Death in inaccessible place

[Icewing726]

Facts:
1) ribbon eel 1.5 ft long
2) Api showed what could have been an ammonia blip but was fairly close to yellow.
3) if it is dead its somewhere in the eel tubes (currently occupied by his partner who is active daily and eats everything.

Question
If he is dead in the tubes should i siphon him out or will bacteria sort things out? (The openings are under lots of rocks so little to no flow)

[Akram]

Décomposition can take some time for that 1.5 feet depending on your tanks maturity and biodiversity. I have millions of questions for you to why did this eel died in your hands, but all I can say is please, please be responsible moving forward.

[Akram]

Oh, and yes you should remove him.

[nereefpat]

How big the tank is and how good of a cleanup crew you have will determine how much affect it will have on your water quality.

I would remove it if you can. If it's inaccessible and you can't get to it without destroying your tank, then watch ammonia levels closely.

[Icewing726]

Originally Posted by Akram

Décomposition can take some time for that 1.5 feet depending on your tanks maturity and biodiversity. I have millions of questions for you to why did this eel died in your hands, but all I can say is please, please be responsible moving forward.

So I get it that some say never buy these ribbon eels. I made sure that this tank was built for them (rock work, tight fitting lid, no access to the overflow, and a big network of piping under the sand so it has plenty of places to hide. BOTH eels have taken to the pipes and have made their own burrows around the main rocks to give them access to the larger tank.

I don't know that he's dead btw, he's been more skittish then his partner who is always out and may just be resting between meals. I worry because he refused food (from me, maybe he was finding other sources) for close to a month before I got him to take a silverside piece. He took a second piece a couple days later, I keep his partner on a schedule but when I see him I offer food immediately because he's not as voracious.

Anyway, hopefully that answers a few of your many questions.

[Icewing726]

Originally Posted by nereefpat

How big the tank is and how good of a cleanup crew you have will determine how much affect it will have on your water quality.

I would remove it if you can. If it's inaccessible and you can't get to it without destroying your tank, then watch ammonia levels closely.

When I posted this I had no idea how to clear the tube without destroying the tank but in hindsight I could just try to run a siphon from the tank to the refugium.

If I use a large enough siphon do you think the eel will be harmed if it is still alive? I can easily clear out the partner first, dude chases an empty feeder stick halfway across the tank before giving up.

[nereefpat]

It's hard to say. Good luck with whatever you decide.