Free/Trade Fish

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

I have two big, healthy fish that need a new home ASAP! Changing my tank stocking, nothing wrong with the fish at all.

1 Orbicular Cardinal, approx 2.5" long. His other 3 tank mates were caught and rehomed and this guy hid and we didn't realize it until I'd already set rock back up. Finally broke the rock back down and caught him. If you take him, please be ready to go get him another cardinal friend. These fish do not do well singly, very much a schooling fish.

1 Snowflake Eel, approx 18"+. Beautiful eel! Will happily eat previously live foods off a skewer. Very healthy appetite, very gentle and was never hostile towards any of my large fish. He'd even share his caves with the fish. Is a predator <albeit lazy one who likes to be fed food vs. hunt for it> though so place with small fish at your own risk! Please be ready to feed this guy quality foods (shrimp, scallops, crap, octopus, etc) and not freshwater feeder fish.

Will give away for free, would happily consider trades though!! I'd like them to go today, ASAP. Both are caught and ready to go and I don't have a good place to keep the eel.

I live N. of Lampasas, so a ways from Austin. I would be willing to drive into Cedar Park to meet someone.

Liz

[NonSequitur]

I'm very interested in the eel if it's still available, but I'm wondering if he'd be happy in a 55gal aquarium, or if he needs something bigger. If the tank size would stress him, I'll have to pass.

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

I've heard bigger tanks are better for eels. That said, I can tell you that for my particular eel he holes up under a rock, sticks his head out and doesn't move. The ONLY time he comes out and swims around is if he's hungry. Otherwise he hangs out in the rock waiting for the magic skewer with bits of goodies on it to arrive in the tank to feed him.

Now, eels are heavy feeders and thus would add a lot to the bioload of a tank. Maybe the tank size isn't so much because they need swimming room (or maybe I just have a really lazy eel), but because you need the water volume to keep the water quality up? I don't know! I haven't had saltwater tanks long enough to know!

I'd like to see the eel in a tank as big as mine (125g), but in all honestly at this point his options are anyone who will take him or going to a LFS. I think he'd be far happier in your 55 than in anything at the fish store. If you have good filtration, keep up on water changes and maintain your water quality I suspect he'd be fine.

I'm curious to see if anyone else has other opinions.

Liz

[+Lamont]

Keeper, i would like to take that Orbicular Cardinal off of your hands if you dont mind. I have a 37 gallon reef tank with a percula and royal gramma. If you still have it i could come and get it. Thanks!

[NonSequitur]

That's kind of what I was thinking. I want what's best for the animal, so I'd say if someone with a bigger tank wants him, he should go there.. if it comes down to either my tank or the LFS I'd be happy to give him a home. I skim pretty agressively, run macro (caulerpa and chaeto) and mangroves, and am about to bring a "DSB in a bucket" and algae turf scrubber online, so I think I could keep the water quality up.

[NonSequitur]

Thank you so much for the eel, he's happily exploring my tank. He even kicked the engineer goby out of his burrow and claimed it for himself, so now he has a hiding place, and the engineer goby is busy digging a new burrow. So far he hasn't eaten the shrimp or silversides I've offered him, but I'm sure he will when he gets settled in.

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

So glad he's settling in and keeping the goby busy.

I waited a about a week before feeding him when I moved him with my tank.

He'll poke his head out and let you know when he's hungry. He's a rather poor hunter, hence my using a skewer to make the eating process easy on him. When food is delivered on a stick he's very happy to act like a fierce hunter! Lol!