5 years with our Blue Ribbon Eel

[SantaMonicaHelp]

5 years with our Blue Ribbon Eel

Here are some pics and vids of our Blue Ribbon Eel in our office. We got him in summer of 2006, and uploaded the pics and vids in 2007...










Vid:
Blue Ribbon Eel swimming around 1 - YouTube



Here he is today...






Vid:
Blue Ribbon Eel update - 5 years in tank - YouTube


He was bright blue for several years, then turned darker and spotted. He does not really like to eat anymore, but will. He does still eat small fish that come near his pipe. At first it took a while to get him eating, and he ate regularly for about 4 years. The trick is to always have a pvc pipe for him to hide in... he will not eat unless he is in a pipe because he knows he is long and can be seen easily. We feed him one frozen silverside per week, because they are shaped like his favorite food... firefish. There are a lot of ideas about getting one to eat if you google "my blue ribbon eel eats!" (too long to post here). But give yourself 2 weeks of daily dedicated time to do it.

Here is a pic of the pipe before it went in....




If you are going to use a pipe, don't do the turned-up ends like we did. It collects waste inside, and it rots and can't get out. Instead, raise the pipe off the bottom a bit and keep it straight so waste can flow out. Or better, angle it slightly down on both ends, like a roof.
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[leebca]

Thanks for the post and photos. Some very good tips there.