June ~EEL~ of the Month - Ribbon Eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita)

[karlas]

Karla's Ribbon Eel

Blue/Black Ribbon Eel
Rhinomuraena quaesita
Max length: 130 centimeters or 4.2 feet


Reef Safe- Safe with bigger fish and corals but will eat smaller fish, it has attacked snails but has left the marine feeder shrimp alone.

Attitude- One of the more docile eels ive seen but you still have to be careful he does have small razor sharp teeth.


Diet- Has not accepted frozen foods at all. only wants live feeders very aggresive when it comes to eating.

Care- I would rate this one very difficult. Does not accept prepared foods easily im still trying to get mine to try it. You have to work with them and keep working until you find what these guys have a taste for. I would only recommend them for someone that is prepared to spend the time and effort to get these guys to eat. A very beautiful animal but be prepared they will make you work.

Origin- Phillipines

Observations- I've had eat 2-3 inch flagfish and smaller silversides. It seems very mild mannered until it eats, if you find one that will eat frozen foods then it would probably go in with other fish but by target feeding. My opinion if it only eats live then best to keep it in a species only tank. They are blind as a bat, ive seen him miss fish and bite the rock on the bottom. When he does hunt he stands straight up about 6-8 inches arches his head then strikes at the fish below him and seems to remain motionless until he strikes at the fish. Some of the smaller fish he has no trouble getting down but some of the bigger ones he will grab slam against a rock then when it swims out injured he will swing around and grab it by the head, dislodge its jaw and swallow it down pretty easy then. Also he seems to dig in the sand so if you have a heavy rock structure it would important to get a solid base. They will dig under rock from one end to the other and just slide right underneath the rock.



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From Matt: Thank you Karla for contributing to the fish of the month! (Remember all members can contribute, simply send a PM to myself or any mod to get the ball rolling.)

As Karla said - This is a difficult to keep eel! Do your homework. Eels are generally not completely reef safe as they are opportunistic feeders and will eat any fish that can fit in their mouth.

But thanks again - This site is user contributed and I am sure I speak for all when I say thank you Karla for your insight about this beautiful eel.
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[karlas]

I wanted to add i spoke to a marine biologist and talked to him about live feeding. Guppies and goldfish get them by for a while but saltwater predators can end up with deficiancies with this type of feeding. Saltwater feeders like silversides actually carry more nutrients then the fresh water feeders that most people use. Also they are a more natural food and you have a better chance of a hard to feed predator going after this type of food. I found i need to keep 10-15 silversides in the tank at a time he does miss sometimes and with that many he is able to find another fish to capture. Also he feeds late at night with the lights off so a bait fish that can live in the tank is best. When i put him in the original tank it took a few weeks for him to start eating and he did the same thing when i moved him to a bigger tank so it takes then a while to adjust to new surroundings.