Ode to a blue ribbon eels

randydog · 02/21/2013, 04:09 PM

In 2006 I bought a blue ribbon eel. He was beautiful...bright blue and delicate. I got him home only to find out on the web that I had made a very bad mistake. He was unkeepable, they said. I am not new to the obsession of salt reef tanks and the ill boding made me swear to keep him alive. I changed my whole system over the next year, removing any fish that even swam too fast...back to the local aquarium shop for credit. I tried frozen food, Mollies (that were never eaten but got so big and ugly that I had to almost break my tank down to remove them). Guppies were next with partial luck. Then my little beauty ate one of my Fire fish. I was so happy. He finally settled on a diet of goldfish and on to frozen Silversides with a bit of garlic for flavor. I fed him a fish twice a week. I constantly battled hair algae due to his dinners but so what..I have a beautiful tank even with a bit of green. In Spring he would quite eating for a month and I would throw in a few blue Chromies to get him back on food. He lived with a Yellow Tang, 2 Sunburst Anthias, 2 Mandarins and 2 Fire Shrimp....and gads of soft bodied corals. As he got older, he turned mostly yellow (and became a she, if the things I have read are correct). I added a few Peppermint shrimp to take care of a small Aiptsia problem about a month ago. My eel was in heaven stalking these guys...I think they may be gone now...Really, this is a requiem for my Blue Ribbon eel. I found her dead this morning after 5 plus years. I didn't know who else but you guys would understand my tears at loosing my eel..Thank you for being there...

dsiu25 · 02/21/2013, 04:26 PM

Ah, sorry for your loss. It's so easy to get attached...Seems like she lived a pretty decent life.

kga943 · 02/21/2013, 04:41 PM

that sucks did she get out of the tank ?

robs.mark · 02/21/2013, 05:52 PM

what a shame, it sucks to lose somthing you become so attached ti, chin up mate.

Sugar Magnolia · 02/21/2013, 05:55 PM

Sorry for your loss. You were successful where many have failed. Beautiful eels for sure.

mcgrawjt · 02/22/2013, 08:14 AM

Wow, it sure was cool to see you kept one for so long, but sorry for the loss. I too think that is one of the most beautiful eels available and I have resisted the temptation so many times because I have read and heard it is almost impossible to keep one alive. I have had snowflake and zebra eels and always wanted one of these.

Take care.
John

sslak · 02/22/2013, 08:19 AM

Amazing creature, and wonderful that it was able to make you happy and give you such satisfaction. To be honest, I've never even seen one before just this moment when I ran an image search.

Sorry for your loss...people who think they are "just fish" don't really understand that these animals are pets that you can become attached to just like a cat or a dog.

kismetsh · 02/22/2013, 08:30 AM

Sorry for your loss!

randydog · 02/22/2013, 10:15 AM

Thank You all. I think only other "Fish Brothers and Sisters" can really understand our attachments. My eel didn't escape. My tank was break out proofed long ago. They really are escape artists. Most of her life she would go around and nudge the top of the tank here and there at around 4 pm. That was her swim time. So very graceful. She was in an 80 gallon long tank so has 6 feet to swim. She was a little over 3 feet long and thin so the ribbon part was evident when she swam. It was like tying a ribbon to a stick then waving it back an forth. I don't know why she died. She was the Queen of the tank.

Fish Biscuit · 02/22/2013, 10:41 AM

So sorry for your loss. 5 years was good for such a difficult animal to care for. You definitely gave it your best effort in caring for her.

Gig 'em · 03/05/2013, 11:54 AM

Sorry to hear that. The LFS in my area often have black or blue ribbon eels and I consider keeping one now and then. Do you have a pic of it when it was in your tank? I have easy access to peppermint shrimp by the dozens so I feel I could keep one well fed if I ever did keep one, but I'm still hesitant.

02/21/2013, 04:09 PM	#1
randydog Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Nipomo Posts: 2	Ode to a blue ribbon eels In 2006 I bought a blue ribbon eel. He was beautiful...bright blue and delicate. I got him home only to find out on the web that I had made a very bad mistake. He was unkeepable, they said. I am not new to the obsession of salt reef tanks and the ill boding made me swear to keep him alive. I changed my whole system over the next year, removing any fish that even swam too fast...back to the local aquarium shop for credit. I tried frozen food, Mollies (that were never eaten but got so big and ugly that I had to almost break my tank down to remove them). Guppies were next with partial luck. Then my little beauty ate one of my Fire fish. I was so happy. He finally settled on a diet of goldfish and on to frozen Silversides with a bit of garlic for flavor. I fed him a fish twice a week. I constantly battled hair algae due to his dinners but so what..I have a beautiful tank even with a bit of green. In Spring he would quite eating for a month and I would throw in a few blue Chromies to get him back on food. He lived with a Yellow Tang, 2 Sunburst Anthias, 2 Mandarins and 2 Fire Shrimp....and gads of soft bodied corals. As he got older, he turned mostly yellow (and became a she, if the things I have read are correct). I added a few Peppermint shrimp to take care of a small Aiptsia problem about a month ago. My eel was in heaven stalking these guys...I think they may be gone now...Really, this is a requiem for my Blue Ribbon eel. I found her dead this morning after 5 plus years. I didn't know who else but you guys would understand my tears at loosing my eel..Thank you for being there...

02/21/2013, 05:52 PM	#4
robs.mark Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Posts: 1,461	what a shame, it sucks to lose somthing you become so attached ti, chin up mate. __________________ knowledge is power! Current Tank Info: Lagoon

02/21/2013, 05:55 PM	#5
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Sorry for your loss. You were successful where many have failed. Beautiful eels for sure. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

02/22/2013, 08:19 AM	#7
sslak Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,705	Amazing creature, and wonderful that it was able to make you happy and give you such satisfaction. To be honest, I've never even seen one before just this moment when I ran an image search. Sorry for your loss...people who think they are "just fish" don't really understand that these animals are pets that you can become attached to just like a cat or a dog. __________________ Steve Current Tank Info: 58 Oceanic/20g Sump/250w XM 20k/2x39w T5 True Actinic 03/2010 Reef Octopus NW Cone Skimmer

02/22/2013, 08:30 AM	#8
kismetsh Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NC Posts: 169	Sorry for your loss! __________________ KC Current Tank Info: 29g, attached 20g display refugium/macro tank

02/21/2013, 04:26 PM	#2
dsiu25 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Hawaii Posts: 58	Ah, sorry for your loss. It's so easy to get attached...Seems like she lived a pretty decent life.

02/21/2013, 04:41 PM	#3
kga943 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 504	that sucks did she get out of the tank ?

02/22/2013, 08:14 AM	#6
mcgrawjt Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 99	Wow, it sure was cool to see you kept one for so long, but sorry for the loss. I too think that is one of the most beautiful eels available and I have resisted the temptation so many times because I have read and heard it is almost impossible to keep one alive. I have had snowflake and zebra eels and always wanted one of these. Take care. John

02/22/2013, 10:15 AM	#9
randydog Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Nipomo Posts: 2	Thank You all. I think only other "Fish Brothers and Sisters" can really understand our attachments. My eel didn't escape. My tank was break out proofed long ago. They really are escape artists. Most of her life she would go around and nudge the top of the tank here and there at around 4 pm. That was her swim time. So very graceful. She was in an 80 gallon long tank so has 6 feet to swim. She was a little over 3 feet long and thin so the ribbon part was evident when she swam. It was like tying a ribbon to a stick then waving it back an forth. I don't know why she died. She was the Queen of the tank.

02/22/2013, 10:41 AM	#10
Fish Biscuit Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,164	So sorry for your loss. 5 years was good for such a difficult animal to care for. You definitely gave it your best effort in caring for her. __________________ Michele I enjoy vodka entirely too much to share with the fish. Current Tank Info: 65 rimless with Eshopps R200 sump, current inhabitants randall goby, helfrichi, possum wrasse, barnacle blenny, mandarin, pistol, peppermint, & fire shrimp, snails, hermits, & LPS

03/05/2013, 11:54 AM	#11
Gig 'em Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 914	Sorry to hear that. The LFS in my area often have black or blue ribbon eels and I consider keeping one now and then. Do you have a pic of it when it was in your tank? I have easy access to peppermint shrimp by the dozens so I feel I could keep one well fed if I ever did keep one, but I'm still hesitant.