minimum sized tank for a hawaiian dragon eel?

[bboyin4lyf]

any body every have any expierence with this fish? im looking for something a little exotic. it will be the only fish in the tank so what would you recommend the minimum tank size to be? thanks

 

[Anonymous]

One of my favorite critters.
Minimum would be a 55gl fully covered tank.


Regards,
David Mohr

 

[bboyin4lyf]

yea i thought a 55g would do but thought id check with the experts . you ever kept this critter? ive got the best tank in mind for it. im going to silicon live rock to the top of the aquarium to hang down and appear as stalactices...lol no idea on how to spell. and give the tank a cave like look and feel. only proplem is i live in australia and its going to damn exspensive to get one.

 

[ded08221]

man....where do you get those and how expensive are they. those are amazing. i've never heard of them.

 

[Tackett]

I was going to get one for my 55 until I did some research and found out that a 55 was WAY to small for these beasties. The 500 dollar price tag doesnt help much either.

 

[Tackett]

I forgot who it was that gave me alot of info, and has kept a slew of them....It may have been Matt, but I dont remember.

 

[Anonymous]

I was going to get one for my 55 until I did some research and found out that a 55 was WAY to small for these beasties. The 500 dollar price tag doesnt help much either.

As I said 55gl is minimum size. I kept one (18") in a 55gl by itself for 2 years, unfortunately a 3 day power outage in 100F temps did it in.
They are fairly sedentary so space isn't that crucial, but since they are messy eaters a skimmer is a must.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[bboyin4lyf]

yeah tackett i read your posts on used alot of the information you gathered so thanks :wink: im properbly going to go with the 55g as space is a concern. any body in australia every scene on of these for sale? tackett if not 55 what would u suggest?

 

[fishfanatic2]

I'd go with a 70 gal. just to be safe. Dragons are beautiful in every way except in their price tag. At least it'll be cyanide-free since it from Hawaii. Hawaii isnt too far from australia, you could see if your dealer would special order. Most dealers dont carry them because of the price and the fact that most would-be keepers arent ready for a .5k fish!

 

[Tackett]

If you have a LFS that will work with you, they can order one if you ask them. I doubt that they would ever have it in stock. Print you out a pic and the genus and species, hand it to your LFS and say "I want one", They should work with you. The 55 will work for a while, but you will definatley have to move him to a bigger tank. If I had my say, I would only go with a 70 or 120, as these beasts get about thee and a half feet long.

Like I said, Itll survive for a while in the 55, but will definatley outgrow it.

BTW, get a MASSIVE skimmer if you are going to try to keep it in a 55, they are NOT as easy to take care of as most morays.

 

[Anonymous]

If you have a LFS that will work with you, they can order one if you ask them. I doubt that they would ever have it in stock. Print you out a pic and the genus and species, hand it to your LFS and say "I want one", They should work with you. The 55 will work for a while, but you will definatley have to move him to a bigger tank. If I had my say, I would only go with a 70 or 120, as these beasts get about thee and a half feet long.

More like 2 1/2 feet long. :wink:

Like I said, Itll survive for a while in the 55, but will definatley outgrow it.

Depends how big the eel is to begin with. It will survive just fine and may outgrow it in about 3 or 4 years.

BTW, get a MASSIVE skimmer if you are going to try to keep it in a 55, they are NOT as easy to take care of as most morays.

Actually they are extremely hardy, the price is the main drawback.
A BakPak on a 55gl tank would do just fine. :wink:

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[bboyin4lyf]

my main concern is that ill purchase it and it'll simple sit in its cave and never do anything really interesting. does this fish swim/ move outside of its cave?

 

[Anonymous]

my main concern is that ill purchase it and it'll simple sit in its cave and never do anything really interesting. does this fish swim/ move outside of its cave?

Just a quick point of contention, E. paradalis is an eel not a fish. :wink:
No they do not swim around much per se, they mostly stay in the rocks or their lair with their heads sticking out wating for prey. On spotting prey or being fed they will spring to the top of the tank to take food but then will retreat back to cover.
Unfortunately I don'y have pictures from when I had mine but it almost always had it's head sticking out giving me that teethy smile.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Tackett]

YEah, they will have their heads stuck out of a hole like most morays.

 

[Anonymous]

Lots of experience with this critter here, and I can back up everything David says. They are extremely hardy animals, and you'd have to be a complete idiot (or have a 3 day power outage) to kill one.

 

[Tackett]

The information I read about them said they were very sensitive to Nitrates. I mean, I believe you guys, just tired of reading wrong information. If I had known that It would have been ok in a 55, and they were hardy, I would have freakin got one.

 

[Anonymous]

I had mine years ago in an old school 135 gallon. I'm talking undergravel filter, dead coral skeletons that I bleached every few weeks, and a huge bioload with nitrates that were probably off the chart, though I never did tests. It did quite well, along with all the other residents. I only kept absurdly hardy fish in those days.

 

[Tackett]

DOH, oh well, I guess thats my next adventure.

 

[Anonymous]

Also, back then they were much cheaper - $200 or so. I thought THAT price was insane to be honest. Of course I didn't pay for mine...ahem.....



Jim

 

[bboyin4lyf]

im deffinantly getting an eel whether it be snowflake or dragon. one question .... should i go bare bottom or deep sand bed?