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I'am keeping Erpeton's since 10-4-05, they are eating shedding and doing fine.
But i saw white bubbles on the female before the shedding.
After the shedding they were gone but you can still see the little scars/marks. I keep them in a slightly acid fish tank. The ph is aroud the 6 with a small filter for flowing water.
I do have a lot of plants in the water.
Are there people who keep them in brakkisch water and how are your experiences?

Kind regards Tom (Netherlands)

I got in a trio May 5th 2005 mine have demonstrated some odd behaviour and i also keep mine in a fresh water aquarium that is planted fairly densely so little seems to be known about this species that i have wrote down everything they have been doing and what i've been doing with them i'll post my notes here for you. By the way do yours anchor at the bottom and hang up wards or do they sometimes anchor closer to the top in floating vegetation and just lay on the waters surface? and one question what water depth do you keep yours at? Here are my notes;

ngoo kra dan
tentacled snake
erpeton tentaculatum

3 tentacled snakes recieved in good apparent good health one looks slightly emaciated- 5-05-05
all interested in food all still alive 5-10-05 (where once where 6 goldfish there are now 3 and 2 of the snake appear to have eaten.

My previous experience with this species was limited to one specimen i acquired from a friend, i kept it in tap water and fed it on goldfish for around a year untill its death. the current setup is acidic water treated with tetra black water extract and a tea bag for tannins all 3 have an interest in food and i have noted all 3 specimens striking at the fish but have yet to see one succsessfully capture one they seem to prefer that the fish actually touch there tentacles before they strike but some strike as soon as a fish is near. The colony consist of 1.2 animals. snakes spend time in only 3 posistions a J shaped posture with the head hanging downwards when attempting to catch fish or simply hanging straight up however some spend time wrapped very near the top though anchored to something they are horizontal on top of the water however the tail is allways wrapped and anchored around something and if snake is simply dropped in water the tail go's wild trying to find an anchor even floating vegetation will suffice and if that occurs the snake hangs with head down toward the waters bottom. Some of the snakes seem to enjoy laying against the glass half out of the water this leads me to believe that sometimes they may want to leave it will expirement tommorow.

*The snake i believe to be the male seems to have a lesion on the top of its head where the parietal scales are was removed from water and placed in a small bin with a water bowl and cypress mulch and sphagnum moss antibiotic cream was applied to wound on head. All snakes are still in the small bin with a water bowl and only one chooses to stay in the water the other two burrow under the lose sphagnum moss this leads me to wonder if mabey there only found in water and thought to be totally aquatic because the remainder of the time there underground. Two where placed back into an aquatic enviroment today but seem to desparately want out if they havent calmed down by two hours after dark i will place them back in the loose moss enviroment.

5-21-05 all back in tank all but the larger one seem to have the habit of lifting there head at a 90 degree angle and gaping when disturbed, male anchors itself at the bottom and hangs upwards females are wrapped in water moss and float atop the surface with the head down or simply horizontal.

* these snakes are horrible divers

I do hope this helps out a bit and if you have noticed any similar behaviours i would like to know about them, oh and by the way a friend of mine at zoological connections in china has let me in on how to breed these things if your interested in that info let me know

Tentacled snakes are probably one of the biggest challenges you can take on. I have tried and failed like most people here. I've learn alot though from people like your self who have been willing to share their experience. Here are some of the thing that I have learned that may help you:

1. While most of the snakes in this family are brakish, the Tentacled snake is not, it prefers low ph 6.0 or slightly lower. Temperature 74-80 by heat lamp, rather then aquarium heater, which is more natural for them.

2. They are a secretive snake so viewing, handling and interacting with them should be kept to minimum. having a well planted tank with manza branches for them to hide amoungst is a good idea.

3 Algae growth on their skin may be benificial, they may have a symbiotic relationship with the algae, the snakes provide habitat and exposure to sun and the algae takes up habitat in their skin that would otherwise get infected with harmful fungi. The algae also provides cameoflage.

4.Tanic acid, which can be purchase in aquarium shops as black water extract, with help maintain the low ph and may itself be benificial.

5.The above factors requires time to establish in an aquarium, never introduce these snakes into a new tank, i.e, one that can't yet support green algae. Some keepers report success with pond water, which has the benifit of being loaded with tanic acid, algae and free of additives such as chloromine.

6. Asian import syndrome, this starts with white bustuals on the skin and is nearly 100% fatal and seems to affect acclimating aquatic and semi aquatic asian snakes. Treat with topical silvadene cream and try to meet the above requirements.
Its believed to be a fungal infection, but I believe that its cause is a reduced immune response from the stress of acclimation, improper conditions, and or a reaction to something in the water, possibly an over reaction to chlorine or chloromines or ammonia.

Good luck and lets us know what you try and what happens. Even if you fail, we can all still learn from your experience and some day we will all be able to keep these beautiful snakes.

What did you think about my idea that they may be snakes that spend a lot of time in loose soil, it would be an indication that mabey the tentacles are feelers instead, I realise most books say that they have no muscle over control of there tentacles but i can go ahead and say that isnt true since i've seen them independently move there "tentacles" while out of the water. Thanks for reading over my notes/observations i'm hoping they can help some one out someday. I cant tell if the lesion on the males head is fungus related or mechanical injuries but i have been putting an antibiotic ointment on it but will expirement with anti-fungal solutions

My understand is that green algae grows best at 7.0 but will still grow in a PH lower or higher, within limits. I wouldn't expect to see much algae growth above 7.8 or below 5.5, but thats just an estimate. If your having problems with algae growth it might be worthwhile to raise it a little bit, maybe 6.5 would be better. As for the tentacles, their function hasn't been proven. I would speculate that are sensory in nature since there are two, that hints at bidirectional tracking. which is why we have two ears and snakes have forked tongues. I wouldn't say that they feel around in the silt, because there standard hunting technique is to stay vertical, like a branch and ambush prey. Here are my guesses, one the tentacles are sensitive to small changes in current allowing them to identify the exact location of fishin murky water; two, its not uncommon for creatures in murky conditions to develop an electromagnetic sense, to they may be sensitive to EMF; three they may use them as sights to accurately attack there targets or as bait. The latter seems less likely to me since I have never seen a fish go for the tentacles, I have however seen very accurate strikes, we reinforces in my mind that they are sensory in nature. you could do a couple of tests if you were interested in finding out. First try moving a small magnet by them as they hunt and see if there is a reaction, if so, see if a small object of the same size that is not magnetized produces the same reaction. Some other experiments could envolve taping them back and seeing if the snake can still catch food or taping the eyes to prove that it is depending on another sense to detect the prey. The last couple would create stress so I wouldn't do them until you are sure that they are established.

I personally believe they have control of the rostral proturberances.

I have video of a large male using his tentacles while doing what appeared to be tactile alignment with a female.
That same male would approach a smaller male in the same aquarium and rub the protubrances down the body of the smaller male, which resulted in the smaller male trying to flee, and for a short time, the larger male pursued him until he was "safely" away from the female.

I never witnessed copulation, but I wonder if there is any reproductive purpose to the tentacles, similiar to the spurs on a boid.

I think, rather than speculating about what you "think" might be the proper way to keep this species, especially since you happily admit you've never been able to do so, one might be better served by speaking with the keepers who have managed to maintain it over time. I know the Dallas zoo has a big group of these guys. I suspect they might not be too disturbed by a phone call.

It's interesting too, that below you berate me for suggesting that A. granulatus keepers may not be keeping their water clean enough, while here you suggest Erepton may not be thriving due to contaminants in their water.

Clean water, as it's defined for otherwise healthy marine fish may be only distantly related to clean water as it pertains to a stressed marine, or at least aquatic, snake.

Dallas zoo collection is from captive bred stock I believe, anyway calling them is still a good idea. As for the rest of that nonsense Undfun, is still bitter from a previous post.

I have talked to keepers in china and germany about these animals who have kept them over several generations, i've also talked to the memphis zoo, my husbandry is far more than my speculations, read the whole thread before you get your panties all up in a knot

Undfun is not attacking your post, he/she is mad at me from a previous thread and trying to carry over the arguement.He/she beleives that there is no problem acclimating these snakes that experts do it all the time and that there is nothing to learn from figuring out techniques or methods for successfully acclimating them. I am just going to say that I disagree with undfun and leave it at that.

My comment wasn't directed toward you brat. Rather I was pointing out the irony of Mr. Gordon's comment that his inability to keep this species alive might be due to contaminated water, when in a post below he rediculed me for not knowing how to "keep a guppy alive" and for suggesting that it may be very difficult to maintian sufficiently high water quality to accomodate A. granulatus.

I said nothing about there being no problem acclimating these snakes, so Mr. Gordon may be drinking again

I used to work in the reproductive lab of the largest tropical fish farm in the country, so I do know how to keep a guppy alive. Don't attack people, Mr. Gordon, who you do not know. It makes you look silly, childish and trite.

"Used to" probably fired for incompetence. Imangine me looking at you with my hands over my ears for this next sentence: LA,LA, LA,LA, LA,!

P.s. Trite and childish are my best qualities.

Well to move on with the Erpeton's again, i just took some algea and tank water with me from my work.
The tank is filled with waterplants, oxygenplants and lillies, no fish.

I poored the water from the pond in the tank and i'am observating the snakes every day.
They are still doing fine.

And funny was my girlfriend touched the tank from the Erpeton's and he was nipping at the finger. This will say that they hunt on sight as well.

The shedding from the male was dark in the neck with (algea) or something else. It is really important to have algeas in the tank.

Tom

Good news! I am glad to here that they are still doing well! My speculation on the algae comes from my observation that the healthy ones always have algae growth on there skins. There can be two reasons for this, one Algae will only grow in an aquarium that has established water conditions and is well lit. The second possiblity is that there is a symbiosis where the algae on the skin prevents infections. Whatever the connection is, it seems wise to maintain an environment in which alge can thrive. This is just speculation, so maybe you will be able to add your own observations to the debate.

Hi there,
I'am almost sure they live in a simbiose with algea. That is what i saw on the shedding.

I keep you guys updated with my snakes. But one thing is for sure, those guys are really interesting.

Kind regards Tom

Well, there is a lot of good information in both of your'e replies!!! Thanks for that.
Yes and i'am really interested in the breeding stories.
Are there pictures from these Erpeton's in the wild?

Correct me if i'am wrong but green algea does not grow in acid water?
I remember the time when i was breeding killi fishes. They live also in acid water but never saw green algea.
And the bubbles on the skin from the female did not look like fungus at all. More like a sort of gass bubble which is between the 2 layers of skin/scales.

The male prefers a dry area, he is laying almost ervery day on a floating piece of bark. While the female stays in the water most of the time.
They anchor themselves on bracnhes on the bottom and standing upwards hanging down with their heads and the tentacles are in a resting position.

And indeed sometimes they are floating on the plants and laying
horizontal. When i'am feeding fish they are interested at once.
The tentacles are facing more upwards if they have seen ore detected a fish. And sometimes they even want to crawl closer to the fish when the fish stays in a corner.
When they strike the fish have to be inside the j-shape.
They do miss a lot but finally they will have a good hit.

On the bottom i have black gravel, this wille make the tank more dark in light.
I'am using special wood for fish tanks (sort of mopani wood). This will make the water acid ass well.

I hope too keep those 2 for a long time, i will let you know everthing about these snakes. Like illnes(hope not) mating and so on.

Kind regards Tom
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My friend in Honk Kong told me breeding is related to water temperature, he says he lets the water stay at an even 30celsius/86 degrees then begans slowing dropping it to 20celsius 68 degrees for 1-2 months while doing this cooling he allows the water to evaporate and become 2-4 inches less than normal they apparently breed during this cold time after about 2 months he gradually readds the lost water while reheating the tank back to around 30celsius, it has supposedly worked well with acclimated specimens.

Breeding is common with established specimens, captive bred specimens are also better adjusted and have been reported to live for up to ten years. The problem is that so few become acclimated.

Sorry for the non pics.

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