SNOWFLAKE EEL IN FRESHWATER!!

HI, MY NAME IS MARTY, I AM BRAND NEW TO THE SITE, AND I HAVE THE HONOR OF BEING THE FIRST MEMBER TO POST ON THE MEMBER MAP FROM ALASKA!
THE SITE LOOKS GREAT!! JUST WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR.
OK, HOW WEIRD IS THIS.... I WENT TO A LOCAL SHOP, AND BOUGHT A 18" SNOWFLAKE EEL, THE LADY SAID THAT IT WAS LIVING IN FRESHWATER, SHE HAD BEEN NEGLECTING TO ADD SALT TO THE TANK, I BOUGHT THE EEL FOR $10 AND TOOK IT HOME, I HAVE HAD IT FOR 3 MONTHS NOW, IT DOES GREAT IN A FRESHWATER TANK! IT ATE MY 7" PLECO, A MEDIUM SIZED AFRICAN CICHLID, AND A 5" CLOWN KNIFE. I FEED HIM REGULARLY, BUT I GUESS HE WANTED A COUPLE OF SNACKS. THE LADY AT THE FISH STORE ASSURED ME HE WOULDN'T EAT THE PLECO, BUT I GUESS WE WERE WRONG... HE IS NOW OVER 24" LONG. I PUT A LARGER (8&quot PLECO IN THE TANK AND HE HASN'T TRIED TO EAT IT, BUT HE SEEMS INTIMATED BY IT?? THEY BOTH DECIDED TO PICK THE SAME CAVE TO HIDE IN, SO THERE IS SOME TENSION IN THE TANK WHEN THEY BOTH SEEK COVER.
I WILL POST A PICTURE OF HIM LATER TONIGHT.. THANKS FOR THE GREAT SITE.. I WANT TO START SALTWATER WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH, THIS LOOKS LIKE THE BEST SITE FOR INFO! ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANKS

 

Hi martyinalaska! [smiley=wave.gif]

Welcome to our family! I'm a newbie at this hobby (4 Mos)so I won't be able to help you much but there are many knowledgable people on this board that will be more than happy to help you and give you the support you need to get started. Not only are there a lot of fine people here but we have lots of fun while we learn.

Sorry about the eel eating your fish. Hopefully he'll leave the new one alone. I would love to see pics of your eel.

Cindy

 

HERE'S A PICTURE OF THE LITTLE GUY, AS YOU CAN SEE, MY 3 YR OLD LIKES TO TOUCH THE TANK, IS IT COMMON FOR SNOWFLAKES TO LIVE IN FRESHWATER?? I MIGHT BE OVERLY IMPRESSED? DOES ANYBODY KNOW HOW TO SEX THEM?? ALSO I AM INTERESTED IN MAKING HIM/HER A PARENT.. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE LOTS OF TINY LITTLE SNOWFLAKES SWIMMING AROUND.
ALSO, ANY SECRET TIPS ON KEEPING FRESHWATER TANKS FROM CLOUDING UP?? I JUST SET UP THIS FRESHWATER TANK LAST WEEKEND, WITHIN 1 DAY IT SEEMED TO START TO CLOUD, NOT FILTHY DIRTY, JUST NOT AS PRETTY AS IT SHOULD BE.
I AM ECITED ABOUT THIS SITE, I DESPERATELY WANT TO SET UP A SALT WATER TANK, JUST DON'T KNOW WHER TO START??? ANY IDEAS, OR TIPS ON GREAT WEBSITES THAT HAVE GREAT DEALS?? OR ANY MEMBERS THAT HAVE UPGRADED, AND HAVE SOME GOOD QUALITY USED SUPPLIES, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THEM FROM YOU.. THANKS EMAIL IS [email protected]
THANKS MARTY

 

Hi Marty and welcome!! One quick question...are you sure it's a snowflake eel? I for one have never heard of them living in fresh water...but I suppose anything is possible....

 

I just did a quick search on freshwater eels and came up with this .... http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/eelprofilesindex/a/aa082901.htm

 

Go to the list to the left and there is 3 reef auctions and 3 reef trading. You might find something there. Some place on here are the 3 steps to setting up a reef tank that could be helpful. For some reason I don't seem to see it. Must be because your eel scared me .  Looks like a snake to me!! Don't worry , you'll be getting plenty of advise from this group-trust me!

What they will all say is always use ro/di water. The larger the tank you can get the better. Get a refractometer to measure your salinity so that there is no guess work. Use LIve Sand and LIve Rock for your filtration along with a sump and a good skimmer. Depends on what you want to keep. Fish only, corals etc as far as what you use for lights. I'll let these guys fill in the specifics for you.

I'm glad you like this site, you'll learn alot here. It is certainly one of my most very favorite sites to come home to. In fact, that's kind of what it feels like here-HOME!



Good luck and have fun!

Cindy

 

Good link Seawillow.
Definitely doesn't look like a Snowflake to me.

 

Marty

I had a "fw" eel just like that.  My LFS called it a marble eel but it is also sometimes called the freshwater snowflake. They recommended that I put some salt in the water but not full fresh water or salt water.  AKA Brackish water.  Basically they can be acclimated to a range or salt levels.

 

Your eel is definitely not a snowflake moray. This eel is often labeled as a snowflake eel, this is a Gymnothorax tile. check out this web site

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/sharks_eels_loaches/eels_moray.htm#top2

I also seen that you just set this tank up? That is a big no no you need to cycle the tank before you add you fish. If you go to saltwater I advise you to do much research before you setup your tank or you could lose hundreds of dollars in livestock.

Good luck with your new setup and cheers to your new tank [smiley=beer.gif]

 

HI, THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GREAT INFORMATION!! THIS SITE IS AWESOME, YOU ARE RIGHT, AFTER DOING RESEARCH AT MANY OF THE LINKS EVERYONE SENT ME, IT DEFINITELY IS NOT A SNOWFLAKE!! IT IS A FRESHWATER GYMNOTHORAX TILE. IT SAYS TO FEED HIM GHOST SHRIMP, WHERE DO I GET THOSE??