Keeping an eel in a reef

[justinl]

are you sure you really understand the survival rate of blue ribbons? If you really do, then i dont understand why you still insist on keeping one. just had to get that off my chest. I do hope you realize that there are much better choices for eels. Have you considered a ghost ribbon eel (which technically isnt a ribbon eel... theres only one of those, and it sucks in captivity)?

despite that, an eel reef is possible. Don't underestimate their prowess at escaping or slithering down overflows and getting into sumps... they really are ridiculous carpet surfers too and will find any hole they can fit through. Once you've covered that (the number one concern for eels), you're pretty much set. You have to realize that eels are messy eaters though and you'll have to watch water quality carefully because it is a reef. There is also a danger of the eel toppling over unstable rockwork. This would probably kill it, so you'll want to either have very stable rockwork or even go so far as to reinforce the rocks with a pvc frame. ghost ribbons and blue ribbons (again, i hope you change your mind about the latter) have such slender builds that they probably wouldnt pose much danger that way, but as you select eels with thicker builds from relatively slender snowflakes to chunky tesselatas the danger of falling rocks increases; keep that in mind, although it isnt the biggest danger of all time.

the species of eel you select plays a big role too. there are two basic eel types: pebble toothed eels and sharp toothed eels. the latter are piscivores obviously and will prey heavily on shrimp and such soft bodies too. pebble toothed eels are probably the better choice although they will eat crabs, hermits and snails. they are genrally more docile and pose less risk to any fish you might decide to add in. some good reef eels i might try are (in no particular order and not limited to) G. miliaris, G. melatremus, snowflake, zebra, and ghost ribbon. basically the smaller more docile (wont bite your fingers off while you frag/aquascape) eels. before buying though, you might also want to research a bit on IDing some eels so you know what you're buying.