they are quite strong. You can always add some PVC piping, as an alternate hiding place if you feel you need to. While PVC is not a very attractive addition to the tank, it will still provide your eel with a place to hide.

2. Choose a healthy specimen to begin with. Most fish stores will have Snowflake Eels available for around $25.00- $35.00. Look for a clear "snowflake pattern" and plenty of activity. Ask that someone at the fish store feed the Eel in front of you, so that you can see that the eel is reasonably healthy and active. Take care when choosing your eel; they can reach up to 36" in length in the wild, and usually reach around 25" in captivity. Eels can eat just about any fish that it can swallow; so be sure that you don't have any small vulnerable fish already in your tank, or they may become your eel's lunch.

3. Snowflake eels have poor eyesight, but an excellent sense of smell. While they usually remain hidden at the bottom of your tank, during feeding time, they will come out and search for food aggressively. You can hand feed your eel, although the author of this article recommends that you use a set of aquatic pinchers to ensure that your hand does not sustain injury from your hungry and overzealous eel. They can be fed live feeder shrimp, crab or clam meat, or freeze dried krill. Don't be surprised if your other fish become interested in these offerings; just be careful that the eel and your fish are not going after the same treat at the same time.

4. It is not uncommon for your eel to hibernate for extended periods of time, especially after large feedings. They are nocturnal creatures and typically come out at night or during feeding time. They make wonderful pets, and with their bright yellow eyes and beautiful snowflake-like pattern that they have, they are truly a great addition to any tank, if cared for properly.

Tips & Warnings

• Keeping larger and more aggressive fish with your eel is a good idea to help prevent the eel from becoming overly aggressive and territorial in the tank.
• If you see that your eel is suddenly pursuing other tank inhabitants, it may not be eating enough. Try to increase the amount you are feeding your eel.
• Eels love crustaceans, especially crabs and shrimp. If you have these in your tank, they will almost certainly be eaten.
• Small fish may also be eaten by the snowflake eel; be sure that if you do house fish with your eel that they are much larger.
• These eels are known to be escape artists, and can get out of even the smallest openings in your tank. Be sure to have a tight fitting lid and ensure that the top of the tank is secure to avoid an escape.

Resources

• Wiki on Moray Eels
• About Moray Eels