Unless that eel is a garden eel 18 gallons is way way too small for any eel
Its not subjective at all, its respecting the needs of the livestock we keep and having their well being in mind. No eel should he in an 18 gallon tank, ever just as @Slocke said. That eel is a snowflake, both slocke and I keep one. His is in a 125 gallon. Mine in a 300 gallon. Mine loves to swim in the open. You realize that eel wont even be able to turn around right? They are 2 feet long. So no, not subjective at all thats just ignoring the needs of the animal in your care.
Mine does just the same, he swims in the water column all the time and the tank is definitely wide enough to accommodate him for his current size trust me I know they get fat and big but he clearly loves his home, I think reefers often disregard anything that's not IMMEDIATELY the normal standard for an animal, you don't think keeping 2 clownfish in a 20 gallon is inhumane do you? Well if you think about how they live in the wild it's quite depressing... we care so much about the requirements of the fish we never stop to just realize is it at its current state in the tank happy? Yes I can clearly indicate that and acknowledge he has to leave when he gets much larger? Take a step back and realize that just think about it....
Often grow to 3ft in fact. Even the most unethical online store will list the minimum tank size for a snowflake at 50 gallons. Eels and other fish kept in too small tanks will be stunted at a minimum. Most likely it will gain deformities, show increased aggression, go on hunger strikes, increase escape attempts, and almost certainly have a severely shortened lifespan.
Again, I've had him for four months and he didn't gain very much size but still eats bigger and larger pieces every month or so, never had any of those issues and closely monitor his size, and if he ever did go on a hunger strike I would relocate him.
Clownfish are 4 inches max, eels 2 feet. There are standards of a care for a reason, meaning the well being of an animal. I urge you to take a step back and realize where others see this as not okay and realize the biggest thing about reefing is actually caring about the animals in our care and not just thinking something is happy because its alive. Surviving vs thriving is what you think is subjective. The fact you asked the question about keeping an eel in that size tank lets me know you on some level realized this and wanted validation on tank size which those of us on here who do keep eels wont give you. You asked a question, you got answers. Your tank, your eel, your choice. But just take the time think about the needs of your eel.
That’s a bad sign. A snowflake should grow several inches a year until it’s 18” or so
Sorry I should've worded that differently, what I mean to say is he himself isnt getting girthy at a super quick rate, he's growing well but he's not getting too thick to hide.
The size is already a problem. That's like keeping a Rottweiler in a crate two sizes too small and thinking it's "ok" because it still eats and wags its tail...
Ive never seen an eel in an 18 gallon tank or smaller before this post no.
And this is exactly why everyone is telling you this isnt good. They should get thick and long quickly in that time. My snowflake was 10 inches when I got her. Shes over 20 now. Grew to about 18 inches and a good thickness in under a year. Thats why @Slocke is telling you the eel is probably stunted at this point because of the environment. Like I said, please respect the fact you are caring for a living creature and adhere to its needs. This is like having a horse in a trailer with no where to go run or stretch out and no pasture for him to move around and saying its fine because it takes food.
Some keep those in smaller tanks for a few months max for QT but then move them to a proper tank. This doesnt seem like it has a tank to go into when its bigger and you just want justification that the small tank is okay for him long term. And no, I havnt seen those tanks with bigger eels. There is one I can think of and everyone has the same arguments on those threads. Just cause you think someone else did it doesnt mean its right for the eel…
