Golden Dwarf Moray Eel (Gymnothorax melatremus)

[Chaloupa]

Originally Posted by Willito

Very cool little guy. I am very intereset in acquiring one, can you answer some of these questions.
Did you have any problems getting it to eat from the start?
What has it been eating?
How does it behave towards larger and smaller tankmates?
When is it active? day or night? Thanks.

I got him on a Friday..he was showing interest in the mixed frozen food I use the next day-Saturday I was home and able to observe him for quite awhile...he ate fresh oyster within the first few days ( from the local seafood shop, opened and cut into "bite size" strips), he also had a complete tank make-over happen to him the day after he arrived so I could get my Lemon Peel out of the tank as it was nasty....and he never seemed to get stressed...and now will eat, clam, oyster, shrimp and possibly any other meaty foods I give him...he is not overly active during the day unless I pop a fresh clam in there....he will come out for a taste (or to drag the entire clam back to his den...it doesn't fit ) he is almost always sticking his head out of his den so is easy to see if you know what you're looking for after the MH goes out, while it is on he is a bit more shy. He shows no aggression to any fish....these eels are soooo small....he lives with a pair of GSM Clowns, a Copperband butterfly and a Coris Wrasse...plus a clean up crew. He doesn't bother anyone. I do have the tank well covered with egg crate as they are supposed to be jumpers.

The only other thing I would add is that if you have it shipped ... say from J&L to you...have them bag him 3-4 times....when I got mine he was very very well bagged...but was constantly biting the bag and putting holes in it!!! AMAZING to see what those teeth can do! I would recommend them if you are interested in eels....they are very pretty, small and easy to maintain as long as you can get them eating. Good luck! Let me know if you get one!

[Willito]

Sounds like feeding this little guy is not going to be much of an issue. The other big concern I have is the type of fish housed with it. I currently have mulitple tangs, angels, wrasses, and basslets, wonder if those are a thread?

[Chaloupa]

From the reading I did, and discussion on other boards with owners of these eels...."smaller" fish are ok....they are reported to be kept with fairy wrasses and such...but if it can fit in the eels mouth I wouldn't take the chance. My only concern with large fast fish would be making the eel uncomfortable. I know mine will shy away from the clowns if they make a move....but he will try to stand up to them and the CBB if it means getting a snack from a fresh clam....

[Delphinus]

Any new pics? How's the little guy doing?

... I found me one. My pictures are terrible in comparison, but he's been really shy. And quite the little Houdini too I might add.

[Chaloupa]

WOW Tony, yours is beautiful!!!! Nice and dark yellow compared to mine. Mine is doing very very well....came out for a "tour" of his tank today...did a lap, looked around (I think he was checking out the Harlequin Tusk I just added) then went back to his home. He eats from tongs, or just comes out and helps himself to fresh clam or oyster....but is very visible at all times...unless a stranger comes up to the tank he hides, then slowly comes back out. Will take some pics tomorrow.....forgot about this thread...thanks!

[Delphinus]

He might be about the same in colour, the yellow looks more pronounced in the picture because he's in a dark spot in the tank so the exposure might be a bit saturated.

Boy let me tell you I got in trouble over this one. But he's so incredibly gorgeous, my wife fell in love with him instantly too. "You're right. He's beautiful. Don't think you're not still in trouble!"

He did work his way into the sump last night. So I got some gutter guard over the eggcrate now. I'm totally freaked about him maybe fitting though the eggcrate tank cover so for now I've got cargo batting (I think that's what it's called) over the top of the tank until I can figure out a more workable long term solution.

How often does yours eat? I've had him since Friday now, hasn't eaten anything yet. I've tried mysis, krill and some kind of "sand eel" (some kind of frozen fish slightly smaller than silverside - long and narrow). I'll try some clam meat tomorrow maybe since yours seems to like that!

[Chaloupa]

Mine eats every few days probably...but not target fed every few days..only if he manages to steal some clam or oyster from the CBB....otherwise I make sure that he gets his own every 5-7 days.....I have heard that overfeeding eels can be a big problem...I figure if I target him every 5-7d...he will MAKE SURE that he steals some clam meat from the CBB, wrasse and clowns if he is truly hungry!

OOOH I haven't lost mine *yet* to the overflows, or the eggcrate on top...but I check daily still and probably always will.....you just never know.

They are soooo very cool. Our son, who is 4, loves to see him and will let us know whenever the eel is "looking at him". It's a cool creature!

[Willito]

Tony, I think your eel is going insane itself in there, maybe add a companion. If it was me, I would try a couple small black mollies next. Perhaps give it sometime to do or hunt.