Tesselata Eel (Gymnothorax favagineus)

1swtlx · 03/29/2006, 05:53 PM

Anyone keeping this eel or have kept in the past?

I got my heart set on this eel but because of potential size and aggressiveness i am worried about what tank mates could live to tell about it. If the fish list is limited i would like to maybe keep 2-3 eels in this tank of equal size (with the exception of green moray) what eels could co-exist with the Tess eel?

120g FOWLR set up and cycled but no inhabitants at the moment.

syndrome · 03/29/2006, 05:56 PM

A tess could not live in a 120 for life. Maybe a couple of months. If you want an eel You could do a pair of goldentails.

fredweezy · 03/29/2006, 06:07 PM

You could keep it temporarily I guess, but those are big and mean.

1swtlx · 03/29/2006, 06:33 PM

The speciman i found is about 1.5 to 2 feet with outside diameter of a raquet ball.

Im aware of the potential size of the full grown tess, but sounds like he would outgrow 120 inside of a year if well fed?

I have kept the mexican dragon eel as the very first saltwater fish i bought several years ago and really miss those days.

Are these better choices for multi-eel tank: ?

Chainlink Eel - Echidna catenata
Jeweled Eel - Muraena lentiginosa
Fire Coral Eel - (Gymnothorax miliaris)

syndrome · 03/29/2006, 07:34 PM

The last eels real name is goldentail. Was it an actual mexican dragon or a jeweld?

1swtlx · 03/29/2006, 07:54 PM

not sure really. I remember the eel didnt have any special markings on the tail so i know it wasnt a goldtail. LFS had it labeled as "mexican dragon moray" and it was dark brown with light gold spots. All the pics of jeweled i have seen have been lighter colored eels but i couldnt rule it out as being a jeweled.
LFS has an eel right now labeld as "viper moray" and im still trying to figure out what kind he is. Brown with medium size white circle spots and a blunt nose. It has the razor teeth and not pebble tooth. Sometimes i feel like they really dont know what they have. They look at the invoice and copy it to the tank glass.

woodywoo · 03/29/2006, 10:44 PM

Man you picked quite a Killer for you new tank. I've seen them actual kill themselves be trying to eat other eels twice their size.

1swtlx · 03/29/2006, 11:29 PM

after this thread i dont think i would be willing to put anything in with the TESS eel. I guess if i do end up with a tess then he will be the soul occupant of the tank with the exception of some live food

The un-identified LFS eel for sale looks similar to this: myrichthys breviceps (sharptail)

Triterium · 04/08/2006, 09:50 PM

I have a 180 with a 3-4" tess, 2' tess, 2' snowflake, 2' zebra, and 5 1-2" damsels. The most aggressive eel in the tank is the zebra which is completely opposite of everything ive read. The zebra is the only one that chases the damsels, which are too quick. I have a domino damsel that will back up right in front of the 3' tesselatta and wave it's tail in front of its mouth (when the eel gets in the damsels territory). The eel ignores it. The eels get along fine with each other and 2 or three usually like to stick their heads out of the same PVC pipe. They have been together for several months, but im not ruling out problems in the future.

Titan*69 · 04/08/2006, 10:41 PM

If you want an aggressive Eel for that sized tank go with the Fimbriated Moray.

Ironsheikh · 04/09/2006, 12:06 PM

ebay has one for $200 shipped --check it out if you wnat it

Petstorejunkie · 04/09/2006, 07:38 PM

puhleez dont do a tessie! they are not really meant to leave the ocean and fully grown have the ptoential to send you to the hospital from a single bite. think hundreds of stitches and reconstructive surgery. not to me but i have seen it happen.

LRS078 · 04/09/2006, 08:12 PM

fully grown......you have an 8 foot by nearly 1 foot chunk of muscle with a huge mouth w' lots of sharp teeth that has poor eyesight and a short fuse....what could be more cuddly!

eljefe3 · 04/09/2006, 09:28 PM

You two from GA seem to have the same inhabitants in your tanks.

Titan*69 · 04/09/2006, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by eljefe3
You two from GA seem to have the same inhabitants in your tanks.

Very observative!

LRS078 · 04/10/2006, 09:00 AM

Hmmm...there might be a reason for that?!? (soap opera cliff hanger...j/k)

Doh!.....finally busted. She's my girlfriend....same household tanks.

Congratulations on someone finally catching it.

1swtlx · 04/10/2006, 01:13 PM

well i found a beautiful volitan lionfish in LFS this weekend and i took him home. probably 4-5 inches with really nice coloration and fins.

so no eels now

thanks for all the input guys.

Triterium · 04/10/2006, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Petstorejunkie
puhleez dont do a tessie! they are not really meant to leave the ocean and fully grown have the ptoential to send you to the hospital from a single bite. think hundreds of stitches and reconstructive surgery. not to me but i have seen it happen.

Sounds like someone doesnt know how to handle their eel

Tesselatas are VERY resiliant and are a perfect aquarium species, IMO. They are very happy if they have some big rocks to dig under. Both my tessies typically stick to one cave all day and only come out when its feeding time. They will usually fold their bodies over so both their tails and heads are coming out of the same hole. Im sure a 6' tess would do fine in a 180 as long as there was a good sturdy cave/PVC tube that could hide its whole body.

Triterium · 04/10/2006, 04:04 PM

Woops, i have a 3-4' tess, not 3-4".
Here's an old picture when it was not quite 3'.

syndrome · 04/10/2006, 06:35 PM

I really hope your entire post was sarcam.just wait until he is 6 foot long and is touching both ends of your tank.

Triterium · 04/10/2006, 07:01 PM

Like i said, they dont move around very much and can easily bend. It is not an animal that needs to move around a ton to be happy (like other fish). They sit in their hole all day. My 3-4' eel only uses one side of the tank right now, so once it's 6' it can use the whole tank if it wants.

Notice the picture above. That eel is half the length of the tank and still looks like it has a ton of room.

03/29/2006, 05:53 PM	#1
1swtlx Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: georgia Posts: 190	Tesselata Eel (Gymnothorax favagineus) Anyone keeping this eel or have kept in the past? I got my heart set on this eel but because of potential size and aggressiveness i am worried about what tank mates could live to tell about it. If the fish list is limited i would like to maybe keep 2-3 eels in this tank of equal size (with the exception of green moray) what eels could co-exist with the Tess eel? 120g FOWLR set up and cycled but no inhabitants at the moment.

03/29/2006, 05:56 PM	#2
syndrome Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: long wood fl Posts: 253	A tess could not live in a 120 for life. Maybe a couple of months. If you want an eel You could do a pair of goldentails. __________________ BUY my 55 gallon

03/29/2006, 07:34 PM	#5
syndrome Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: long wood fl Posts: 253	The last eels real name is goldentail. Was it an actual mexican dragon or a jeweld? __________________ BUY my 55 gallon

03/29/2006, 07:54 PM	#6
1swtlx Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: georgia Posts: 190	not sure really. I remember the eel didnt have any special markings on the tail so i know it wasnt a goldtail. LFS had it labeled as "mexican dragon moray" and it was dark brown with light gold spots. All the pics of jeweled i have seen have been lighter colored eels but i couldnt rule it out as being a jeweled. LFS has an eel right now labeld as "viper moray" and im still trying to figure out what kind he is. Brown with medium size white circle spots and a blunt nose. It has the razor teeth and not pebble tooth. Sometimes i feel like they really dont know what they have. They look at the invoice and copy it to the tank glass. Last edited by 1swtlx; 03/29/2006 at 08:20 PM.

04/08/2006, 10:41 PM	#10
Titan*69 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Ontario,Cdn Posts: 557	If you want an aggressive Eel for that sized tank go with the Fimbriated Moray. __________________ Grimreefer Current Tank Info: 210 with 90GL sump, 100 Undy, and a minute 40QT

03/29/2006, 06:07 PM	#3
fredweezy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vienna, VA Posts: 62	You could keep it temporarily I guess, but those are big and mean.

03/29/2006, 06:33 PM	#4
1swtlx Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: georgia Posts: 190	The speciman i found is about 1.5 to 2 feet with outside diameter of a raquet ball. Im aware of the potential size of the full grown tess, but sounds like he would outgrow 120 inside of a year if well fed? I have kept the mexican dragon eel as the very first saltwater fish i bought several years ago and really miss those days. Are these better choices for multi-eel tank: ? Chainlink Eel - Echidna catenata Jeweled Eel - Muraena lentiginosa Fire Coral Eel - (Gymnothorax miliaris)

03/29/2006, 10:44 PM	#7
woodywoo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Alabama Posts: 427	Man you picked quite a Killer for you new tank. I've seen them actual kill themselves be trying to eat other eels twice their size.

03/29/2006, 11:29 PM	#8
1swtlx Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: georgia Posts: 190	after this thread i dont think i would be willing to put anything in with the TESS eel. I guess if i do end up with a tess then he will be the soul occupant of the tank with the exception of some live food The un-identified LFS eel for sale looks similar to this: myrichthys breviceps (sharptail)

04/08/2006, 09:50 PM	#9
Triterium Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 1,462	I have a 180 with a 3-4" tess, 2' tess, 2' snowflake, 2' zebra, and 5 1-2" damsels. The most aggressive eel in the tank is the zebra which is completely opposite of everything ive read. The zebra is the only one that chases the damsels, which are too quick. I have a domino damsel that will back up right in front of the 3' tesselatta and wave it's tail in front of its mouth (when the eel gets in the damsels territory). The eel ignores it. The eels get along fine with each other and 2 or three usually like to stick their heads out of the same PVC pipe. They have been together for several months, but im not ruling out problems in the future.

04/09/2006, 12:06 PM	#11
Ironsheikh Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: SYRACUSE NY Posts: 1,124	ebay has one for $200 shipped --check it out if you wnat it __________________ You have been weighed... You have been measured... YOU have been found wanting! Current Tank Info: 20G fowlr some zoas

04/09/2006, 07:38 PM	#12
Petstorejunkie Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 350	puhleez dont do a tessie! they are not really meant to leave the ocean and fully grown have the ptoential to send you to the hospital from a single bite. think hundreds of stitches and reconstructive surgery. not to me but i have seen it happen.

04/09/2006, 08:12 PM	#13
LRS078 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Alpharetta, GA USA Posts: 487	fully grown......you have an 8 foot by nearly 1 foot chunk of muscle with a huge mouth w' lots of sharp teeth that has poor eyesight and a short fuse....what could be more cuddly! __________________ 220 & 200 graveyard: Golden Puffer, Purple Tang, Dogface Puffer, Juv. Emp. Angel, Miniatus, Longhorn Cowfish, Juv French Angel. Spec-Only Angler tank. Current Tank Info: 200, 215, couple species and/or "bug" tanks

04/09/2006, 09:28 PM	#14
eljefe3 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Asia Posts: 202	You two from GA seem to have the same inhabitants in your tanks.

04/10/2006, 09:00 AM	#16
LRS078 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Alpharetta, GA USA Posts: 487	Hmmm...there might be a reason for that?!? (soap opera cliff hanger...j/k) Doh!.....finally busted. She's my girlfriend....same household tanks. Congratulations on someone finally catching it. __________________ 220 & 200 graveyard: Golden Puffer, Purple Tang, Dogface Puffer, Juv. Emp. Angel, Miniatus, Longhorn Cowfish, Juv French Angel. Spec-Only Angler tank. Current Tank Info: 200, 215, couple species and/or "bug" tanks

04/10/2006, 01:13 PM	#17
1swtlx Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: georgia Posts: 190	well i found a beautiful volitan lionfish in LFS this weekend and i took him home. probably 4-5 inches with really nice coloration and fins. so no eels now thanks for all the input guys.

04/10/2006, 04:04 PM	#19
Triterium Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 1,462	Woops, i have a 3-4' tess, not 3-4". Here's an old picture when it was not quite 3'.

04/10/2006, 06:35 PM	#20
syndrome Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: long wood fl Posts: 253	I really hope your entire post was sarcam.just wait until he is 6 foot long and is touching both ends of your tank. __________________ BUY my 55 gallon

04/10/2006, 07:01 PM	#21
Triterium Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 1,462	Like i said, they dont move around very much and can easily bend. It is not an animal that needs to move around a ton to be happy (like other fish). They sit in their hole all day. My 3-4' eel only uses one side of the tank right now, so once it's 6' it can use the whole tank if it wants. Notice the picture above. That eel is half the length of the tank and still looks like it has a ton of room.