Best place to get feeder shrimp locally

[xXTheWendigoXx]

Any suggestions? I've got a snowflake eel that's had a pretty stressful couple of weeks and is refusing to eat its normal freeze dried krill. I'm hoping some live food might coax it to eat.

[Joel]

If freeze dried krille is all (or mostly) what your eel has been fed, that is likely what the problem is. Many  Fish develop problems when fed mostly or only krille that will affect proper mouth function. Goiter / lock jaw are what is often the issue. I don't fully understand what the problem or condition is that is caused by excessive feeding of krille but I do know first hand that it happens. I also am not aware of a solution to the problem once it has happened.


Joel

[lazylivin]

I am betting a live shrimp will do the job. Definitely worth a shot. Let us know how this works out.

[jake]

Hate to say this ,but gerbers had back in the day some small brackish shrimp they were selling. Not sure if he has them ,but they were cheap and seem to be what you would need

[lazylivin]

It is not uncommon for eels to go into a "hybernation" period, often hiding and not eating for several weeks, or longer.
You could also try guppies or gold fish depending on the size of eel.

[Joel]

It is not uncommon for eels to go into a "hybernation" period, often hiding and not eating for several weeks, or longer.
You could also try guppies or gold fish depending on the size of eel.

Guppies & gold fish for food are also what leads to very short life spans in saltwater fish. Salt water fish should not be fed freshwater fish (or other F/W animals)

I agree that eels will sometimes refuse to eat for periods of time, often it is caused by stress or a major change in their life. I had (and still have) a perfectly healthy Zebra Moray in an aquarium for several years that had a major appetite. I moved this eel to another larger aquarium and it wouldn't eat for about two weeks. I sell eels to customers that in my tanks are eating great and regularly get reports that their new eel won't eat, I tell my customers to "give it time" and normally in a week or two they start eating again. But, when I hear that "my eel just stopped eating" it is almost always the eel has been fed krille, shrimp or f/w feeders exclusively ( or at least mostly) or the aquarium it is in is a cesspool.  This guy did make mention of some sort of "stressful couple of weeks" but was not specific as to what happened and that may be the cause of why the eel is not eating. If this eel is now in a stable, healthy aquarium and was properly acclimated to it's new environment, it should resume eating on it's own. My point was that if it was only, or mostly eating Freeze dried krill, it will kill the eel.

While were on the topic, this scenario is very common with lion fish and porcupine puffers. They get hooked on krille or feeders very easily and die a few short months later as well.

Now if you really want to guarantee that the eel will eat, go buy a really expensive small fish of some sort like a Scott's or Jordan's fairy wrasse. The more expensive the fish, the more likley it will get eaten. 

Joel

[apelaston]

petland had them but not the cheapest. aquarium adventures have them for 12cents each. u may try a few feeder guppies too but i promise that will get him really rowdy-d up chasin em but when we had them come iin at the shop we would have good luck getting them back to health with them and then throwing in the frozen stuff at the same time.

[lazylivin]

Now if you really want to guarantee that the eel will eat, go buy a really expensive small fish of some sort like a Scott's or Jordan's fairy wrasse. The more expensive the fish, the more likley it will get eaten. 

Joel

If I buy a expensive pair of sunglass I lose them in a couple days. But still have those 4.99$ gas station sun glasses from 5 years ago.

[xXTheWendigoXx]

Eel was being fed a combination of freeze dried krill, prepared squid, and clam. I learned the hard way about feeding feeders exclusively a long time ago, lost a lionfish that way myself 
About a week before Christmas I pulled out the 90lb. centerpiece rock from the tank, all of the rest of the livestock, fed the eel, topped off the tank and left for the holidays. I came back to check up on it last week.
I've been breaking down the tank bit by bit as the hosts have proven less then reliable at watching over things when I can't get over. When I arrived I shouldn't have been surprised to find that no maintenance or upkeep was done in my absence. Obviously it was a bit of a mess. Salinity was out of whack, the return pump was shut off, and it was pretty gross. I could coax the eel out but not get the poor thing to eat anything offered.
It was at this point that my mother randomly relented and decided to allow me to keep a tank at the house. Now I've got a thirty gallon set up and quietly running in the guest room with what was left of the old tank. Got some established media from another persons tank into a canister filter, moved over some of the live rock, got things cycled, and moved the eel.
Eel has been in the new tank for four days. Parameters are all currently perfect, and the eel is active and poking its nose out of the cave I made for it.
Eel is about 6 maybe 7 inches long.
My main concern at this point is that it's been at least a month since it's eaten anything more then a piece of squid. I know that Eels are naturally designed to go a long time without eating but especially after SUCH a stressful period I'm worried about lack of food ADDING to the stress. My wife works in the meat/seafood dept. at Dorothy Lane so getting more squid/clams/scallops/shrimp isn't a problem if I can get it eating anything again... and of course I've got a bottle of freeze dried krill to fill in.


I was thinking maybe a Blue Spot Jawfish instead of a Wrasse 

[xXTheWendigoXx]

Well, the feeder shrimp seemed to do the trick. The eel is out constantly now and bites down on anything in the tank, so much so that it wouldn't let go of my finger earlier today when I was cleaning, even when I pulled my hand out and had the poor thing dangling over the water quite comically.

[lazylivin]

That is great news! After a stressful situation a good live meal will get the spirits up.

[jeblin]

Well, the feeder shrimp seemed to do the trick. The eel is out constantly now and bites down on anything in the tank, so much so that it wouldn't let go of my finger earlier today when I was cleaning, even when I pulled my hand out and had the poor thing dangling over the water quite comically.

Where did you end up getting them from? Thanks

[xXTheWendigoXx]

I got some Ghost Shrimp from Jack's. I paid 89 cents apiece (which is a bit of a ripoff) but I didn't need many so it worked out.