Sick Zebra eel, James' go     12/11/07
Hi Bob,
James with you today, Jack.>
Owner: Jack I’m 12 years old.
<Mmm, a young aquarist, good for you!>
Tank: Corner 110 litres, Crushed coral base, 3 hand size & 3 golf ball size live rocks. One hollow ship wreck. Built in filter, Heater, Power head set up to pump in air as well.
Occupants: 35cm Zebra Eel, 18cm Snow Flake eel, Blue Damsel fish.
General: Zebra Eel. I have owned the eel and tank for about 6 months. The eels have both been eating fine every second day (Cooked and uncooked prawns, Pipis ) Tried calamari, squid and mussels. They both swam around during the day and night, They hand feed and loved to be petted.
<Not a good idea to hand feed eels, they have a nasty bacteria infested bite which can lead to a bacterial infection on the wounded area. Do discontinue this practice.>
Their breathing was fine and they are very calm and seem relaxed in their environment. I did water change of 5-10 litres every week to ten days. I tested the water every week and adjusted when needed. We did adjust the pH with Marine buffer (Seachem brand) I did once put the buffer in the tank directly without mixing it in water from the tank in a cup first and then pouring it in.
Problem: Last Tuesday I noticed the Zebra Eel's head was laying on bottom of tank and seemed to struggle to breath and hold his head up. He was not swimming around and stopped eating for about week. His eye was a bit smoky gray. His stripes were fine, skin was slimy. On Tuesday afternoon we transferred the eel to the aquarium that we bought him from. In capturing the eel this made him swim around and seemed to pick him in itself.
<?>
When we arrived at the aquarium and they transferred it to their tank it seemed a lot better, they said they will keep it for observation. They increased the salt in tank and the next day it ate and seemed on a recovery. When i\I called the next day they said it seemed to relapse back to its old ways. The next day they said it was about the same but had a white spots on its face appearing and in its mouth. From this position he did not recover and this afternoon the eel passed away. The aquarium said they are not sure why it passed away but I would love to know why so I can take better care of my other eel and I would like to one day get another Zebra Eel.
General: The Snow Flake Eel and the damsel are fine. I did check the water when all this was occurring and it was perfect and the aquarium checked the water as well the day we took the eel there and they said it was fine. We have been told that eels are hardy pet is this true.
<Yes, they are hardy if conditions are favorable for them. A 28 gallon tank is much too small for this fish. They can grow to about two feet and really need to be in a 50 gallon or larger aquarium. I'm guessing what happened to eel was caused by environmental stress. They are huge waste producers for their size and I believe this led to his demise. In reading your email, I'm guessing you have a 28 gallon all in one nano tank. The filtration system on these systems isn't really suited to keeping eels or any large fish.>
Thanks for reading my email but I would appreciate your feedback.
<You're welcome Jack, and please read here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zebramor.htm
James (Salty Dog)>
Jack

Sick zebra moray eel... too small, too little filtered, mis-buffered... reading, Bob's go     12/11/07
Hi crew,
Owner: Jack I'm 12 years old.
<Howdy: Bob, I'm 55>
Tank: Corner 110 litres, Crushed coral base, 3 hand size & 3 golf ball size live rocks. 1 hollow ship wreck. Built in filter, Heater, Power head set up to pump in air as well.
Occupants: 35cm zebra eel, 18cm snow flake eel, Blue damsel fish.
<Mmm... I wish I knew the make-up of your built-in filter... Moray eels do produce a good deal of waste... And this tank volume is much too small for these two>
General: Zebra eel. I have owned the eel and tank for about 6mths. The eels have both been eating fine every second day (Cooked and uncooked prawns, Pipis ) Tried calamari, squid and mussels. They both swam around during the day and night, They hand fed and loved to be patted. Their breathing was fine and they are very calm and seem relaxed in their environment. I did water change of 5-10 litres every week to ten days. I tested the water every week and adjusted when needed. We did adjust the ph with Marine buffer (Seachem brand) I did once put the buffer in the tank directly without mixing it in water from the tank in a cup 1st and then pouring it in.
<I see... and you've hopefully learned better>
Problem: Last Tuesday I noticed the Zebra eels head was laying on bottom of tank and seemed to strangle to breath and hold his head up. He was not swimming around and stopped eating for about week. His eye was a bit smoky gray. His strips were fine, skin was slimy. On the Tuesday afternoon we transferred the eel to the aquarium that we bought him from. In capturing the eel this made him swim around and seemed to pick him in itself. When we arrived at the aquarium and they transferred it to their tank it seemed a lot better, they said they will keep it for observation. They Increased the salt in tank and the next day it eat and seemed on a recovery. When I called the next day they said it seemed to relapse back to its old ways. The next day they said it was about the same but had a white spots on its face appearing and in its mouth. From this position this he did not recover and this afternoon the eel passed away. The aquarium said they are not sure why it passed away but I would love to know why so I can take better care of my other eel and I would like to one day get another Zebra eel.
<Mmm...>
General: The Snow flake eel and the damsel are fine. I did check the water when all this was occurring and it was perfect and the aquarium checked the water as well the day we took the eel there and they said it was fine. We have been told that eels are hardy pet is this true.
<Most species, specimens if placed in appropriate settings are, yes...>
Thanks for reading my email but I would appreciate your feedback.
Jack
<Your Zebra/Gymnomuraena likely succumbed to the buffer being poured directly into the tank, along with general stress... This system is too small... Please read re these two species needs here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/index.htm
the third tray down. Bob Fenner>

 

Gymnothorax tile with possible tumors – 09/04/07 Hello! <Hi!> Sorry I must contact you with bad news. <No problem.> Somehow one must guess most people who have questions do. I believe that this is the fatal flaw for the moray I have made. I trusted the staff at the LFS. I've been feeding him shrimp for months and now that something has finally gone wrong have I dug into the problem. I guess stuff happens but I should have been able to prevent it with research, but the sites I could find before I ran into yours mentioned morays eating crustaceans. <They do, but not exclusively and not just one type.> I've found your website incredibly reliable as far as I can see. When I looked into the problem, I looked into diet, and disease on your site. What worries me, is that even if I correct the diet, he has what appears to be tumors on his belly, the white portion. He's in a high brackish setup for more info if you need that. <Okay, that’s an important information. I hope the specific gravity is above 1.010.> Say the diet is corrected in the long term, will he be able to survive what has happened to him? <Possible, if the diet was the reason and apparent damage is reversible. Daily vitamin additions will help you to correct the diet and find out.> I'm concerned with the tumors. I doubt there is anything I will be able to do except for do my best. <Yes, a vet would be needed for a better diagnosis. What you can do is: check your nitrates. Aside nutrition this problem might be caused by an environmental issue, e.g. high nitrates or low salinity (which you probably can exclude at least for the time you had it) for a long time.> I thought it might have been an infection from the substrate, which is smooth gravel. <Improbable.> I siphoned every piece of filth I could from the gravel and did a 20% water change of his 20 gallon tall. <Okay… That tank is relatively small, therefore it is well possible nitrates accumulated. You may also want to check nitrites and ammonia to see if this system is adequately filtered. Nitrates>20 and any reading of ammonia and nitrites >0 can be a problem. You’d have to do large water changes in that case (remember changing 50% will only decrease any harmful substance by 50%) and keep those parameters down as long as your fish is in this tank.> The eel is barely over a foot, and I plan on buying him a fifty gallon aquarium as soon as I can. I just noticed what happened today, and I sent this in ASAP. <Good decision.> His diet will be corrected immediately with variety <…and vitamins> to ensure proper nutrition. During the tank change I took a picture of him in a holding container (plastic bowl). <I love this species.> He stirred up a lot in the time it took to catch him hence the nasty stuff in the bowl. I also disturbed a lot trying to capture him... Other than the mysterious large bumps on him *three if I remember correctly* he swims around and eats just fine. <I hope he gets well again. Some types of tumors are reversible, while others are not. Good luck and write back if further questions or comments arise. Marco.> Gymnothorax tile with possible tumors; follow up ? – 09/09/07 Hi again. I must thank you for your quick response. <No problem.> Sorry mine was not so swift. <Since you did not include our correspondence it is difficult for us to remember your problem. Dozens of e-mails arrive here every day. But I do assume you are the one who had a problem with a brackish Gymnothorax tile with possible tumors?> Shortly after sending the e-mail I contacted a friend who also keeps saltwater fish. He suggested a full water change. I did such even though I thought it was risky but I'll try anything that might benefit the eel as long as it seems rational. To keep the tank "aged" I left the old filter in so the bacteria would be reintroduced. Now I'm trying to get the eel to eat a wider variety of food. It ate more shrimp immediately just an hour afterwards. The piece of squid were ignored and are still laying on the bottom of the tank. <Take them out if they are not eaten within a few hours. You'll need some patience to train the eel. If he's a little hungry his motivation to try something new will be higher.> Mussel meat will be tried. I bought silversides from the pet store as well as krill. <Okay.> So far all he accepts is shrimp as always. With methods of keeping his body in top shape, what could I do to make the shrimp more nutritious in the meantime? I know that Walgreens sells hypodermic needles I could use to inject the shrimp with vitamins. <Can do that. You could also soak the thawed food in vitamins for about half an hour.> Also, asking around, I have lights used for regular freshwater fish. Should I get those intended to emit UVA to simulate natural sunlight? More questions asked to people I know suggest he'd need it so he could absorb calcium (I don't think they need it very badly but it seems to be a basic need for a lot of animals) and produce vitamin D to fight off cancer. <Since G. tile moray eels are predominately nocturnal in nature, I do not think the spectrum of the lights is connected to the disease of your eel. In addition, vitamin D won’t be a problem for a moray, which naturally eat vitamin D rich sea food like fish and crustaceans. However, I do prefer bulbs with the most natural spectrum for my own tanks.> The eel showed a drastic increase in activity after the water change before settling down under his driftwood which is in there to simulate an estuary. <May rot in the brackish water.> Is there anything I'm doing wrong here beside the nutrition issue? <As suggested monitor the nitrates. Anything higher than 20 ppm can be a problem. What was the nitrate concentration before you did the water change? It is well possible long term nitrogenous poisoning was the source of your problem.> I suspect I am. I don't know for sure though. There is something else I wish to ask you in another e-mail. It has to do with the senior project at my school and this will be sent very shortly after this. <Okay. Be chatting. Marco.> Re: Gymnothorax tile tumors. Malnutrition? - 10/07/2007 The eel's tumors are gone! I appreciate your advice very much. There has been a lot of success with keeping him healthy, along with some noticeable growth in size. His food has been injected with the appropriate supplements as well. The need for a new tank is growing, and I believe I could probably get him a new one in the next few months. Adding another question, I found this little packet in the LFS called "Phosphate-X" or "Phos-X." Something like that name. The description on the label says it absorbs phosphate, nitrates, and nitrites. I don't rely on this little packet about the size of a sticky-note and still perform water changes, I was only wondering if it helped. On a different matter, the eel eats about twice a week based on the information I found on your website. I used to offer krill that was accepted from time to time but read that it wasn't good for the eel and promptly stopped feeding that. Silversides have been a new favorite alongside shrimp, and squid are accepted when the eel feels like eating them. (the food is removed after a few hours as you suggested as not to pollute the water) I'd like him to live as long as possible, so I've done everything I can, and will continue to do so. The brackish water isn't rotting the wood so far, and the salinity is as you suggested. While on that, is there anything better than a regular hydrometer? Perhaps something electronic? <A hydrometer is fine for brackish water fish. Any inaccuracy will be well within the tolerances of the fish. In fact, most brackish water fish like a bit of variation from time to time. But your filter isn't quite so accommodating, so it's best not to vary the SG more than a couple of points on the SG scale at any one time (i.e., SG 1.010 to 1.012 is fine, but 1.010 to 1.018 not so much).> Another question. My Gymnothorax tile lives in high-end brackish but what is their environment like out where they live if they're from Asia? <The problem here is that they are almost certainly migratory, like most large brackish water fish. So there's no "perfect" habitat. These morays are found -- as adults -- in completely freshwater as well as in the sea, and they seem to move about between the upper and lower estuary. They're neither completely saltwater fish nor true freshwater fish, but something in between. That said, like a lot of eels, their main habitat is murky, muddy water where their ability to burrow, negotiate rubble and locate food under poor visibility conditions is useful. A typical environment would probably be sticky mud at the bottom, murky water, large rocks and waterlogged tree trunks, and rocky reefs. Hardly attractive for an aquarium!> Will any aquatic plants survive in the brackish water, and what kind of decoration should be used to make it look like Gymnothorax tile habitat? <There are brackish water plants, such as Cryptocoryne ciliata and Crinum calamistratum in the trade, as well as the very hardy Java fern that does well in brackish water, but there's little point to using them. They aren't authentic for the sorts of habitats these eels will be living in. Eels favour dark, murky places and they don't like bright light. Much better to create something with a tall, rocky reef-like structure so the eel can hide and wind itself around. These eels don't so much swim as slither through things, and the more 3D the aquarium, the better. Big mounds of holey rocks would probably work very nicely. Something like a reef tank arrangement. What you want to avoid is anything too rough and definitely nothing unstable, as these fish are quite powerful and excellent diggers. I'd personally be looking at an oyster reef habitat. These are really important environments in brackish water habitats and easy to replicate. Simply gather lots of oyster shells (easy enough to buy as food, if nothing else) and use silicone to cement them to some sort of rock, such as tufa rock.> I'm thinking that if I make it as naturalistic as possible he'll live longer than what is usually achieved in captivity. <A good approach. The reason these eels don't survive is not really a mystery. A few things seem consistent. Keeping them in too-low a salinity doesn't help, and usually leads to hunger strikes. So at least SG 1.005 is required, and probably SG 1.010 for best results. On the other hand, there's no evidence they "swim out to sea" when mature, so keeping them in saltwater tanks likely isn't required provided the salinity is at least at or above SG 1.010. Diet is another factor. With these eels, and indeed any other predatory fish, I'm a fan of the "little but often" approach. Yes, you can feed them a big prawn one day and skip the next. But the risk with predatory fish is they regurgitate the food and pollute the tank. I'd sooner give small morsels each night, so that there's no risk of major pollution. At SG 1.010 upwards you can use a protein skimmer with success. While not crucial, these devices to help manage the nitrate by removing organic waste from meaty foods before they decay. So in the long run, a skimmer can end up saving you money by reducing the frequency of water changes. Of course, you still need to aim for the same relatively low nitrate level (I'd suggest <50 mg/l) but generally morays are fairly tolerant of this. Hope this helps, Neale> Re: Gymnothorax tile tumors. Malnutrition? - 10/07/2007 The eel's tumors are gone! I appreciate your advice very much. There has been a lot of success with keeping him healthy, along with some noticeable growth in size. His food has been injected with the appropriate supplements as well. The need for a new tank is growing, and I believe I could probably get him a new one in the next few months. Adding another question, I found this little packet in the LFS called "Phosphate-X" or "Phos-X." Something like that name. The description on the label says it absorbs phosphate, nitrates, and nitrites. I don't rely on this little packet about the size of a sticky-note and still perform water changes, I was only wondering if it helped. On a different matter, the eel eats about twice a week based on the information I found on your website. I used to offer krill that was accepted from time to time but read that it wasn't good for the eel and promptly stopped feeding that. Silversides have been a new favorite alongside shrimp, and squid are accepted when the eel feels like eating them. (the food is removed after a few hours as you suggested as not to pollute the water) I'd like him to live as long as possible, so I've done everything I can, and will continue to do so. The brackish water isn't rotting the wood so far, and the salinity is as you suggested. While on that, is there anything better than a regular hydrometer? Perhaps something electronic? <A hydrometer is fine for brackish water fish. Any inaccuracy will be well within the tolerances of the fish. In fact, most brackish water fish like a bit of variation from time to time. But your filter isn't quite so accommodating, so it's best not to vary the SG more than a couple of points on the SG scale at any one time (i.e., SG 1.010 to 1.012 is fine, but 1.010 to 1.018 not so much).> Another question. My Gymnothorax tile lives in high-end brackish but what is their environment like out where they live if they're from Asia? <The problem here is that they are almost certainly migratory, like most large brackish water fish. So there's no "perfect" habitat. These morays are found -- as adults -- in completely freshwater as well as in the sea, and they seem to move about between the upper and lower estuary. They're neither completely saltwater fish nor true freshwater fish, but something in between. That said, like a lot of eels, their main habitat is murky, muddy water where their ability to burrow, negotiate rubble and locate food under poor visibility conditions is useful. A typical environment would probably be sticky mud at the bottom, murky water, large rocks and waterlogged tree trunks, and rocky reefs. Hardly attractive for an aquarium!> Will any aquatic plants survive in the brackish water, and what kind of decoration should be used to make it look like Gymnothorax tile habitat? <There are brackish water plants, such as Cryptocoryne ciliata and Crinum calamistratum in the trade, as well as the very hardy Java fern that does well in brackish water, but there's little point to using them. They aren't authentic for the sorts of habitats these eels will be living in. Eels favour dark, murky places and they don't like bright light. Much better to create something with a tall, rocky reef-like structure so the eel can hide and wind itself around. These eels don't so much swim as slither through things, and the more 3D the aquarium, the better. Big mounds of holey rocks would probably work very nicely. Something like a reef tank arrangement. What you want to avoid is anything too rough and definitely nothing unstable, as these fish are quite powerful and excellent diggers. I'd personally be looking at an oyster reef habitat. These are really important environments in brackish water habitats and easy to replicate. Simply gather lots of oyster shells (easy enough to buy as food, if nothing else) and use silicone to cement them to some sort of rock, such as tufa rock.> I'm thinking that if I make it as naturalistic as possible he'll live longer than what is usually achieved in captivity. <A good approach. The reason these eels don't survive is not really a mystery. A few things seem consistent. Keeping them in too-low a salinity doesn't help, and usually leads to hunger strikes. So at least SG 1.005 is required, and probably SG 1.010 for best results. On the other hand, there's no evidence they "swim out to sea" when mature, so keeping them in saltwater tanks likely isn't required provided the salinity is at least at or above SG 1.010. Diet is another factor. With these eels, and indeed any other predatory fish, I'm a fan of the "little but often" approach. Yes, you can feed them a big prawn one day and skip the next. But the risk with predatory fish is they regurgitate the food and pollute the tank. I'd sooner give small morsels each night, so that there's no risk of major pollution. At SG 1.010 upwards you can use a protein skimmer with success. While not crucial, these devices to help manage the nitrate by removing organic waste from meaty foods before they decay. So in the long run, a skimmer can end up saving you money by reducing the frequency of water changes. Of course, you still need to aim for the same relatively low nitrate level (I'd suggest <50 mg/l) but generally morays are fairly tolerant of this. Hope this helps, Neale>

Green Headed Moray Ill. Moray with zig zag line – 06/14/07
My son has a green headed moray that is about two feet long. <Green headed moray is not among those common names I am aware of and there are several species referred to as yellow headed morays or green morays. Possibly this species is Gymnothorax undulatus and can be seen at http://www.wetwebmedia.com/moraysii.htm , http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Photos/ThumbnailsSummary.php?ID=4905 .> We have had him for about four years in a 100 gal tank with a Niger. Just recently we noticed that it has a white zig zag line under its neck. The line is under its skin and about 3 inches long. The eel is acting normal and has never been sick. Please help, we can’t figure out what the line is and how to get rid of it.
<A picture of the line and a confirmation of the species ID would have been helpful for a diagnosis. While the so called lateral line organ is visible as a row of pores at some species, it is also possible your moray is infected with worms (nematodes) living in its skin. See http://www.wetwebmedia.com/moraydisfaqs.htm , scroll down to subcutaneous worms (medication is also recommended there) and compare. Praziquantel could work, as may other products against worms. Beware that many of those should not be used in a system with invertebrates or live rock.>
Thanks. Heather.
<Glad to assist. Marco.>

Re: Moray with zig zag line II – 06/15/07
Hello again. <Hi.> Thank you for the link. <No problem.> You are correct the eel is a Gymnothorax undulatus and the picture of the worms on your site are exactly what he has. How nasty! How did he get them and how can I stop him from getting them again once I get rid of them?
<Worm infections most often occur with wild-caught fishes. Many worms are unable to complete complex life cycles in aquaria, but a good (and unknown) number remains. Since the moray eel was in your tank for 4 years without obvious infection, I can only guess the parasitic worms (probably as eggs) were introduced with some (most likely) live material. It is also possible other fish were infected and the worms were able to lay eggs and infect the moray. Some of them are also live bearers. A seemingly less probable scenario would be that the worm eggs were introduced by frozen or live food. If you observed how fast those lines grow, you can estimate when the infection started and thus (knowing what you fed or added to the system) decrease the number of possible sources until hopefully finding a definite answer on how the worms were introduced. If you know the source of the eggs, you should be able to avoid it in the future.>
Thank you so much, at least now we know how to treat him.
<Good luck. I hope the treatment works. Cheers, Marco.>
 

Green moray - loss of slime coat –   5/25/07 Have been referred to you all for help. Moray eel is very sick. <I fear it looks pretty bad.> I came home today and the pump had lost its siphon. The tank temp (210 gal) had risen to 85 deg. My wife called me and told me that the eel was swimming near the top of the tank and swimming erratically. Fixed pump issue water moving slowly back down (81 now). Eel laying on bottom upside down breathing slowly but looking very bad. The thing I notice is that he is usually dark green but is now VERY PURPLE. I have included a link of a pic (color not really good enough to see). But he is still green near top and purple down the rest of his body.    <Green morays in fact are rather blue. Due to their mucous coat, which is a little yellow, they appear green. Your specimen has lost its coat possibly due to an accident with the pump, which also resulted in the loss of the siphon.> Couple of white spots on him make me think the pump thing today just stirred him up and he may have gotten hit by the Foxface. <If those white spots are salt grain like see WWM re Cryptocaryon, this would be an alternate explanation for the loss of the mucous coat. If it is crypt consider a hyposalinity treatment in another tank.> He is also shriveled up like your hand would be if it were under water too long. Please let me know if this is something you have heard of before and can point me in the right direction.   Thanks for wetwebmedia, where I have probably learned more about marine life than anywhere else! <In case of an accident with the pump, there is not much that you can do except hoping that it will pull through and ensuring that the other fish do not pick at the moray eel. In case of crypt go for hyposalinity. Green morays (at least the Atlantic G. funebris) can be found in brackish waters and river mouths, while the parasites (at least the free stages) have serious problems with low salinity. I'm glad you like the site and wish the best for you and your eel. Marco.> http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitchelliii/512800176/ Link above is a pic. Everything else in the tank - clown, Foxface, and royal Gramma is doing fine (albeit hovering over the eel some) 0 Ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate. Alk 7 (little low is usually around 9).

Moray Eel with Eye Issue   4/22/07
I have a 24" Fimbriated moray.  He recently was moved to a 40 gallon tank because he has been extremely aggressive.
<Much too small a volume for this specimen, species... not able to be kept stable/filtered... This fish is a piscivore (and eats crustaceans)... http://wetwebmedia.com/moraysii.htm>
Anyway the move went well he settled in well.  That night he jumped out of the tank.
<...>
  I found him on the brink of death, dried up.  I put him back in the tank and since then his eyes have looked different.  Okay the tank is newly cycled, but nitrates are present, high, at 100 ppm.
<Way too high...>
  There is no ammonia or nitrite.  I cycled the tank by using old water, old sand, old filter media.
<Good>
  The result was virtually no waiting for cycling but high nitrates that need to be worked on.  However he was accustomed to this exact water environment in his previous home.  He shed a layer of skin after he jumped out but didn't appear overly stressed for such an ordeal.  But his eyes have changed.  His entire eye used to be a purple color.  The entire eye area up to the edges.  Now when I look closely the purple area has shrunk.  It would look on a person like the pupil was half
its normal size.  However the light is dimmer in this tank, so if it were like a person, the pupil would have been larger?  How do fish eyes work?
<What do you want to know? Most fishes can "see"/register some color... do have focusable lenses...>
Does he have a pupil that adjusts in size.
<Yes>
Did the prolonged air exposure when he jumped out damage the eye?
<Yes>
Is it some kind of stress response?  Should I be worried?
<Yes and yes... if this causes you to action...>
  He has eaten since the move to this tank but not heartily. Please let me know what you think.
  Worried Pet Owner
<Translate that concern into activity... move this fish to more adequate quarters... larger volume, solid/escape-proof top, sufficient filtration... no more than 20 ppm. nitrate... All covered on... WWM. Bob Fenner>

Help... Moray hlth... no useful info.   4/4/07
Dear bob
<Angie>
I have a golden moray eel and would appreciate your help. He is about 6 months old, and his symptoms are;
He has lost his teeth
<!?>
His mouth is red and sore where his teeth were
He hasn't eaten for approx 3 weeks
<I can understand why!>
He has lost a bit of colour only on his head and neck
I am having great difficulty in finding somebody who knows anything about eels. The place where I bought him from have given "SeaCure" copper treatment,
<Mmm... see WWM re Muraenids and Cu... not generally a good idea>
however I have read a book on morays and specifies that you should never use a non- chelated copper- based medication.
<Not good with Eels, no>
I am not sure if sea cure
<A proper noun... product of Aquarium Systems... is capitalized>
is chelated or not.
<Is not... is copper sulfate... As stated on WWM... their website...>
Although the main tanks water parameters have always been fine,
<... uninformative>
we have moved him now to a quarantine tank. We have given one dose of the medication so far we are supposed to give it a further 2 days.
<Of what?>
I would appreciate any advice you could give, and also do you have any contacts in England whom I could telephone as I stated before I cant find any one and don't really no where I should be looking.
Alex Symcox  
<Need much more information than you have presented here... How did this animal lose its teeth? What have you tried to feed it... what re its system, maintenance... I would not expose this animal to Copper compounds (for what purpose?), nor keep it in quarantine... too stressful... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/moraydisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above... Am hopeful this scanning will reveal to you the sorts of data we're looking for... that you'll have a clearer understanding of your options... Read, act now. Bob Fenner>

Re: help... Moray hlth... Still no useful info.   4/12/07
HI in
Answer to your questions we do not have any idea why or how he lost his teeth we are trying to feed him gamma
<A Brand... still a proper noun uncapitalized...>
fish which is what he ate before.
We put him in his own tank so we could give him the medicine that the shop suggested because we did not want the other fish to be exposed to it.
What do you think we should do to try and get him to feed ?
<What? Apply yourself... Please read where you were referred to on the 4th... There is still nothing useful in the way of data presented here. BobF>

Re: Snowflake eel, blue tang, convict tang III; need a hospital tank for proper ich treatment; how to catch an eel 03/06/07
Hi WWM, I treated the blue tang with tri-sulfa and some spots disappeared, but he
started scratching again. I do not have a hospital tank, so what else can I do and are corals
classified as invertebrates.
<See last email. Your corals are invertebrates and without a hospital tank, there is not much you can do without harming or killing them. Please read the WWM link sent in the last email. The life cycle of marine ich and the so far known methods of treatment are described there. Another good article is http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/hospital/swich/.>
If I choose to do hyposalinity what should I lower the salinity to?
<Specific gravity of 1.009 for four weeks, but your corals will not enjoy that. Only use hyposalinity in a tank without invertebrates.>
I am going to try and catch the eel, and are there any other ways of catching a snowflake eel then pulling apart the rockwork?
<A clean bottle with a small piece of its favourite food and an opening large enough. Bury it in the substrate. Watch at night. Chances are good you will find your eel sitting in the bottle. Close the bottle under water without getting bitten and transfer him carefully to a plastic bag for transport.>
Thanks, Maison
<Welcome. Marco.>