What is a Dragon Eel?
The dragon eel is an eel that extends from Hawaii to southern Japan. It may also be found in the Indo-Pacific region. It will often change colors and color patterns as it grows and becomes larger. It has very unusual patterns on its body and its head is pointed. You can also find horns on top of its head.
The dragon eel will live along the bottom of the waters in which it lives. It also enjoys having a lot of places to hide. It is a very aggressive eel and it has a lot of very sharp teeth in its mouth. This eel can not shut its bottom jaw because it is curved. Because it is so very aggressive, you will not want to put it in a tank with other fish or other eels.
The dragon eel can get to be as large as three feet long. If you are going to have one of these in your home you are going to need a tank that is at least 100 gallons. This is because the eel can outgrow a tank rather quickly. You do not want to buy a tank that is not going to be the correct size and then need to purchase another one at a later time. You should just buy a large tank in the first place.
When you first get this eel and place it into a tank, it will most likely hide from you. However, when it gets use to being in its new home it will eventually begin to show itself more and more. The original shyness will wear off and you will begin to see it more often. It is very important to remember that along with begin shy, it is very sly. You need to keep the tank covered because if you do not, it can get out of the tank without any complications. This would definitely be a shocker in the living room!
When you are thinking of a diet for this eel, you will need to think of food that is alive. They tend to enjoy shrimp, crabs, small fish, and even squids. You may have some difficulties getting the dragon eel to eat at first. The longer you have the eel and the more comfortable it becomes, it will begin to eat without any complications. You may be able to increase the likelihood of your dragon eel eating by placing live feed in the tank. This makes them feel like they are in their natural habitat and they might be more willing to eat.
You will want to feed this eel with its food on a stick. You should never stick your hand in the tank of the eel. You will only need to feed it every few days. Depending on how large of a meal you feed the eel, you may be able to wait a few weeks in between feedings. Once you get to know your eel you will better understand what it can eat. This will make it easier for you to plan its meals because you do not want to give it more than it can eat at one time.
Keep an eye out for hibernation periods. It is not uncommon for your dragon eel to hide for a few weeks at a time and stop eating. This is much like a bear would do. It may sound unusual to some people but the dragon eel with hibernate. You will want to recognize this so you are not placing food into the tank that is not going to be eaten. This will also help you avoid purchasing live feed that is going to die before your eel can enjoy it.
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