The Snowflake Eel is a member of the Moray eel family, but unlike it’s cousins, this guy is actually very friendly and can be kept in a community tank. For those of you who own Moray eels, this may seem unbelievable, but trust me, with the correct precautions your exotic fish and snowflake eel can live together peacefully.
As implied above, this species of eel is very docile and hardy. In captivity they can live for many years and actually grow quite large. I believe that the average length of a snowflake eel is three feet. Because they may grow quite large, having at least a 75 gallon aquarium is required. Like other eels, snowflakes like to spend time “hiding” so make sure that you have plenty of rocks and ledges for them to reside. On this note, you are also going to want to make sure that any rocks or other “decorations” are securely planted in the sand. Unlike fish, eels can’t simply dart out of the way should one of these things fall over.
As long as snowflake eels are well fed you should have absolutely no problems with them attacking your fish. Crustaceans and invertebrates, however, are a different story. This is because these little guys are the snowflakes’ main source of food. But, if you feed your eel the recommended two times a week until they are full, you shouldn’t have issues. However, if you’re introducing new, smaller eels into a tank where there is already a large snowflake eel, you may see a bit of cannibalism. The snowflake doesn’t like to have its territory threatened by someone of their own species, so I wouldn’t recommend keeping two snowflake eels in the same.
When feeding the snowflake eel, it’s important to keep your hands out of the way. Using a feeding stick is recommended. Even though the snowflake eel doesn’t have the sharp, pointed teeth of other members of the family, the blunt, crushing teeth of the snowflake can cause some serious damage. It should also be noted that these eels can go into a hibernation and not come out of hiding or eat for several weeks. Should this happen, don’t be alarmed, this is completely normal. However, should it become a common occurrence you might want to contact an expert in eel management to see if there is a problem.
Do you own a snowflake eel? If so, post a comment telling us about your experiences!