Eel prime murder suspect! Help! D:

[Her0]

Hey guys, I have a Snowflake eel in a new (2 months) tank.

He was added around the same time as the three fish that live with him. (2x Zebra Damsels, 1x Royal Blue Damsel)

I decided it was time to add a clean up crew for the left overs.

I added 4x Turbo Snails and 4x Hermit Crabs, when I added them I'm the Snowflake came out of his cave and headbutted each of the new crew. I thought nothing of it, he is normally pretty curious.

I woke up today and one of the Zebras and the Royal Blue are gone without a trace. I pulled apart the live rocks looking for any sign of them but no luck.

I think maybe putting the crabs in triggered something wild in the Snowflake and he has become aggressive. He was very docile before and never bothered the fish.

What should I do from here?

 

[Aquarian]

Well I guess you got him past the not eating phase. That sucks that you lost fish but the eel is a predator and will find a meal when it swims by.

 

[Sakura2282]

How big is your tank?

I think that eel will eat anything that can fit in its mouth. Small fish will be an easy pray for it.

 

[noy]

+1 Sakura
Probably snuck up on them at night while they were sleeping. Sitting ducks in a small tank. Nothing to do with the crabs - they just eat fish.

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

People tend to forget that Snowflakes are a Moray Eel. They are carnivores and will eat fish.

 

[BL1]

The pebbled-toothed morays feed primarily on crustaceans and hard-shelled invertebrates. These morays are found in the genera Echidna, Gymnomuraena, and Siderea, and are known for having blunt molar-like teeth that are designed for crushing the shells of their prey.

Snowflake eels feed primarily on shore crabs, spider crabs, and rock-dwelling xanthid crabs. Additionally, mantis shrimps and small bony fish remains have been found in the stomach content analyses of these eels

It is not uncommon for a medium-sized snowflake eel to attack a fish when chasing a scent trail though the water column, and it is also not uncommon for an adult snowflake eel to take a bite out of a nearby fish when food is in the water.

That being said, it's totally possible that adding the CUC triggered the eels natural feeding response.