Show me your way cool fish I'll show you mine - garden eel

[Greg Hiller]

My newest way cool spotted garden eel (Heteroconger hassi). Had it about 3 weeks. Hid for 1 week. Started to take grated shrimp, then brine shrimp, now some small mysis. Looking very good, much less shy now. It is in my 400 gallon system on one end where I added a bunch of extra sand. In my book this is a 9/10 for cool fish, right up there with my filefish, and mandarin. 10/10 would probably be a ghost pipefish, but far too difficult to keep, and actually quite rare in the ocean.

 

[Aquaman_68]

yes....Cool!!

 

[Lourdes]

here's a pic of what my way cool circus goby looks like I don't have any pics of him because he just hangs upside down in one of the spots in my tank where I can see him ,but not good enough to take a picture

 

[clamm]

that is awesome!

 

[agent6473]

I tried a circus goby. It disappeared on me Awesome fish.

 

[Liam]

Very nice Greg,hopefully my Curious worm fish will come off backorder one day and i too can post some cool fish pics
-Liam.

 

[Bidadari]

Greg, how big is he? Very cool.

Lou, I love that goby. Almost bought one for my tank, but decided not too since I already have too many fish.

 

[Greg Hiller]

The garden eel is about the thickness of a pencil, and about 12 inches long.

 

[NateHanson]

How deep does his sandbed have to be?

 

[Greg Hiller]

I think that Scott Michael in his book said 6" for this species. Most of the other species need more since they are larger. 6" is about what I have, but it's only in the one corner of my tank.

 

[tucc185]

Where'd you get him Greg? That would be a perfect centerpiece fish for my seagrass bed tank!

 

[Greg Hiller]

Update on this....you'll never believe it, but after being completely buried in the sand for almost 4 weeks, the second garden eel has popped out of the sand and is now eating frozen brine shrimp. The first one is already eating....Flake Food! Their hole are about 5 inches from each other. Both on the end of the tank when I added all the extra sand, and where I introducted them.

The coolness factor on these fish has yet to wear off for me.

 

[stang8s]

I remember Inland Reef had a bunch in their display take in the front room. They wouldnt sell them cause they said they were too experimental at that time. Definately the coolest thing I have seen in a reef tank!

 

[SMS76]

I have Juvenile but hopefully it will look something like this when it get's bigger

 

[saltwaterB]

Chris,

I bet your Circus Goby is still in there, they are very reclusive. I had mine for 3 years until I broke the tank down, couldn't find him until I saw a dead carcass floating in the 3" of water I left in the tank

Someday I will try a school of Garden Eels. They are very difficult to get good ones in.

 

[ceige]

Greg, what kind of "indroduction" did these very very cool guys require?

 

[Greg Hiller]

>Greg, what kind of "indroduction" did these very very cool guys require?<

I showed them the sand and told them to dig in it.

I don't think these fish would do very well in a small tank. They are initially very shy. Scott Michaels talks about what you need to keep them. Basically, very deep sand (6"), and an area with no rocks or other things that stick up very far. They like to be able to see a good distance around their hole since their only protection is to go down their hole. A tall tank probably would help as well. My tank is 30" tall.

>I remember Inland Reef had a bunch in their display take in the front room.<

I tried to get those from Matt when they were shutting down the old store. In the chaos of shuting downt the store they weren't sure where the eels were.....sadly I think they all died.

 

[Liam]

picked up this guy today,i hope he makes it .
So much for being a burrower he likes to hang out near the surface and has been on the overflow express twice already
Luckily he picked the overflow not plumbed to my skimmer and the filter sock got him

 

[Mr. Slippery]

Liam that's one cool fish.

I'm a big fan of the dartfishes. I don't know why, I just think they're cool. I like smaller fishes anyway. One of my favorites is the curious wormfish. The closest you'll get to an eel without it being, well, an eel. I love the Helfrichi Firefish as well.

Not my pic. I mean, really, how cool is this fish? They remind me of Snorks. Remember the Snorks?

 

[Greg Hiller]

Itelus,

Very cool fish. I assume that's a garden eel. If so I hope you have 6 inches of sand to burrow in. If not, that might be one reason it's not settling down.