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Missing eel
- Thread starter kilo32
- Start date
Check the floor, the sump, the overflow box, under the couch, under the fridge... eels are notorious jumpers and they can survive for quite a few hours out of water (not days, though). If he did manage to escape, he could have wriggled a fair distance from the tank.
Hope that's not the case... but I've seen it happen a number of times.
Jenn
Hope that's not the case... but I've seen it happen a number of times.
Jenn
I know for sure that he didn't get out of the tank. I have a canopy and the open back has egg crate screwed into place. The overflow pipes have guards that are still in place. I'm just wondering if not responding to food in the water could be considered normal? Do they sometimes just kind of hibernate so to speak?
He might not be hungry. In the wild they aren't necessarily successful at hunting every day. If you're positive he's still in the tank, I would wait a couple of days and try to feed him again. OR keep an eye out after dark - they are nocturnal creatures and tend to be more active at night.
Jenn
Jenn
JennM;683543 wrote: He might not be hungry. In the wild they aren't necessarily successful at hunting every day. If you're positive he's still in the tank, I would wait a couple of days and try to feed him again. OR keep an eye out after dark - they are nocturnal creatures and tend to be more active at night.
Jenn
I might have to set my alarm and go look for him late tonight. He's always been sticking his head out of the water and letting me feed him with a pair of tongs. I guess time will tell. Everyone else is happy with the exception of a sail fin blennie that he almost nailed a couple of days ago and is now plastered to a rock and afraid to move.
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i lost like 3 of them, only found 1. never found the other 2. they are slick little devils.
Well I finally located my missing eel. He went into the overflow and has been hanging out in there at the bottom. I was able to spot him by looking up at the bottom of the tank where the cutout is for the plumbing inside the cabinet. When I fed the tank tonight I dripped a little bit of the food soaked in garlic into the overflow and he shot right up and out looking for his share. I gave him a shrimp and he's now fat and happy and I'm happy to know he's OK.
I only have eggcrate that blocks the back of the canopy but the top of the overflows are open. He just slithers over the top. He went back into the overflow after he ate. He can't get into the drain pipe as they have a cage type cap on the end of the durso pipe. At least I know where he's set up housekeeping so I won't have to worry about where he is.
I called it the other day:
If all else fails and he's thin enough to go down the drain pipe, pull out the standpipe and let him ride the flume to the sump and put a net under the drain pipe.
DO NOT try that if there's a remote chance he'll get lodged in there... only if he's small/skinny.
Jenn
JennM;683519 wrote: Check the floor, the sump, the overflow box, under the couch, under the fridge... eels are notorious jumpers and they can survive for quite a few hours out of water (not days, though). If he did manage to escape, he could have wriggled a fair distance from the tank.
Hope that's not the case... but I've seen it happen a number of times.
Jenn
If all else fails and he's thin enough to go down the drain pipe, pull out the standpipe and let him ride the flume to the sump and put a net under the drain pipe.
DO NOT try that if there's a remote chance he'll get lodged in there... only if he's small/skinny.
Jenn
Short of him somehow blocking the overflow which I can't see how that could be done I don't see where that would be a problem. Also I do have 2 overflows on my tank so maybe if one did become blocked wouldn't the 2nd one avert some type of problem that could otherwise occur if I only had one? I'm just thinking out loud so please chime in if I'm over looking something.
