Garden Eels : Look Do Not Keep

[jhale]

The Garden Eel is one of the cooler fish available for import, but it is one fish hobbyists should
leave in the ocean. They should be considered an expert care species only. And when
I say expert, I mean expert, an advanced hobbyist does not count.

I'm posting this because I'm dismayed at the number of stores bringing them in for sale now.
Very few have made it in captivity. The one tank I know that has had anything close
to success with them is the display tank at Greenwich Aquaria.
They require a deep sand bed, a large tank, and many feedings per day.

Please enjoy these fish in photos, and realize just because you see them for sale
does not mean they are suitable for your tank.

pictured below is Gorgasia preclara

 

[prattreef]

I couldn't agree more Jon. Amazing fish, very, very few success stories to be found. In fact, outside of a public aquarium, Jason is the only one I've seen have any success at all. I think it needs to be emphasized that by deep sand bed we are talking about 6-8" minimum.

 

[JLAudio]

I agree 100%, a real shame that these animals are sold knowing that it is almost a guarentee they will die.

Out of curiosity, what element is it that gives them such a poor mortality rate in captivity?

 

[inkblue]

Did Jason lose any or did he have 100% success rate ?

 

[prattreef]

I'm not sure of the numbers, but he certainly lost his share.

 

[JasonE]

Jonathan,
We have had limited success with garden eels. We currently have 13 in our display aquarium that are doing fairly well. That being said the original number introduced was close to 25 individuals. That, to me, is proof positive that this should not be considered a success, and I am ashamed of the losses we have incurred. We feed that tank over 6 times a day, as garden eels will not leave their holes to find food. Food needs to blow by them on a regular basis. Also these are not reef inhabitants, they live colonially in their thousands in sand beds, constantly feeding on zooplankton. We felt our tank was large enough (580 gallons) to be able to sustain a small colony and afford them some (limited) semblance of their natural environment.
We do not , and will not sell garden eels. Much needs to be learned about their husbandry requirements.
We may try to "push the envelope" as it were, at the store, to try and understand the husbandry of certain animals. However we have a lot of resources available to us, including being able to feed a vast array of foods, as frequently as we choose.
I am rather shocked that these are being offered rather frivolously by online vendors, along with ventralis anthias, bluespot jawfish, moorish idols and the like.
Please do not consider the limited success we are having with these wonderful (heck, fricking awesome) animals, as a reason to try them.
As we better understand what these animals require for long term success, (remember, we have only had ours for 10 months) we'll be sure to pass it on, but right now we are only in the learning phase, and hope that hobbyists understand why we are reluctant to sell them.

 

[JLAudio]

Just doing some research and saw that the georgia aquarium (supposedly world's largest) has a whole garden eel display. Im wondering if you could possibly contact those guys and findout some tips
http://gpsinformation.info/Jack/Aquarium/GeorgiaAquarium.html
scroll down a bit

 

[inkblue]

Tips for...

 

[IconicAquariums]

Mitch Carl at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha has had a wonderful display of Heteroconger hassi for years. They are in a dedicated tank with a deep sand bed (i think it's only 4 or 5"). They are not shy either, as the tank is at kid's height and the kids bang on the glass. There are probably 50 or 60 in an 8' tank.

G. preclara is much more shy then H. hassi. Either should be kept only in a species only tank with a deep sand bed, though they are best left in the ocean.

 

[JLAudio]

Tips for...

Tips for individuals who are keeping them in a display and having a decent portion of them die, and the hobby overall. If one knows what keeping them alive would entail, at least the dealers could say the requirements and not an ambiguos tip such as "for advanced or expert aquarist" it could say specific criteria, and if you cant meet the criteria, the eels will die, case closed.

 

[jhale]

Jason and Joe thanks for the info, that makes a pretty good case against keeping them.

I think where they live influences how they are collected as well. How would you get an eel out of a hole in a sandbed that it never leaves? I'm afraid they are collected using some chemical to make them easier to catch. whether it's cyanide I can't say. But the poor survival rates immediately after shipping point to this.

I think seeing them in zoo's or public aquariums is the best way to enjoy them. Other than diving and seeing the eel fields yourself of course

this page has some awesome footage of them in the wild :fish:

 

[tosiek]

Pretty much, if there is no possible demand for them then the suppliers won't be offering them. So. Less people buy the less will be out in stores dying, or in peoples tanks.

 

[Dace]

wow, this is really sad. before i broke down my 180,i was upgrading to 420gal tank and these fish were the motivation i had to the upgrade, until i decided to take a break. and now hearing this is really sad.. now that i have spare time i will make it my business to really study this fish as much as i can so if i ever upgrade, i can see if i find the necessary info to keep this beautiful fish alive. and if that info don't exist. then in the ocean they shall stay.

 

[ming]

http://www.oceanfootage.com/video_clips/PW01_070
This video really shows their size!

 

[JHOV2324]

well jason states he has had a bad success with this species yet he has and is still introducing them into the system....not bashin u jay, i admire ur dedication in trying to keep this awesome animal, i want one myself, instead of telling us not to get this animal hale mayb some tips and info on how to care for this creature wud b more valuable ....not bashing u either jon !! :hug: there r a couple of species that shud b left in da ocean for instance the tang, but many people have them and alot of info is readily available for this creature lets have the same for all the fishes..it will help the animal dat is already in the tank....my two cents

 

[jhale]

jhov the tip is not to buy the fish for your tank. that's the best tip I can give you

I agree there are a lot of fish that are best left in the oceans.

 

[tosiek]

There really isn;t any information. Noone really has been keeping them as they weren;t available.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

The fact of the matter is that, and I am being conservative, 75% of the fish we keep are being kept in substandard conditions for what they need (predominantly tank size and diet). Most will survive in these conditions in the proper hands and live long lives barring any catastrophes. This doesn't mean that there aren't species that are better left alone by all but the experts. Wanting a fish because they are cool is one thing but buying it because you want it because it's cool is entirely different. As a store we are faced with a dilemma (if we are honest and not unscrupulous), bring in certain stock because they are in high demand or sold easily, or be responsible and leave them off our lists. Most tanks people consider to be "large" are far from it. 150 would be the minimum I would even consider for most tangs and 150 is tiny in all seriousness. It's great that this hobby is full of people wanting to try new things and be the first to breed "Flying Gurnards" or almost any other fish, but the sad truth is that 99% of the hobby lacks the setups and the knowledge and THAT is why they are better left alone.

 

[Deanos]

I'm posting this because I'm dismayed at the number of stores bringing them in for sale now. Very few have made it in captivity.

Great thread Jonathan! :agree:

:idea: Let's compile a series of threads of fish not recommended for hobbyists.

 

[IconicAquariums]

I think where they live influences how they are collected as well. How would you get an eel out of a hole in a sandbed that it never leaves? I'm afraid they are collected using some chemical to make them easier to catch. whether it's cyanide I can't say. But the poor survival rates immediately after shipping point to this.

Jonathan,

I wouldn't go as far as saying that. I think it is all dependent on how the animals are held. Look at Pencil (Pseudojuloides sp.) or Leopard Wrasses. Most collectors hold them in bare tanks, same as the Garden eels. In this scenario, the fish have nowhere to bury, and often swim into the glass and pipes, often damaging their mouths.

I know for a fact that most are NOT collected with cyanide - they are just dug out into a barrier net. I'm sure somewhere they are using drugs, but these are pretty easy to catch from what I understand.

I have a 40 breeder that some H. polyzona are going into in several weeks from a different supplier that handles the fish much better than anyone I've ever seen(collect to order). I will post here after I get them. I have had virtually no losses of any fish through 100+ boxes of fish, and this includes 40+ Pseudojuloides severnsi (3 or 4 doa - no others ever daa after 3+ weeks of holding)

joe