Banded Eel - building a hide?

[Chriss Fishes]

I picked up a juvenile banded eel today - he's about 16" or so. I added him into my 55 gallon FOWLR, and will eventually move him into my 125 once he's a bit bigger - just afraid he might get picked on a bit, as the Green-Spotted Puffer has already been bothering him some in the 55. The rock in that tank is pretty solid - more boulders, rather than porous reef rock. But, I've got good filtration and a decent skimmer, so I used it. Not a good set up for an eel to hide, though. Can I maybe throw in a decorated PVC pipe for him to hide in? Will he use it, in your experience? I feel bad for the little guy.

 

Thanks for any insight!

[Tired]

Creatures that like to hide in good holes generally use any good holes you give them. If there aren't any in the rocks, you should definitely give him some in other places. 

 

How would you decorate the pipe? Keep in mind, that stuff gives off toxic fumes if you heat it, like with a heat gun. I believe it can be heated and shaped to some extent, but should really be done outdoors so you don't, ya know, die. 

[Chriss Fishes]

4 minutes ago, Tired said:

Creatures that like to hide in good holes generally use any good holes you give them. If there aren't any in the rocks, you should definitely give him some in other places. 

 

How would you decorate the pipe? Keep in mind, that stuff gives off toxic fumes if you heat it, like with a heat gun. I believe it can be heated and shaped to some extent, but should really be done outdoors so you don't, ya know, die. 

I guess you're right - holes is holes.

 

I'd probably just smooth some silicone around the pipe with a gloved finger, roll it in some aragonite, and see what sticks. I'm not too concerned about looks, as long as it's not blindingly ugly.

 

I'd be the one to try doing it outdoors and get a big whiff of fumes anyway 😂 I'll probably just pressure-fit some elbows or use multiple smaller pieces if I need a bend.

[Tired]

Sounds like a plan. Be sure to let the silicone cure until you can't smell fumes around it any more. Don't know if you already know to do that, but if you do, here's a reminder. 

 

If you felt inclined to risk some fumes, you could bend the pipe into slightly wiggly shapes to make it, at least, a bit less overly smooth. Or you could just hide it behind rocks. Maybe rub something coraline-coated on it, try to transfer some spores. 

 

Now that I think about it, does coraline grow very well on exposed silicone? I guess it'd depend on if you plan to have it in there long enough to grow coraline.

[Chriss Fishes]

I've seen coraline coat silicone seams, so I assume it *can* grow on silicone - but I'm not sure how well it'd just start to grow there.

 

I had planned to just run it around my rockwork, and have several entrances and exits around the tank. He's burrowed a bit but he's mainly just kinda cruising around the bottom, so I think he's a little stressed. I'll add the piping tomorrow (I'll probably do elbows, just to avoid any chance of brain damage - my last 3 brain cells are having a tough time as it is), and probably another inch of sand as I had a think layer in here. I'll post pics when I finish - thanks for the help!