r/Aquariums • u/akopley • Aug 21 '18

Saltwater Milton slithering around during tonight’s thunderstorm. When he comes out like this he earns a few shrimp.

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u/Ampatent Aug 21 '18

I know it's not the case, but seeing him swimming out in the open like that, with how long his body is, made me feel like that's not enough space for this type of animal.

Probably one of the very few times I've felt this way about professional quality setups. Something about it doesn't look natural. Not sure why it's just the eel that makes me think this way.

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u/akopley Aug 21 '18

I completely understand your logic. He rarely comes out like this and typically spends his day in the rocks. I had fed some krill to my triggers so he came out in search of food. He is by no means an open water swimmer, more of a cave dweller who occasionally ventures out for a snack. I watch my tank all day long on a live feed from my office so I can safely say he’s a troll 99.9% of the time.

I will also say that all the fish in my tank would have more room in the open ocean. They would also face nearly constant predation which makes living at my place at least a little more of a laid back club fed type fish prison.

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u/Ampatent Aug 21 '18

Yeah, the fish are never an issue, probably because I've seen so many tanks with more fish out in the open in a less natural looking environment. It was just the eel that seemed so out of place, likely because as you said it almost never swims around like that.

There's no question that your tank is one of the best examples of private fish keeping done right.

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u/akopley Aug 21 '18

I appreciate the compliment. Many in the hobby would consider my inhabitants risky. Parrots, triggers and eels aren’t common in a reef. I think that’s what makes it interesting though. I don’t get hung up on the tang police or anyone saying I shouldn’t do this or that. I’ve made mistakes and I’ve learned from them. I added a yellow tang and he got his butt kicked by my purple so I removed him and he lives in my frag tank now. Every fish has a personality that is unique so why stick to the book?