For those with eels

mitsurs01 · 12/12/2009, 11:05 AM

How do you guys keep the eels in? Do you all use canopy's or glass covers or what? How about those with HOB skimmers etc, how do you keep the eels from escaping?

mitsurs01 · 12/16/2009, 02:46 PM

nobody has any pictures of your tops?

mayjong · 12/16/2009, 03:27 PM

i have snowflake (18"?) and open top...
no worries for over a year.. fingers crossed...

fufu · 12/16/2009, 03:40 PM

I have a 3 feet zebra in an open top tank for 6 months now. I think the bigger the tank, the less chance they will try to escape. I keep him in a 200g

slief · 12/16/2009, 04:26 PM

I have had countless eels. Snowflake, tesselata, morays etc. My last Moray was 5' long. I have never had one escape and never used covers. That said, I didn't have rimless tanks either. If your tank is rimless and you have a canopy, you could use the canopy to keep one from falling behind the tank by making sure there are no gaps. Eels are not too stupid so they should be able to figure out where the water is before they become jerkey if they get on top of the tank. If you have skimmer boxes in the back, I would have a plastics supply place make some covers for them so if your eel decides to take a stroll, he cant find his way into the back of the tank.

Most eels with the exception of Yellow Head Morays are pretty mellow. They like to just hang out waiting for food. If they are well fed, they shouldnt need to explore too much.

JoeinMo · 12/16/2009, 05:13 PM

I made a wood frame that covered the tank and used screen mesh to cover it. They also make plastic mesh that could be useful. All it takes is one time when you're away for the weekend.

tdwright1971 · 12/16/2009, 05:40 PM

I use eggcrate, It can be cut to fit around things easily.

Eel Freak · 12/16/2009, 06:27 PM

I have had two eels (Fimbriated Moray (still have it) and a SFE), and I found that they seem to only explore during the first day or two. Once they settle in, they don't seem to venture out very much unless it is feeding time. I have a canopy that encloses all sides... For the overflows, when the eel was smaller I had strainers on the drain pipes, now, they are wide open since he's at least 1.5" thick... Hope this helps!

RoastReef · 12/16/2009, 06:49 PM

My Zebra Moray jumped out of my 375. I had a canopy too. I don't know how long it was on the floor for, but it looked dry and dead. Then it started squirming. It was sort of stuck to the carpet, but I scooped it up and put it back in the tank. It shed it's slime coat and was better within a day or two. After that I put eggcrate across the whole back of the open part of the canopy. No issues since.

nitro4kthompson · 12/17/2009, 12:36 AM

I have a 14-16" snowflake in my 90 gallon FOWLR. I use a full glass canopy with plastic mesh epoxied around any opening (like overflow,etc). This still didn't stop it from ending up on the floor once. I have no idea how it managed to squeeze through any of the openings. But I lucked out and found it squirming around on the wood floor trying to evade my two Boxers who were barking furiously at it. It was pretty gross to grab the thing barehanded, but I was afraid one of the dogs could eat it before I could get a towel or something. After a few days of hiding, the eel was good as new and hasn't escaped since.

12/12/2009, 11:05 AM	#1
mitsurs01 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: illinois Posts: 306	For those with eels How do you guys keep the eels in? Do you all use canopy's or glass covers or what? How about those with HOB skimmers etc, how do you keep the eels from escaping?

12/16/2009, 03:27 PM	#3
mayjong Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Sacramento CA Posts: 2,426	i have snowflake (18"?) and open top... no worries for over a year.. fingers crossed... __________________ No Tanks... I'm out! still lurking, though...

12/16/2009, 06:27 PM	#8
Eel Freak Fimbriated Moray Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: The Space Coast Posts: 830	I have had two eels (Fimbriated Moray (still have it) and a SFE), and I found that they seem to only explore during the first day or two. Once they settle in, they don't seem to venture out very much unless it is feeding time. I have a canopy that encloses all sides... For the overflows, when the eel was smaller I had strainers on the drain pipes, now, they are wide open since he's at least 1.5" thick... Hope this helps! __________________ I plan to procrastinate. Current Tank Info: 205g Mixed Reef - 3x Radion XR30w Gen 2, twin VorTechs, SRO-XP5000e, 50g estuary, 125g fuge, OM 4-way

12/16/2009, 02:46 PM	#2
mitsurs01 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: illinois Posts: 306	nobody has any pictures of your tops?

12/16/2009, 03:40 PM	#4
fufu Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston Posts: 432	I have a 3 feet zebra in an open top tank for 6 months now. I think the bigger the tank, the less chance they will try to escape. I keep him in a 200g

12/16/2009, 04:26 PM	#5
slief RC Sponsor Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 14,173	I have had countless eels. Snowflake, tesselata, morays etc. My last Moray was 5' long. I have never had one escape and never used covers. That said, I didn't have rimless tanks either. If your tank is rimless and you have a canopy, you could use the canopy to keep one from falling behind the tank by making sure there are no gaps. Eels are not too stupid so they should be able to figure out where the water is before they become jerkey if they get on top of the tank. If you have skimmer boxes in the back, I would have a plastics supply place make some covers for them so if your eel decides to take a stroll, he cant find his way into the back of the tank. Most eels with the exception of Yellow Head Morays are pretty mellow. They like to just hang out waiting for food. If they are well fed, they shouldnt need to explore too much.

12/16/2009, 05:13 PM	#6
JoeinMo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 64	I made a wood frame that covered the tank and used screen mesh to cover it. They also make plastic mesh that could be useful. All it takes is one time when you're away for the weekend.

12/16/2009, 05:40 PM	#7
tdwright1971 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: West Fork, AR Posts: 155	I use eggcrate, It can be cut to fit around things easily.

12/16/2009, 06:49 PM	#9
RoastReef Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: San Martin, CA Posts: 232	My Zebra Moray jumped out of my 375. I had a canopy too. I don't know how long it was on the floor for, but it looked dry and dead. Then it started squirming. It was sort of stuck to the carpet, but I scooped it up and put it back in the tank. It shed it's slime coat and was better within a day or two. After that I put eggcrate across the whole back of the open part of the canopy. No issues since.

12/17/2009, 12:36 AM	#10
nitro4kthompson Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: mccalla,alabama Posts: 273	I have a 14-16" snowflake in my 90 gallon FOWLR. I use a full glass canopy with plastic mesh epoxied around any opening (like overflow,etc). This still didn't stop it from ending up on the floor once. I have no idea how it managed to squeeze through any of the openings. But I lucked out and found it squirming around on the wood floor trying to evade my two Boxers who were barking furiously at it. It was pretty gross to grab the thing barehanded, but I was afraid one of the dogs could eat it before I could get a towel or something. After a few days of hiding, the eel was good as new and hasn't escaped since.