While I know 5 months is hardly a success with most species, for this one it is at least a good start. Also let me add the disclaimer that ribbon eels are extremely hard to keep and this one is very much the exception to the rule. I enjoy figuring out the husbandry requirements for difficult species (I keep an Anampses twisti, Regal Angel, and leopard wrasse) which is why I decided to try this eel...
The Ribbon eel was obtained in June from a LFS. They had had it in excess of two weeks and claimed it ate ghost shrimp (didn't believe it since their idea of feeding is dumping a bunch of food in the tank and walking away). The eel was large and had a lot of yellow (possibly female) although there was some blue left. It also had a visible lump posterior to the gills that I thought was a recent meal(which I now believe are the female parts). Anyway, it looked healthy and I took a chance. I put it in my reef where it settled in to a hole on the bottom quite nicely. After three days, on a whim, I thawed a frozen silverside (fish king brand) about 2-3 in long and put it in front of the eel. To my surprise the eel came right up to the silver side and grabbed it and then quickly retreated to its whole where it spun around until it got its mouth around the head and down the silverside went. The rest is history. Initially the eel was eating 3-4 times per week, but now that it has plumped up will only take food every 7-10 days. Its feeding behavior has been like every other eel I have seen. Definitely not a filter feeder (have read that on some websites) and not a dainty feeder. Another quirk - it always eats the fish head first.
Again, this eel is certainly an exception to the rule but I wanted to share my experience. My personal belief is that, since these animals are generally exported from the Phillipines and Indonesia where handling practices are poor and cyanide use is rampant, most arrive in too poor of shape and too starved to survive. Perhaps this one was lucky enough to be exported right away or perhaps its larger size allowed it to tolerate shipping better. I will periodically update you with its progress (and hopefully get a better picture).
sedgro
The Ribbon eel was obtained in June from a LFS. They had had it in excess of two weeks and claimed it ate ghost shrimp (didn't believe it since their idea of feeding is dumping a bunch of food in the tank and walking away). The eel was large and had a lot of yellow (possibly female) although there was some blue left. It also had a visible lump posterior to the gills that I thought was a recent meal(which I now believe are the female parts). Anyway, it looked healthy and I took a chance. I put it in my reef where it settled in to a hole on the bottom quite nicely. After three days, on a whim, I thawed a frozen silverside (fish king brand) about 2-3 in long and put it in front of the eel. To my surprise the eel came right up to the silver side and grabbed it and then quickly retreated to its whole where it spun around until it got its mouth around the head and down the silverside went. The rest is history. Initially the eel was eating 3-4 times per week, but now that it has plumped up will only take food every 7-10 days. Its feeding behavior has been like every other eel I have seen. Definitely not a filter feeder (have read that on some websites) and not a dainty feeder. Another quirk - it always eats the fish head first.
Again, this eel is certainly an exception to the rule but I wanted to share my experience. My personal belief is that, since these animals are generally exported from the Phillipines and Indonesia where handling practices are poor and cyanide use is rampant, most arrive in too poor of shape and too starved to survive. Perhaps this one was lucky enough to be exported right away or perhaps its larger size allowed it to tolerate shipping better. I will periodically update you with its progress (and hopefully get a better picture).
sedgro
