Finally the got my dragon. FINALLY!!!

[myerst22]

After an exhaustive search to find the fish I wanted, my patience shows great results. I have been looking for this fish for several months. I was able to find large specimens pretty easily, but a small one was no where to be found. I decided about a month and half ago to pre-order and pay for one that never came to fruition. This was very frustrating because my delivery date kept being pushed further and further back. I began to realize I would most likely not be getting my fish from this retailer. It's understandable, these fish are extremely difficult to get at this size. A diver spotting one is the easy some what of the easy part, catching the little guy is another story. Thankfully in the end I got the fish directly from a diver I know so I know he was caught with proper care.

The fish was to arrive in JFK airport in NY at 9:00pm est. I live all the way on the eastern end of long island and the trip by car is 3 hours with no traffic. Luckily I called the airline and the plane was delayed. I was a bit concerned about the fish I know he was packed properly and the plane was only 3 hours late. Well I got to the airport and after searching high and low for the cargo area which was as hard as finding the fish in the first, I finally had my fish alive and well in my hands at 1:00am est. Now I drive home doing about 80. I finally get home exhausted at 3:45am and have to acclimate the eel. Mind you I had to go to work in 3 hours. Oh how I wanted to rush the acclimation but after all of work and patience to get the fish, how ridiculous it would be to rush acclimation. I acclimated the fish for about 2 1/2 hours. Maybe a little excessive, but not to me. I finally put him a critter pen for the night as I want to set up a cover so he doesn't jump out as well as some pvc tunnels to make him feel more secure.

So on to the pictures. These are the first shots I have taken and aren't great, but you can get the idea. He is only about 13"-14". Never have seen one this small. Know I can look at him everyday for a long time if all goes well. Okay, on to the pics, more to come soon, as I am sure I will be taking hundreds of pictures of this guy. Regards, Tim

 

[atavus]

Wow. Beautiful eel.

 

[Scooterman]

Bout time

 

[myerst22]

Your telling me. I was considering going with something else a few times. Tim

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

The bottom photo im seeing that the eel is a male. Soon enough, its color patterns will change for it still having much of its juvenile color patterns. I asked you this in your other thread, on what size tank the eel will be in? What are the foods that your planning to feed the eel? While the eel is in a young stage at this time, it will show to be more active then when their adults. And if you were able to manage in collecting a pair, while this young, they would hang together in the same lair, but when becoming adults, they will be on their on sides of the tank, different lairs.

Again, on the gender of your eel, is a male.

 

[WPH]

congrats Tim on your new addition...aloha Les

 

[apollothesun]

very nice.

 

[mark peacock]

very cool eel feeding is going to a challenge with thse teeth lol.

 

[myerst22]

Hello all, The Dragon seems to be adapting well. Hasn't eaten yet, unless he has eaten some of the ghost shrimp I have been putting in. I put some damsels in but they seem to have made a home for themselves. At least my girl thinks the damsels are pretty!. Here are some new pics of the Dragon. Still haven't gotten that great shot yet. Any tips on getting these guys to eat? Thanks, Tim

 

[g0rFz]

look at those teeth! haha he is a beauty how much do these run for

 

[Willy]

This is what I found doing a quick google search. http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/Hawaiian-Dragon-Eel_1725_4_61_74.html BTW Gorgeous fish

look at those teeth! haha he is a beauty how much do these run for

 

[myerst22]

Thanks for info. I scoured the web for info before I got the eel. He took a small live silverside I caught in the local bays. Hopefully he will thrive. Thanks all for the kind words. Tim

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

If you really scoured the web for info before I got the eel, you know that silversides does nothing for your eels diet, for silversides offer nothing in nutrition and holds much water only. try and a fresh sea food market and try to stay away from farm raised. Offer each feeding something different and I hope that your some type of feeding stick or so, for as well, eels at times will take the food and drop it behind the LR..

I asked you two questions before, you not answered them. they were, what size tank he will be in and what type of sea foods were you planning to feed him?

Also, look for octopus and squid, as well as fresh strips of fish and shrimp. If he not feeds on one type of food, not give up, offer it again at another time. On the foods, you may and will have to cut small strips out of both, the octopus and squid.

I not figure where you gotten any info on eels, other then perhaps in the forums. For data is rather simply to where one list a species requirements. In time, you will learn of this through hands on with your own eel. A sudden shift in your tanks Ph and high nitrates will affect the eels diet.

Your eel should thrive, eels in general are the most hardy marine species you can keep in a home aquarium.

Do you not mind to answer on your tanks setup? Cover? Overflow box? If your cover has a plastic strip in the back across the back of your tank, get duct tape to seal it tight. The strength of your male dragon when becomes an adult, will shock you for he will be able to shift your LR even if 15-20 lbs. And do, do weekly water changes.

Buddy

 

[myerst22]

He is in a 180 and the tank is completely covered. Weekly water changes are done once a week if not more in the past and presently. I don't use silversides as a food source. I use Waikiki's Aquarium homemade gel based food to feed all of my fish. The eel has eaten. He took some fresh Tuna on a feeding stick. I decided to use egg crate as a cover and the 4 PC light strips lay on top of them to give them extra support. The over flows are internal boxes which are covered inside and then again by the egg crate. Thanks, for input. Greatly appreciate it. I hope to get the eel to eat the gel based food, as I have successfully gotten my Millaris and Snowflake to eat. Thanks Again, Tim

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

You can certainly manage a very few large fish in that 180, and had you thought about it to have yourself a pair of dragon morays?

But on this water based foods, those to my understanding be not anything normal to what the eel would normally feed on, for it is something as near to like a MRI meal, isn`t it? So that would mean then that most to all the additives would be artificial, rather then fresh strips of fish, shrimp, octopus or squid. All my life if anyone living near me gotten themselves a dragon moray, they all began feeding in just a matter of days. But watch out, in time to come, your eel could refuse many months at a time to feed, and hopefully this not be a problem while he is still in its juvenile stages. Rather its near the end of its juvenile stages


I know that the product be healthy and all, fat free. But if it be what your asking of this product, I have to say that this item not be an ideal diet plan for your eel. For me, I only see is that it be organic matter, with additives/initiatives. It may be healthy, but im only seeing that its more ideal for humans, and not fish.

I wasn't able to see this product at Waikiki Aquarium, if this item is somewhat different from what im saying it is, I like to see it. If they somehow manage too but into their product sea foods, I have to wonder on what the food goes through that after what process it must go through that the food may not be as nutritional then when first it was catch and but on the market.

The other thing with the sea foods at the fresh sea food market be is that I never buy any items that were farm raised, never.
Also, from what I know about water based meals is that their not of solid substance. And the dragon eel likes meaty foods.

To use egg crate, I guess is OK, I not use it for you in time would require weights every other feet or so, for in time too come, your dragon eel can manage to force move more then 20-30 lbs of LR with his body weight when as an adult. But that is inside the tank itself.

The male that I sold with the female, he was in a tank with some 300 LBS of LR, and the LR was build from the bottom, up too some 6-7 inches below the water line. His body is so thick and huge that he caused a shift on one side of the tank, shifting even more then 50 lbs of LR.

Good Luck

Buddy

 

[myerst22]

Hey Buddy, Again thanks for the well detailed response. Many people with knowledge and experience like yourself give short answers without going into detail. I have been doing this for almost 18 years and one of the most important things i ever learned about this hobby and anything for that matter is that there is always someone out there who you can learn from.

As far as the recipe I use. It is not made by the Aquarium, but rather a recipe. The recipe calls for fresh cuts of different fish, crustaceans, shellfish, fresh algae, veggies, supplements, and additives to make it solidify. These are then grinded down and then cooled in order to form the gel. This gel based formula has made fish that were thought very difficult to feed and keep long term very hardy and long lived in captivity. I would never think to fed a dragon or any eel that gel based food exclusively. If I said that previously I misspoke. The other fish on the other hand are look amazing from the food. Hopefully all works out with my new dragon. I am aware of the long hunger strikes that are common with Dragons and some other morays. I picked up some fresh squid and clams today and going to see if he takes them as well. Thanks again, Tim

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

As even for myself, there may be just one person around from who I might or could learn of something o0ther then what I already know about, and this one person just happens to be around at another forum link. His tank(s) appear to look just like myown, full with LR. Still, there can be any number of things that even I could learn about. I just not as yet came across to what that might be as yet. Myself, im much to do with eels ever sinse I was a kid, and iut just happens to be a topic in which there be always something to learn or study about. As you know, the biggest part with the more then 850 eel species known, and possibly more then 1,000 eel species in all. Indentification is the more difficult thing there be with in dealing with eels.

Still, I not answer all eel question as I once use too. I was best known as "Dragon Moray Eels" There happens to be a long story to why the change and why I know keep a low profile about myself. Still, there be those who know of me and know that if one wishes to hear of my thoughts on their eel of choice, I would enlighten them about that species in question.

But on your dragon eel topic, your eel is strickly a meat eater, and in what you managed to do with your SFE was it? With your goldentail moray> It will be far more difficult I have to believe in getting your new male dragon moray to feed on this some product of idea. You will find that he may never go for this jel/water food product.

The other thing be is that it not feed on algae or veggies, so even is perhaps one day he will grap it, he might even spit it out before he could taste all of what you made it with. Eels like even the dragon, cn take the food and drop it behind the LR where you not see it, to keep a good watch out.

Few things such as a sudden shift in your Ph, or too low salinity, as well as high nitrate levels will all effect the eels diet, as well as poor water quailty. The male I had, grown to its full maxium size, and is very strong, if all be nomal in the best care for him, when near full grown, he will strike out hard at your feeding stick, so be careful, I made myself a speir out of tubing that you can buy and with electric tape, tape on one end what is, or from a large heavy duty garbage bag, its tie up.

One time my male had some 6-7" of the speir tubing into his mouth and throat. It was then very difficult to get amy great pictures of him feeding for I had my camera in one hand and was trying to take the shot, and all I gotten most the time, was the dust he left behind him when he ducted back into his lair.

Im about to get ready and brush and give a bath to my three younger grandkids, so I best get busy with that now. Andthing you like to ask, your welcome to do so. And just maybe, you might be able to teach me of something else to so with moray eels. Later

Buddy

PS, Im sorry of any mispelling, I not had much time to look over and make corrections.

 

[Sascha D]

Beautiful Dragon!

I see them all the time at pet stores on the island. They're pretty expensive but their awesomeness factor is worth it. Hows he doing now?

Updates Updates Updates

 

[small alien]

Such a stunning animal. And thank you to both myerst22 and OldManOfTheSea for their fascinating and friendly discussion.