Can I get a Snowflake Moray Eel?
 

So I have a 46Gal tank... Realistically I will be upgraded to a larger tank in one years time ( everyone always says ill be upgradeing soon but i try to avoid that ) I only have a Bengaii, (few crabs and shrimps I have im going to be removing soon due to coral damage/eating issues). There is lots of tunnels and crevis's in the live rock. I wont do it if its a bad idea ( I dont have a mandarin or emperor angel as I know it wont work for various reasons ) . Ive waited this long I can wait longer if I have to. I just find it hard to decide from fish care profiles and would like to hear personal experiance. Growth rates and such. Thanks for the opinions.

You can get them pretty small and would probably do OK, but they do top out around 24". I have no idea how long it takes to get there. You might be able to get away with it with your timeline.

The only real cautionary, and that might help you decide, is that eels (all eels really) are notorious escape artists and a smaller tank is easier to escape. So an escape proof lid or canopy is really mandatory. An open top canopy is OK if it's tall enough and completely sealed around the edges when closed up.

If your tank is open top and you want to keep it that way then you might want to reconsider.

A friend of mine at work has one, he doesn't have a sump on his tank so he uses a hang on skimmer, he tells me he finds his baby snowflake in his skimmer every couple weeks. :lol:

Yeah, mine jumped out and died... Found him shriveled up one morning on the floor.

I'll definitely consider buying another one down the road when I have a proper sealed tank. They can grow pretty fast due to their enormous appetite but they're just so fun to watch!

Best person to ask is Russell. You've seen his tank have'nt you?

How secure is your live rock? I have seen even fairly small eels cause a rock slide.

I have seen his tank. That thing is amazing. I already pester him a lot with all my questions i figured id just do a thread on it.

Yes its pretty secure. That is something i have been thinking about as i have read a few who have lost because of that.

Thanks for all the input, given me more to ponder.

So i am running a glass top. I know, i know, tsk tsk, its only to keep things in the tank since i dont have a canopy. Next tank will be open top. But this is what the back looks like. Anything look like trouble for the eel getting out? Oh and please excuse the algae in the phosban reactor line thats the next project.


http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSC00871.jpg

http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSC00872.jpg

Oh and the blue plastic is there to keep the skimmer level, from the factory it leans. Was told this was acceptable.

I would say depends on the size. Bear in mind I have not kept a snowflake, but I have had golden dwarf morays. The first one I had, got out of a tank where there were similar gaps but even smaller. But that is a much smaller moray than a snowflake (unless it's a baby snowflake that is).

Think the issue is that they can push their way out too if they were curious enough. So I think what I would do, if this were my tank, is take some black electrical tape and tape along the edges of the back panel there so that it can't be bumped out of place easily. Then, maybe some filter batting jammed into the larger gaps (ie. around the skimmer pipe) might be the way to go to really make sure it's escape proof.

Huh. Jeeze I dunno, Thats great advice, thank you. But hearing that they are really that good( to the point of pushing) , I think it would just be better to wait till I can have a proper canopy with high sides so theres no possibility. I dont want to make a poor decision just because I want one. Maybe a different fish that I would like to get in the future is better suited to the tank now. Thanks for all the help.

It doesnt take too long for even a little one to grow close to 2'. Mine was probably in that range after about two years. After that it has mostly just gotten fatter. The biggest concern for me now is avalanche proofing the tank. At this size its pretty strong and can knock over small rocks and unattached coral easily.

Here is a good article on Morays

A Serpent For Your Reef Tank:
A Look at Fish-Safe Eels
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-12/fm/index.php