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FAQs about Snowflake Moray Eel Behavior Related FAQs: Snowflake
Morays 1, Snowflake
Morays 2,
Snowflake Eel Identification,
Snowflake Eel
Compatibility, Snowflake Eel Selection,
Snowflake Eel Systems,
Snowflake Eel
Feeding, Snowflake Eel Disease/Health,
Snowflake Eel Reproduction,
Moray Eels, Zebra
Moray Eels, Moray Identification, Moray
Compatibility, Ribbon
Moray Eels, Freshwater Moray Eel FAQs. Moray
Eels in General, Moray Behavior, Moray
Compatibility, Moray Selection, Moray
Systems, Moray Feeding, Moray
Disease, Moray Reproduction,
Related Articles: Snowflake Morays, Zebra
Morays, Ribbon Morays,
Usually not piscivorous, Echidnas may consume small
fishes. Apogon maculatus (Poey 1860),
Flamefish. |
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Snowflake moray eel question – Head
shaking – 07/14/08
I have had this eel for about a month. His appetite and appearance has been
very good until a week or so ago.
<Food? Water parameters? Tank size?>
Though he still looks excellent, he has developed a rapid side shake of his
head.
<For how long?>
Not constant but every 2-4 seconds or so.
<Without more background information some guesses: Possibly problems with
something stuck in its throat (Food, parasite, fireworm, anemone arm). Problems
with its slime coat (do you see white stringy stuff coming off?). Neural damage,
often due to a lack of vitamin B (feeding too much frozen/dried food without
vitamin additions. Try to clarify if any of the three possibilities can be
confirmed. Also check your water quality (nitrates < 30 ppm and pH around 8.0)
and correct them with a series of partial water changes if necessary.>
Seems this has coincided with his loss of appetite.
I have searched the web constantly and read all the health questions on your
site but none address this issue. Thanks and regards. Bill.
<I hope the suggestion above help. Cheers, Marco.>
Re: Snowflake moray eel question – Head
shaking – 07/14/08
I’ve had him only about 3 weeks.
Still looks excellent.
<Good to hear.>
Water is excellent. Trace nitrites. Ph 8.3. Kh13. Salinity 1.022
<Sounds okay.>
Looks excellent. No slime. No anemones or urchins in the tank.
Others are two lion fish. Eel shows no evidence of injury.
<Maybe stung inside the mouth.>
Doubt anything in his throat.
<Throat or possibly nasal organs (run from the nasal tubes on the snout through
the head and end at two holes above the eyes). If none of the things you can
treat appears to be the reason of the head shaking, there is not much you can
do, except wait until the situation resolves itself or another symptom occurs.
Cheers, Marco.>
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Snowflake Eel MISSING!!! –
11/21/2007
Hi everyone...
<Hello Kat.>
thanks in advance for your time.
<No problem.>
I have a 135g tank with 60g sump that houses a DF Puffer, Niger Trigger, Yellow
Tang, and three Damsels, and until last night, an 18" Snowflake Eel. I saw her
at about 11pm before heading to bed. Today at 1:30 in the afternoon I fed the
puffer and had the eels feeding sticks all ready to go but she never poked her
head out of the rocks...I moved rocks and lifted the two PVC tunnels that are in
the tank...no eel. I then did a 20g water change and sifted the sand thinking
maybe she buried herself. Nope. We have looked under the stand...it is planked
bottom, behind (all carpet area) under couches, down the hallway (laminate)
everywhere...no eel!
Do you think if the puffer got ticked...which it never does( not that we see at
least) that it could have eaten the eel?
<Improbable.>
and if it did...wouldn't it's belly be HUGE?!
<Yes.>
Plus it ate voraciously today so it doesn't seem like it had had a midnight
snack. How far could the eel get if it jumped?
<Some meters, I’ve seen them move pretty fast on floor with tiles. Snowflakes
and other morays are known to leave the water to hunt for crabs, so they can
survive pretty long outside the water. A few hours are usually no severe
problem. Given morays sometimes survive as hitchhikers in live rock shipped only
wet and not in water, depending on the specific situation, this can much
longer.>
We do have a sliding glass cover and mesh on the overflow...I took part the
return pipe and the eel wasn't it there, or the overflow pipes. When should I
start to smell it if it was a jumper after all?
<Maybe in a few hours, maybe never. I once dried a dead moray eel (tumor in the
gills) and never recognized any smell.>
Help!! in water it's a fish...on my floor it's a snake...and I'm deathly afraid
of snakes....
<Hehe. Are there any cats, dogs, birds, ferrets, raccoons, etc. that might have
kidnapped the eel?>
so I'm having a little anxiety here...I need Bella to be back in the tank!! Kat.
<Morays have a thick slime coat. When leaving the tank this sticky mucous leaves
kind of a trace, similar to what a slug would leave, but much less continuous.
This slime is hard to clean when dried. If your eel went floor surfing, look for
some sticky or dried, clear to yellow stuff at the outside of the tank, the
stand and the floor ALL around the stand and follow the possible trace. If you
find her within the next day put her into a bucket with tank water, an aerator
and a lid, but don't get bitten. Even if she is not visibly breathing anymore,
there is some chance for a recovery. Check all the pipes and also search in the
sump. Another possibility is the eel is sitting totally scared in some piece of
life rock you do not know there is such a large hole in there. I hope Bella
appears again. Cheers, Marco.>
Re: snowflake eel
MISSING!!! 11/22/2007
Well...we looked for a slime trail...nothing.. not one speck. Took
apart all the return pipes again.. still nothing...none of our rocks
have big holes...used a long (3 foot) stick to rake the
sand...nothing...how is this possible?
<…has to be somewhere, outside covered in dirt and hard to spot, taken
away by a cat, inside dead or alive, have also seen a moray living
happily in a skimmer. Any skimmer, filter she could be sitting in?>
Where in the earth could she be?
<If she is dead in the tank (eaten or not) you should recognize an
increase in nitrates. A 1.5 ft fish will probably be noticeable in water
chemistry even in such a larger system. If there is no such increase
within the next few days to week, she likely has escaped or is still
alive. If you don’t see her for say 2 weeks while everything is kept
calm again, you can assume she has left the system.>
Nothing in the tank could have eaten her, I just don't understand...and
the sump is pretty wide open and none of the rock in there have holes
either...stumped! Kat
<An unsolved mystery so far… please keep us updated. Sorry to hear about
your apparent loss. Marco.> |
Re: Stocking An Angel, now Snowflake Moray beh., and Moorish Idol sel.
8/21/07
Thanks, I think on your advice I'll stick with the Hippo...
Bob, I obviously thoroughly read your FAQ's and information on Snowflake
Moray's... And I've had mine for almost a year now... He's a little over 2ft. In
the past 3 weeks, he's started 'wigging out' and jumping. My water level is a
good four inches below the top of the tank, I have egg crating over each of my
three top openings weighed down with 2x4's that support my PC lighting.
<Good>
In both instances there was food present (the kind he'd be after... i.e not
flake or pellet).
Instance one, he went for a piece of scallop and instead decided to wrestle with
the feeding stick... After a few seconds he just flew to one side of the tank
and back and then out of the tank, up the wall...
Luckily falling back into the tank. The second instance was just last night
where I dropped a few tank thawed krill into the tank. My Harlequin Tuskfish
went after the same piece the Snowflake was after...
The eggcrating was on (secure I thought) and when he jumped he managed to wedge
himself in between the egg crating and the glass top. A few squirms and he was
up n over and onto the floor. I scooped him into my largest net and placed him
back in the tank and he quietly returned to his hole.
<Happens... this is not atypical behavior for Echidna nebulosa in captivity>
I'm a little worried that he is so peaceful and well behaved, but if I add
perhaps a Trigger or Angel... That they may compete for his feeding stick
dinner, thus repeat jumpings. I know that they are notorious escape artists...
But is it common for them to scare like this?
<Yes and yes>
On a side note, I'm worried that my favorite fish retailer has disappointed me
this past weekend. 4 x 10" Moorish Idols for sale for $110/each. Listed as a
'medium' to care for fish in a minimum 150 gallon tank.
<Good luck... trace these specimens for a couple weeks...>
I asked him about them and he said that one of the other owners has had a
Moorish Idol for 8 months and is doing well in a 220gallon. I dunno, beautiful
fish it's a shame that these will be sold and will likely perish. Have you heard
of anyone keeping these successfully?
<Yes... to sing its praises once again, Spectrum pelleted foods really seem to
be a/the "trick" here... Accepted readily and completely nutritious. BobF>
David Brynlund
Fish fanning my eel 5/12/07
I have a 200 gal. saltwater tank with various fishes and a snowflake eel. We
have watched the various fish "fan" themselves along side the eel and we are
wondering what this is all about? Any ideas? Thanks. dtgeneral
<Have often wondered at this behavior myself... Are the fishes making obeisance?
Are they seeking protection from predators that these eels might "scare away"? I
don't know. Bob Fenner>
Snowflake Moray Paranoia?
Morning fishy folks,
<David>
Hey, what do you know after trial and error setting up a new tank and being new
in the hobby 5yrs ago I setup my 200g FOWLR tank with no signs of Cyano and no
critter deaths *knock on wood* after two months of operation.
Here's my concern today. I have about a 14" long and fairly thick Snowflake
Moray Eel (hmm, that started out like I could be posting on some other board.
Hehe).
<Watch this...>
I have a 5" Foxface and a 2" yellowtailed blue damsel fish. The eel over the
past 6 weeks has been fairly well behaved and leaves the fish alone. In fact,
all 3 more or less hangout together.
<Not a piscivorous species>
The eel in his hollow, or under the rocky cave with the fish hanging out in
front. When approaching the back of the tank, the eel would always come out to
greet me looking for food. 4 days ago, I offered food and he swam out and it
almost appeared as though he didn't have a full range of swimming motion. It
could be totally my imagination and maybe I'm paranoid but it looked like he
tumbled awkwardly out of a rocky hollow towards the top of my tank down to the
sandy bottom with his food, whereas usually he's very graceful. Anyhow, the
past 3 days he won't come out to greet me and yesterday he refused uncooked
tiger prawn
wn. In 6 weeks, he has never refused food and never hidden in his cave when I
approach the tank. He's always curious and outgoing. His breathing pattern
seems to be fine and although it's tough to see, I'm about 70% sure he doesn't
have any cuts, bruises, rashes, or other physical abnormalities on his body.
My questions
I realize Snowflake eels can go weeks without feeding, but would it be somewhat
normal for a sudden change in behaviour?
<Not unusual for this, other Morays>
I feed every 2nd or 3rd day a mixture of uncooked scallop, krill, shrimp, or
tiger prawn and he's readily devoured everything offered until late.
<I'd cut this back to maybe twice a week>
Would being envenomed from the rabbitfish kill a decent size Snowflake Moray?
<Could, yes>
Or would it temporarily make him feel not so well?
<Mmm, you'd see some evidence... reddish pinholes... languishing behavior...>
I've heard that being pricked by the spine would be equal to that of a bee
sting, or two bee stings.
<Worse for most folks>
Not sure how this would relate to the eel being envenomed. If this is what
happened, it'd almost look like the eel has very slight paralysis in the body
and isn't feeling 100%. Again though, he is breathing at what appears to be a
normal respiratory pattern.
I've been testing pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrites AT LEAST weekly and there are
no traces of ammonia, nitrite, and minute traces of ammonia with a pH of
8.2. Salinity in check at 1.024 and a water temp of 79F.
What are your thoughts? Am I just being paranoid? I mean really, he hasn't
eaten now in 4 days but putting two and two together with his awkward swimming
motion, I figured maybe somethings wrong?
<Mmmm, no>
I will try a bit of food again today and maybe even throw in a $6 camel shrimp
early next week if no success.
<Try the oh so many per dollar Ghost Shrimp... yes, can be adapted to SW>
Regards,
Dave Brynlund
<I wouldn't worry just yet here... Morays do "spaz out" at times, go on hunger
strikes... if all else is checking out water quality wise and the other fishes
appear okay... Bob Fenner>
Snowflake eel question, beh. 1/19/07
<Wes, I'm sorry for the delay in response. Your query arrived to our mail
system in a format that is unreadable by most members of the crew, and I was
inaccessible due to winter storms. This problem is nothing that is of your own
doing, mind you, it is a known problem with our mail systems. I am re-sending
your query to you and the crew as to allow someone with more Echidna experience
than myself the chance to respond. Original query is as follows. -JustinN>
Hi Bob, love the site. The wealth of info has been very helpful to me.
<Ah, good>
I had a question about my snowflake eel, which I just bought several days ago.
He’s about 9 or 10 inches. He’s pretty active, appears healthy and has started
feeding (quite eagerly) already. The problem is that he occasionally shakes his
head, sometimes quite violently, for no apparent reason. I’ve seen him do it
several times ranging from as short as a second to as long as 4 or 5 seconds .
This is not during feeding, but when he’s just sitting there.
<Have seen this in wild and captive Echidna specimens as well... Maybe a
behavior of some self-preservation value>
I don’t know if you can really diagnose the problem from this description or
suggest any remedies, but I thought I’d ask anyway.
<As stated, don't know that this is a "problem"... may ward off predators...>
Superficially he looks great, so if there is something wrong with him, I’m
guessing it’s internal.
Water parameters are 1.025sg, 78 to 79 temp, 8.0 to 8.2 pH, 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm
nitrite, 5ppm nitrate. 0.25ppm phosphate, 240ppm calcium, 7dkh alkalinity. Those
are all the parameters I can check for.
He’s in a 50 gallon FOWLR tank w/ 20 gallon fuge . His only other tankmate is a
3-inch blue-spotted grouper, which I got at the same time. They don’t ever fight
and sometimes even hang out next to each other.
Both fish were acclimated over the course of about 90 min including a 4 min FW
dip of RO/DI w/ matching pH and temp.
Any thoughts? Does he have something caught in his throat?
<Possible, but not likely>
I have yet to feed him anything with the shell on (like shrimp) though I was
planning on doing so. Should I not?
Thanks much,
Wes
<I would not be concerned here... Bob Fenner>
Snowflake eel life-span 12/1/06
Hello Michael, Michelle here.> My snowflake just died today. <I am so very
sorry for you loss. It is always hard to lose a friend.> I was wondering if
you know what their lifespan is supposed to be in captivity? <The record is
near 20 years, but certainly not the average.> I got him as a baby and have had
him for over 12 years. <Wow! You must have provided excellent care! I feel
silly but I cried like a baby tonight when I had to bury him. <Do not feel
silly. Cry when you feel like crying. It is the only way to truly heal.> I'd
just like to know if he lived a long life or not. <He lived a good long
life. You should feel very proud of the home and life you gave him.>
Thanks guys, <You are welcome.>
Michael.
<My condolences to you.>
Snowflake Moray Eels... beh., comp. 2/14/06
Howdy,
<Hi there>
I have two juvenile snowflake eels. They are about six to eight inches long and
about as big around as a pencil. I purchased them at the same time. All of the
eels were kept in separate hamster balls at the fish store with their own bits
of stuff to hide in or under. I have lots and lots of hiding places ranging from
PVC. to dead coral to live rock to some macro algae.
One of them has two dark spots on its nose, these spots appear two be part of
the nasal cavity. I have seen similar spots on other snowflake noses, but none
this dark. Mine are almost purple-ish black. Why are they much darker than any
other eel's?
<Individual color variation likely... not to be concerned>
This eel also has a head twitch. i have seen the head twitch on other snow
flakes that did not have these dark spots on the nose. The eel looks neurotic.
What causes this head twitch?
<Perhaps neurological damage, maybe a genetic anomaly>
The one with out the nose spots changes color or tint some times. Most of the
time its back ground color is a creamy white like its tank mate, but some times
it turns to a pinkish color. It was this pinkish color for the first week i had
it and now will randomly change for just a half a day. I know that an eel can
change color if water conditions are poor, but mine are fine; 1.024 salinity,
8.3 ph, no ammonia, no nitrites or nitrates, steady 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus,
the other eel never changes color. Why is this one randomly turning pinkish?
<Other factors... perhaps psycho-social>
Also, the one with the nose spots and head twitch hides a lot, will eat from my
hand, and even slithered into my palm and around my fingers a few times, but
avoids the other one. The one with out the nose spots is scared of my hand but
out and active a lot, it has claimed ninety percent of the tank and will attack
and chase the one with the nose spots. This is so bad that the one with nose
spots is only allowed in one corner of the tank with out being harassed. I have
been told and read that these snowflake eels should get along fine. I have even
seen snowflake eels laying together sharing a piece of PVC. piping many times in
many different fish stores. Why do mine not get along?
I really want at least two. Which one should i replace if they don't work
things out?
Thank you for your time
Joe
<I would leave together, not be overwrought re these differences. Bob Fenner>
Snowflake Eel Lifespan 01/27/06
Hi. We have a Snowflake Moray that we bought when he was only about 10" long
and only as wide as a number 2 pencil. We've had him for about 6 years now and
we are wondering as to exactly how long he might live. Did we buy ourselves an
aquatic parrot? Lol. Well please get back to us, we would appreciate any
information you could give us.
<<Hello Cory. I searched WWM using "Snowflake Eel Lifespan" and found the
answer at this link (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/snoflkeeldisfaqs.htm).
Happy reading.>>
Thank you,
Cory
<<You're welcome - Ted>>
Snowflake eel 1/7/06
Hi, <Hello Monica>
I have a few questions. First, I got a snowflake eel 4 days ago, and he has
vanished. He is not in any of the rocks, filters, gravel, tubing, or on the
floor around it. Literally, it vanished. I've read that they jump, but how far
could it go? I have checked the entire room. Do they bury themselves? Doing a
water change, I took out all the rocks and siphoned the gravel, but I can't find
him. Any suggestions? Unfortunately, I think it will be too late, but I would
like to know. Also, I have my water tested often, regularly, my ph is between
7.8 and 8.2, my salinity is 2.2-2.4. I have gotten very good at maintaining
these numbers, but for some reason, my fish keep dying. One at a time, they
start to appear sick, then die. They first are sluggish, then stop eating, then
they disappear, and a day or two later, I find them dead. What could be
happening? Is this normal? I have lost a Copperbanded butterfly fish, 3
porcupine puffers, a bi-color angel, a panther grouper, a blue tang a tomato
clownfish and a black and white snapper. It has gotten ridiculously expensive to
just replace the dead fish. Any suggestions? The only thing living well are
damsels, a yellow tang, a coral beauty, and a bi-color Pseudochromis I have a
dwarf lion fish and another porcupine puffer in there also that appear to be
doing well, but are only a few weeks old. I am so frustrated, I am about to give
up, maybe you can help. Any suggestions? <Monica, you should, if not already, be
smelling the eel. The snowflake is a notorious escape artist and housing them
requires a tight fitting cover. Believe me, he just didn't disappear. As for
your other problems please let me know the tank size you are trying to keep
these fish in. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks for your time, <You're welcome>
Monica Atkinson
- Eel Behavior -
Hi,
I just got a snowflake eel it started to come out but when it tried to the other
fish go up to it turn sideways and make it go back under the rock. why is this?
<Hard to say, but perhaps some indicator of territory. I think for the most
part fish are distrustful of their eel cousins, but could also be [in this case]
because the eel is a new arrival. But honestly, there is no way to know the
motivations of fish.> thanks, Joey
<Cheers, J -- >
- Snowflake Eel Antics -
Hey Crew HAPPY HOLIDAYS,
<And to you as well.>
Yesterday I got a baby snowflake eel. He is about 8" long. The
guy at the store said that I should feed them one cube of this stuff called Formula
one every other day. I put in a cube last night and he seem
interested but he didn't eat it. I'm not worried about him not eating
but is there any other foods they can eat I saw someone say supermarket squids,
shrimp, and scallops but is there anything else. <All of the above -these
fish will accept just about any meaty food, but the Formula One should do just
as well.> Also the guy told me they were escape artists so we but a screen
over the top of the tank and overflow but this morning he was in the overflow!
<So now you know from personal experience - they really can find just about
the smallest space to slip through.> He looked liked he was doing ok but the
water down there was probably really bad. <Nothing to worry about.> I got
him out and put him back in and covered the overflow spot better now. If
he does it again should I do something different like rinse him in regular water
before putting him back in, he's the only one in the tank right now and there
was plenty of water for him to swim around in the overflow. <No need to rinse
- it's just tank water in there, not like a sewer or something.> And one last
question do you know if there is a way to tell if it's a male or female. <Not
externally, as far as I know.>
Thanks
Adam
<Cheers, J -- >
Snowflake EEL not eating (or anything else for that matter!)
Hey gang. How are you? I recently purchased a 6 in
snowflake eel for my
120g FOWLR tank. When I first bought it about 3 weeks ago, he found his way
to a particular rock that he likes and
honestly,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,HE HASN'T LEFT THAT ROCK SINCE THEN!
<That is odd... maybe take a look at night with a small flashlight...>
Now I know that snowflakes like to hide in rocks but he hasn't come out at
all. Not to eat, not to explore the tank, nothing. Do you think he'll stay
in there forever?
Any foods you could recommend to get him to start eating?
<Most any shrimp (sans cocktail sauce or cooking) will do to instigate a
feeding response... Maybe even some live ghost shrimp or glass shrimp would
really get this eel out and going. Bob Fenner>
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