EEL Tankmates...

[fishguy4]

Hey i have a 55 gallon tank and i think im gonna sell everything i have and try an eel, maybe a snowflake? opinions on which eel would be great but what i really need is some advice on how much rock to have and the tank mates i could get. i was thinking maybe a marine beta, an angler and/or a puffer of some sort. Any ideas?

 

[lbiminiblue]

Well, the puffer would have to be too big to be eaten unpuffed size. If the eel eats the puffer, they're both dead for sure. Not sure if any frogfish (or anglers) get big enough to not be eaten by an eel. Maybe a big damsel? A jewelfish?

 

[ReefApprentice]

Most anglers will at some point try to eat their tank mates as they grow. I usually see them in a species decided tank with coral. Triggers, most large tangs, and foxfaces, medium sized puffers(larger than the ell)make great eel tan kmates.

 

[fishguy4]

Yeah i know that they can get big and like you both said eat their tank mates, but im gonna start with a fsirly small one and when he gets too big im OK with swapping him out. so would like a little dog face puffer and a say 3 or 4 inch frogfish be OK? Im also excited aboutt eh possibility of a marine beta but idk...

and there wont be any coral around in the tank if anyone was wondering...

 

[ReefApprentice]

A 3 frogfish/angler can eat something up to 6 inches :/. A 4 inch frogfish can eat something up to 8 inches. Also I think even the eel could end up on their menu. Frogfish can hold prey items up to 2x their size in their expandable stomach.

 

[fishguy4]

so say i got a small frogfish like 2 inches and an eel about 8 inches long, is that ok? and more importantly would these fish all be OK with each other? Ive never don an "aggressive" tank before and i just dont want them to kill each other lol

 

[lbiminiblue]

so say i got a small frogfish like 2 inches and an eel about 8 inches long, is that ok? and more importantly would these fish all be OK with each other? Ive never don an "aggressive" tank before and i just dont want them to kill each other lol

quite honestly, i'd be more worried about the eel killing the frogfish than the other way around. IDK if frogs always or often flash their lures, but I'd be worried about the frog flashing it and getting mauled by the eel who thinks it's a little fish. Go for a big tang or triggerfish. Triggers are plenty aggressive.

 

[fishguy4]

ok so i did research and it looks like i can keep the 2 together but that the frogfish should be like 2.5 inches and the eel around 9 so that could work out ok. not sure if i can add a marine beta and/or a puffer or if 3 large fish will already be too much for the system. Maybe the Beta is Ok just because of its size? Kinda scared about the puffer i dont want it to freak out and die and kill everything else in the process

Also i have a small gap, about 1 inch by six inches where the protein skimmer empties out. im worried about the eel climbing up out of there so should i seal it? And with what? Thx

 

[fishguy4]

another issue via bluezooaquatics.com...

"It is best not to keep wartskin anglerfishes with aggressive triggers or puffers, as these fishes are known to eat the illicium."

 

[ReefApprentice]

Seal every crevice because eels are smart escape artists. I would try to seal it with a aquarium safe silicon and let it cure for 1 week. I would worry about the betta and the angler but the puffer (dogface, porcupine, immaculatus) should be fine . Also another alternative is a lion fish instead of the angler.

 

[fishguy4]

Why are you worried about the beta and angler? just curious. maybe a hawkfish? im just trying to think of things that could work i am pretty clue less TBH. And id rather not have anything venomous i just dont like the whole idea of your fish being able o send u to the hospital if it decides ur annoying it lol

If someone would just give me a list on what to put in that would be AWESOME!!! (Only requirement is a snowflake and ideally an angler...

 

[ReefApprentice]

Im worried because im friends with a marine biologist and they have a exbit with rhinopias and anglers. They added a angel and it lived because of its body shape was vertical (like paper). They added a fish that had similar body shape to a betta and it was eaten instantly :lookaroun .It was a medium blue spotted grouper...

 

[fishguy4]

ohhh... thats not good. lol glad i knew that!

ok so here a list ive come up so could u just say yes or no to the different fish? and how ,any i culd do...

yellow tang
gold stripe maroon clown(s)
undulated trigger
dogface puffer
porcupine puffer
soldier fish
cleaner shrimp (maybe he wont get eaten??)
scarlet hawk
bird wrasse
bicolor angel

thats all i can think of right now lol

 

[ReefApprentice]

ohhh... thats not good. lol glad i knew that!

ok so here a list ive come up so could u just say yes or no to the different fish? and how ,any i culd do...

yellow tang
gold stripe maroon clown(s)
undulated trigger
dogface puffer
porcupine puffer
soldier fish
cleaner shrimp (maybe he wont get eaten??)
scarlet hawk
bird wrasse
bicolor angel

thats all i can think of right now lol

Every thing that dosent get to be bigger that around 5-6 inches is out.A wartskins max size is 4 inches and it can eat a 8 inch fish. The angels should survie....no thrive. Cant imagine a angler swallowing a tang successfully. Hawkfish usually tend to be quite small. The maroons are iffy they might work but then again I once saw a angler fall in to the tankbred ocellaris and it went fringing crazy. I belive that anything that is more of a angel/flounder shape is good.

 

[fishguy4]

alright so heres what im thinking:

snowflake eel about 8 or 9 inches long give or take
small angler about 2 inches give ir take and im OK with taking him out when he gets too big
a yellow tang for some color
a dogface/porcupine puffer (opinion on which one?)
maybe 1 gold stripe maroon if hes big enough and if i have the space

is that too much? will they all be cool with each other?

 

[ReefApprentice]

Sounds good to me.

 

[whippetguy]

I wouldn't put a tang or either of the puffers in a 55g tank if it were my decision. Hate to be the party pooper.


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[fishguy4]

Lol its all good so what would you put instead?

 

[fishguy4]

would the Golden Maroon get eaten??