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Related FAQs: Freshwater Moray
Eels,
FW Morays 2, & FAQs on:
FW Moray ID,
FW Moray Behavior,
FW Moray Compatibility,
FW Moray Selection,
FW Moray Systems,
FW Moray Feeding, FW Moray Disease,
FW Moray Reproduction,
Moray Eels,
Related Articles:
Freshwater Moray Eels
by Marco Lichtenberger,
Moray
Eels in General, Brackish Water Fishes, Freshwater
Eels,
The Diversity of Aquatic Life
Series
The
"Freshwater" (Brackish to Marine) Moray Eels,
Family Muraenidae
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By Bob Fenner
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Gymnothorax tile |
Of the fifteen genera and more than
two-hundred species of muraenids there are a couple of handfuls that are known
to occasionally enter freshwater
in tropical and temperate areas. Of these, two are of principal use to
aquarists, being available in good numbers in areas where regular collection of
ornamentals is an industry.
The purpose of this article
is to inform the public and industry that these two species are really not so
much "permanent" freshwater residents... but better considered
brackish water organisms (spg 1.005-1.010). Though you may see them presented in
"all freshwater settings" for sale, they are best kept in partially
saltwater as long term possibilities.
Other literature-noted
marine, venturing into brackish, possibly freshwater Morays are listed, and a
smattering of non-moray anquilliforms (true eels), as is a mention of a few of
the many groups of fishes called "eels" that are not true eels.
Most notably more Freshwater to Brackish to Marine:
Freshwater moray eels (suggested corrections for images,
identifications)
Hi,
the moray eel that is shown on your website is actually Gymnothorax tile
and not Echidna rhodochilus or Gymnothorax polyuranodon. BLEEKER
describes Echidna rhodochilus as: brown color with "pink" spots on upper
and lower lip.
I have attached the original description of Echidna rhodochilus (BLEEKER).
Gymnothorax polyuranodon is yellow with brown spots all over, a bit like
a leopard. I have no picture of mine, but you find some on :
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=17227
I have attached two pics of my Gymnothorax tile, they have slightly
different color, but are the same species.
I hope that in a few days my website www.brackwasser.com will be ready,
and I hope to have more picture soon.
regards
Thomas
<Hmm, thank you for this... In the trade the images referred to are allied with the scientific names cited. Am familiar (a collaborator) with
fishbase... Will add your notes to the WWM
site, identifications of these two muraenids there. Bob Fenner>
--
Thomas Flörkemeier
Sales
Yahoo! Deutschland GmbH
Tel:++49 40 / 309508-20
Fax: ++49 40 / 309508-11
Besuchen Sie unsere OnlineMediadaten
http://mediadaten.yahoo.de |
Other Morays that venture from Marine into Brackish to and Maybe into
Fresh For A While (Temporarily): Rare in ornamental aquatics.
| Anarchias seychellensis Smith 1962, the Seychelles
Moray Eel. Indo-Pacific; East Africa to Easter Island. To nearly a foot in
length. Brackish to marine. |
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| Echidna leucotaenia Schultz 1943, the White
Faced Moray Eel. Indo-Pacific; East Africa to the Tuamotus. To thirty
inches. Brackish. |
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| Gymnothorax afer Bloch 1795, the Dark Moray. Eastern
Atlantic; Mauritania to Namibia. To a meter in length. Brackish to
marine. |
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| Gymnothorax fimbriatus (Bennett 1832), the Fimbriated
Moray. Indo-Pacific; Madagascar to the Society Islands. To thirty two
inches in length. |
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| Gymnothorax tile (Hamilton 1822). Indo-West Pacific;
Andaman Sea to Indonesia, Philippines. To two feet total length. |
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| Strophidon sathete, Hamilton 1822 is almost certainly
the same species), the Giant Slender Moray Eel. Indo-Pacific; Red Sea,
eastern coast of Africa to Fiji. To twelve feet in length. |
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| Thyrsoidea macrura (Bleeker 1854), the Giant Slender
Moray Eel. Indo-Pacific; Red Sea, eastern coast of Africa to Fiji. To more
than thirteen feet in length (world's largest moray). Found around river
mouths, occasionally entering into freshwater. A food fish that is rarely
offered in the pet-fish trade. A voracious feeder on fish, shrimp,
cephalopods. |
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| Uropterygius concolor (Ruppell 1838), the Unicolor
Snake Moray. Indo-Pacific; Red Sea, East Africa to the Society Islands. To
twenty inches in length. Brackish to marine, often found in Mangrove
swamps. |
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| Uropterygius micropterus (Bleeker 1852), Tidepool
Snake Moray. Indo-Pacific; East Africa to Samoa. To a foot long. Brackish
to marine. |
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Other True Eel Families with Members that Live in Brackish to Freshwater
Settings
| More Anguilliform families with freshwater to brackish
members: Moringuidae (Spaghetti Eels), Ophichthidae (Snake and Worm Eels, Myrichthys
breviceps at right). |
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Other Freshwater to Marine True Eels (Order Anguilliformes, that turn up
occasionally in the hobby).
| Anguillids, family Anquillidae. One genus, fifteen species
of mostly catadromous (living in freshwater as young to adults, moving to
the sea to reproduce, perishing there) fishes. Shown: Anguilla anguilla
(Linnaeus 1758), the European Eel, at the London Aquarium. Anquilla
rostrata, occasionally offered for sale in the United States, is
very similar. |
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And of Course, the MANY Marine and Freshwater "Eels" That Are
Not Really Eels:
| Family Anarhichadidae, Wolf
fishes, Wolf Blennies, Wolf Eels; North Atlantic, North Pacific. Two
genera with four species. These neat, hand-trainable fishes are mainly
seen in public aquaria as they can be enormous (up to 2.5 meters) in size.
Gentle giants that are favorites of Public Aquariums everywhere. An Anarrhichthys
ocellatus at the Birch Aquarium, San Diego. |
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| Eelblennies, the subfamily Congrogadinae, family Pseudochromidae.
Yes, the same family as the Dottybacks...
The
most commonly offered Eelblenny (aka Green Wolf Eel) in the hobby, Congrogadus
subduscens (Richardson
1843) is shown at right. |
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| Spiny Eels (true eels lack spines in their fins), the
Mastacembelids. Found in Africa, through Syria, the Malay Archipelago and
China. Four genera, sixty seven species. A Fire Eel, Mastacembelus
erythrotaenia at right for example. |
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| Swamp Eels, the family Symbranchidae. Tropical and
subtropical freshwater, some into brackish environs. Western Africa, Asia,
Indo-Australian Archipelago, Mexico and South America. Four genera,
fifteen species. One Swamp Eel (Monopterus alba) is often
referred to as a/the Freshwater Moray Eel in the aquarium trade. |
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Are there more? You betcha. Eelcods, Eelpouts... but these others are rarely
seen in the hobby.
Close:
As you can appreciate, many fishes are capable of
short-term exposure to conditions that are deleterious in longer time frames.
All living things have their tolerance outside of "ideal ranges" of
pH, hardness, dissolved oxygen and such. Salinity is another of the possible
categories of such tolerance. Hobbyists and dealers in the trade would do well
to impress on each other the need for some salt in the water of "freshwater
morays", as well as sufficient alkalinity, elevated pH.
The "typical" aquarium care of Morays applies to
the partially, temporarily brackish to freshwater species. They're mainly
nocturnal, great at escaping captivity, need large quarters, with places to
hide, not too-bright lighting, and are capable of eating slow, small fishes,
crustaceans...
Bibliography/Further Reading:
http://www.geocities.com/rubentolon/index.html
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/FamilySummary.cfm?ID=56
http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/weekly/aa090501.htm
Anon. 1981. Where watery worlds mingle... Aquariums Australia 2:1, 1981.
Anon. 1975. Tanks with brackish or mixed water. Aquarium Digest International
3:4, 75.
Burgstaller, B.J. 1978. The brackish system. FAMA 8/78.
Castro, Alfred D. 1996. Fishes for the brackish aquarium. Pt.s I, II. 5,6/96.
Castro, Alfred D. 2001. A freshwater moray eel? Saltwater Q & A. AFM
8/2001.
Dawes, John. 1989. Bolstering sales of brackish water fish. Pets Supplies
Marketing Magazine. 7/89.
Fenner, Robert. 1995. Moray Eels, family Muraenidae. TFH 5/95.
Fenner, Bob 1998. Eels, eels, eels. TFH 7/98
Gibbs, Max. 1995. The brackish aquarium. For the adventurous fishkeeper
looking for something different from the conventional tropical freshwater or
marine aquarium, the brackish tank offers a challenge. FAMA 4/95.
Gos, Michael. 1980. The brackish system, pt.s 1,2. FAMA 11,12/80
Gos, Michael W. 1977. The brackish aquarium. TFH 10/77.
Monks, Neale. 2001. Giving into temptation. A personal top ten of
brackish-water fish. TFH 9/01.
Scharpf, Christopher. 2001. The American Eel, Anguilla rostrata, In nature
and the aquarium. TFH 3/01.
Taylor, Edward C. 1996. Creating a brackish-water biotope. Pet Business
Magazine. 11/96.
Taylor, Edward C. 1982. Keeping a brackish aquarium, pt.s 1,2. TFH 5,6/82.
Volkart, Bill. 1989. The brackish aquarium: Pt. 1, setting up, Pt. 2, plants,
Pt. 3 the fishes. TFH 6,7,8/89
Wolf, Jim. 1998. Fish on the brink (brackish). Odyssea. J. of the Mar. Aq.
Soc. of L.A. 4/98.
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