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FAQs about Morays Eel Identification
3
Related FAQs: Moray IDs 1,
Moray IDs 2,
Moray IDs 4, Moray IDs 5, & Moray Eels 1, Moray
Eels 2, Moral Eels 3, Moray Selection, Moray Behavior, Moray Compatibility, Moray Systems, Moray Feeding, Moray Disease, Moray Reproduction, Zebra Moray Eels, Snowflake Morays, Freshwater Moray Eels,
Other Marine Eels,
Related Articles: Moray
Eels, Zebra Morays, Snowflake Morays, Ribbon Morays, The "Freshwater" Moray
Eels, Freshwater Moray
Eels by Marco Lichtenberger,
Other Marine
Eels,
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Eel Id: Snowflake/Echidna nebulosa - 10/11/07
Hi, <Hi Steve> I want to buy this tank and the owners said
that they have a snowflake eel. But the pics on the web are not
what they have. Can you tell by this pic what it is, or tell me who
to ask? <Well, it's not the clearest of photos, but it does
look like a Snowflake eel to me. One thing to keep in mind
regarding these guys is that the splotching/banding, etc, on the
body does vary. Please see the photos at this link for comparison:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/snowflakemoray.htm. Also, for future
queries, please make sure they are not written in ALL CAPS. I went
ahead and took care of it this time, but usually these are returned
for correction. Thank you for understanding.> Thanks,
Steve
<You're most welcome. -Lynn> |
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Ultimate Live Rock Stowaway.. Eel Be Comin' Out the LR
When he Comes, When He Comes 9/1/07 Hi Crew, <Hi
Barbara, Mich with you today.> I have e-mailed you a few times
regarding a 72-gallon saltwater tank I am setting up. I put water
in it, and on Monday I put 100 lbs of live sand and 75 lbs of
live rock in it. Today (Thursday) my husband and I found some
sort of eel living in one of the rock's caves! I was
expecting maybe a snail or 2, some cool algae, maybe a coral if I
was lucky!! <One heck of a hitchhiker!> I searched all of
your marine eel pictures and I can't figure out exactly what
he is, the only one that looked close was the Zebra Moray. He is
brown with wide white bands (hopefully you can see the enclosed
picture!). I just want to be sure of what he is so I know if I
have to try to get him out and return him to LFS or if he can be
comfortable in my 72. <This may be a Banded Snake Eel
(Myrichthys colubrinus) He is a challenge to keep and you may
want to consider finding him a new home. More here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ophichthidae.htm
http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=8053&genusname=Myrichthys&speciesname=colubrinus
http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Photos/ThumbnailsSummary.php?ID=8053
If this is a correct ID, the material I am referencing suggests a
tank size of no smaller that 180 gallons, and generally this eel
is not well suited for the home aquarium. Reportedly this eel is
a challenge to feed and a very finicky eater. You might offer
glass shrimp if available or try fresh shrimp, scallops or marine
fish flesh impaled on a feeding stick. This eel should be fed
until it appears to be full, twice weekly. Careful consideration
should be given to tanks mates as well as many fish will nip at
the eel.> He was out of the water for close to 2 hours with
the drive home and me getting the sand in, then the rock, I have
no idea how he did it! <Is tenacious.> I will offer
defrosted meaty foods, hopefully he will eat. He is curious about
us when we come to the tank! <A good sign.> Thanks so much
for your help! <Welcome! Mich> Barbara
Re: Ultimate Live rock Stowaway... Marco chimes
in re Eel ID! - 09/01/07 Hi Crew, I have e-mailed you a few
times regarding a 72 gallon saltwater tank I am setting up. I put
water in it, and on Monday I put 100 lbs of live sand and 75 lbs
of live rock in it. Today (Thursday) my husband and I found some
sort of eel living in one of the rock's caves! I was
expecting maybe a snail or 2, some cool algae, maybe a coral if I
was lucky!! I searched all of your marine eel pictures and I
can't figure out exactly what he is, the only one that looked
close was the Zebra Moray. He is brown with wide white bands
(hopefully you can see the enclosed picture!). I just want to be
sure of what he is so I know if I have to try to get him out and
return him to LFS or if he can be comfortable in my 72. He was
out of the water for close to 2 hours with the drive home and me
getting the sand in, then the rock, I have no idea how he did it!
I will offer defrosted meaty foods, hopefully he will eat. He is
curious about us when we come to the tank! Thanks so much for
your help! Barbara <Just a second (or third) opinion: Looks
like a Echidna polyzona to me (bands and yellowish nostrils in
combination with the blunt head), but there are several other
banded eels and morays eels (e.g. Gymnothorax enigmaticus and
many more). If E. polyzona is the species, care and character are
similar to E. nebulosa (snowflake), it just stays a little
smaller. In my opinion you could keep it in that tank (bigger
tank would be better of course...), but it would eat smaller
fishes and crustaceans while growing. They can survive quite long
outside of the water and some of its relatives are known to leave
the water in nature to hunt for crabs between rocks outside of
tidal pools. Send a better picture and we'll get you a better
ID. What a give-away, I usually have to pay for eels... am just
coming back from such a shopping trip. Cheers, Marco.>
Re: Ultimate Live Rock Stowaway.. Eel Be
Comin' Out the LR When he Comes, When He Comes... Mitch?
Miller? And a one and a two... - 09/01/07 Hi Mitch, <Hi
Barbara, Mich with you again.> Thanks so much for your help.
<Welcome!> Can the Banded Snake Eel be brown w/ white
stripes? <That was my understanding, but rechecking fishbase
they are describing as black and white though I though it looked
brown in some of the images and looked brown in another book I
referenced which had an up-close image. I could very well be
wrong. I am far from an eel expert. You've gotten three
different opinions. I suspect Marco's vote may be the most
likely winner. Do use the scientific names to do a Google image
search. You will likely be able to tell which of these three are
closest to what your little stowaway looks like. That's what
color this one is (I know it was hard to tell in the picture!).
<Yes, and not just in your picture either!> I offered
defrosted squid last night and he voraciously accepted it!
<That is wonderful! I'm very glad to hear.> That seems
to be a good sign. <Indeed it tis!> He is more than welcome
in the tank but if 180 gallons is suggested it is cruel to keep
him in my 72. He has only come out of the rock 1/2 way, any
suggestions on removing him from the tank? <I think it is more
important to determine who this stowaway is before you consider
removal, as Marco's vote would be suitable for your tank.>
I will continue to offer meaty foods every other day or so. <I
wish you much success! Mich> Barbara Re: Ultimate Live rock
Stowaway 9/3/07 Hi Marco, <Hello Barbara.> I
appreciate all the expert opinions I can get! <No problem, but
I'm more a fan than an expert. Reading your e-mail reminded
me to a case we had in a near life fish store, so I had to add
Echidna polyzona as a possible banded candidate.> I apologize
for the blurry picture, he is voraciously accepting defrosted
squid and clam so far. <That's good news. Be careful not
to overfeed, if it's a moray. Many appear to be hungry most
of the time.> My husband and I will try to get a better
quality picture while I am feeding him and send it along as soon
as I can. <Looking forward to it. See if you can get a good
shot of the head, since most banded morays can be differentiated
by characters of the head. A snake eel will also be easily
identified that way.> I'm getting attached to him now, so
I'd love to keep him, but only as long as he can be
comfortable and happy with us! <As soon as we know what it is,
I'm confident we'll know how to care for it.> Barbara
<Good luck with the camera. Marco.>
Re: Ultimate Live rock Stowaway 9/5/07 Hi Mich, Marco,
Bob, crew! <Barbara> After surfing the web and your site, I
do believe my hitchhiker is an Echidna polyzona, but I am still
trying for an additional photo of him for confirmation or other
ideas! I have been feeding him every other to every 3 days and he
has happily accepted everything I have offered (including an
attempted sampling of the turkey baster I have been using to feed
him!). I can't find a lot of information regarding his
species, but I remember Marco said it was similar in temperament
to the snowflake moray, so I have been researching them as well!
<Is very similar in care> Obviously he was not in my
original stocking plans for my 72 gallon! I was planning on a
Yellow Tang, a Coral Beauty (about 3-4" currently), a
strawberry Dottyback, an algae blenny and an orange tailed
damsel. If I have room I'd love either a Falco hawkfish or a
Twinspot hogfish. I was thinking I may still be able to add the
Falco but I'm doubting I'll have space for the Hogfish. I
won't have any inverts in this tank (I was already planning
on a FOWLR system for this tank, inverts will be in my 30
gallon!). Does this still sound ok? <So far... yes> Thank
you for all of your help!
Barbara
<Welcome. BobF>
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 Looks like Echidna nebulosa to RMF
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Re: Ultimate Live rock Stowaway, follow up -
09/26/07 Hello Crew, <Hi Barbara> After much delay (I
can't believe it's been nearly a month already) <Me
neither> I have been able to take a nicer shot of my hitchhiker.
The LFS where I got him told me he was a Zebra moray, but looking
at pictures of Zebra versus Barred he looks like a juvenile barred
to my inexperienced eye, hopefully you will be able to confirm
either way from this shot. <He (more likely a she) is definitely
no Zebra moray, his dorsal fin is well visible (vs. hard to spot at
Zebra morays), and the coloration of the snout is so unlike zebra
morays. In addition, Zebra morays have tiny, white nostrils and no
larger, yellowish ones, and so on… It is either a Gymnothorax
enigmaticus (forget searching for pictures on the net, there are
only a few true ones), or - what is much more likely - a Barred
moray Echidna polyzona, as you suggested. Its blunt snout speaks
for the latter one.> He has really made me a fan of eels!
<Welcome to the club!> He is doing very well, getting along
nicely with his tank mates and accepting all foods I have offered;
krill, squid, mussel, clam, shrimp, scallops, oyster. <Sounds
good.> Currently I am feeding every other day to every three
days depending. <Great.> He seems to feel like he should be
fed several times a day though! <Typically moray.> Thank you
for your help! Barbara.
<Anytime. Cheers, Marco.> |
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 Looks more and more like Marco's ID was right.
RMF.
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Identify eel? - 07/01/07 Hello, I was
snorkeling in Hanauma Bay on Oahu (shallow region atop reef) and
saw the attached eel (I think). While the pictures aren't
great (sorry), it was a few feet (~3') long and had what
seemed like a yellow head. I found information on yellow-headed
moray eels, but they didn't seem to have the spotted/speckled
pattern evident on their body from the pictures. Thanks for any
information. Sincerely, Becky <I see these features... this is
almost assuredly a Gymnothorax undulatus... a big puhi! See
fishbase.org, WWM, the Net...Bob Fenner>
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| Moray eel ID - 03/30/07 One more question.
Took the picture last week while scuba diving off of Roatan,
Honduras. This eel was about 2ft in length. I also saw
three of these eels together, two of which were about 2ft and one
was about a foot. They kinda remind me of Snowflake Eels in size,
but as you can see are more beige than white. Any idea
what the species is? <I'll give it a try and suggest G.
saxicola, a species reaching two ft, sometimes seen in trade. It is
rare in the reefs and rather occurs on sandy bottoms; it
predominately inhabits the Northern gulf, though. G. conspersus has
the same black/white dorsal, but also a dark tail (not visible on
the picture, you may remember their tail colour). G. ocellatus is
similar, but has well demarcated white spots everywhere. G. moringa
lacks the black/white dorsal. You may also try fishbase, they
should have an ID key for the moray eels of the Western Atlantic.
Maybe someone else in the crew has something to add. Great picture.
Cheers, Marco.> |
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 A beauty!
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Eel ID, probably no moray
eel 2/28/07 Are there any moray species that stand on
their tails and have their throats inflated? I have heard of tulip eels
doing this which are supposed to be very aggressive. I do not have any
good pictures of my fish to help determine if he is a moray or not, but
the LFS sold him as a moray. <Moray eels rather hide instead of
standing on their tails. They inflate their throats while breathing. To
get an idea of the ID a good picture is necessary. Without a picture
you should try looking at http://www.wetwebmedia.com/congridae.htm
and http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ophichthidae.htm and
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/morays.htm for marine
eels. Have a look at http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/anguillids.htm
and http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/matacembelids.htm
for freshwater eels. Check the related FAQs, too. Also check FishBase
by entering the family names you found on WetWebMedia and selecting
'all fishes' to get a link to photos. For the swamp eel check
Monopterus alba. It has a very typical head much unlike a real
moray.> I do not know growth rates of the swamp eel but my fish has
not grown but little in length but he has gained some girth and he has
eaten quite a bit for a year now. He also no longer has a pointed tail
it is rounding out with possible fins can not see close enough. Am I in
a bad situation if mine is a swamp eel with my Gymnothorax tile? <I
would not recommend keeping any of them with other fishes maybe except
their own species. May work for years, but even the scat is potential
prey. Read the freshwater moray articles on WWM.> So far they are
both sharing the tree root ornament to hide in peacefully. I have my
toad fish and red scat and the G. tile has no problems with them either
and even lies on top the toad fish when out. I have seen people with
swamp eels on monsterfishkeepers.com, but they are in fresh water. I
have a brackish setup. The main question I have if this is a swamp eel
should I be looking into finding him a new home at some point? <Yes.
Swamp eels need fresh water to lower end brackish water, the moray eel
needs high end brackish or full strength marine water, both are
incompatible.> Thanks for your advice on this. <You are welcome.
Cheers, Marco.>
Re: moray feeding and behaviour
2/12/07 On www.monsterfishkeepers.com there is a person
whose avatar looked like my eel. He said it was a tulip eel scientific
name Monopterus albus. Do my picture suggest this maybe true and my eel
is not a moray of some type? <Mmm... possibly... your images were
not clear or well-resolved enough to identify> What does xanthistic
refer to? I was just curious as I did not see this under the various
species list. <A type of/genetic condition that is characterized by
a lack of skin pigmentation... but not albinism... which includes the
eyes...> I would like to know if an oyster toad fish is venomous or
not and how big they can get in captivity? <Is and you can find this
information on fishbase.org> This is a rather cool fish and the only
one I know of having the distinction of being the only fish to travel
in outer space. <Mmm, not so... a few species have been used for
various types of "zero gravity" research over the years>
Thank you very much, Richard <Bob Fenner>
G. favagineus???? - 02/07/2007 Bought a leopard
eel, but doesn't really look like pictures on web he is about
18" long slender round light brown body with brownish/purplish
spots all over, and spots get bigger as they move towards his
tail his front jaw hangs over bottom (overbite) the only
flat part of his body is around his tail, always lays with head out of
sand, need help to find info on him, <Search WWM re: Gymnothorax
favagineus, see if this is your animal (I hope not...).> thanks a
lot. <Anytime, AdamJ.>
Leopard Eel II ...We can only work with what you give
us - 02/09/2007 Not nearly as many spots, the spots are a lot
bigger and more spread out. <Okay, it's possible that your
animal is in juvenile coloration, 18" is a juvenile. ....have you
seen an adult G. favagineus? At any rate unless you get me a photo
I'm not going to be able to help you any further. Sorry. Adam
J.>
Moray Eel ID 7/31/06 I was in a Live Fish
Store and saw an eel called a panther eel and they said otherwise it
was an unidentified species. It was in brackish water at a setting of
1.008 and it sure looked like a moray. There was a picture on this site
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/eels/eels.php
that has the exact colors that this specimen had. The price of this eel
was $100 and it was about 8" long but from the information I have
obtained I am assuming that it will eventually need to be in a full
marine setting. Am I correct? <Yes.> The picture I saw on your
site of the Muraena lentignosa otherwise jewel moray has the same type
markings. Are there color variations within this species? What I saw
had white spots encircled by black rings on a dark brown body. Are
there other species other than a jewel moray that have these type
markings? <The color variations on this species can range from
black, gold, brown, and white. The appearance of the
markings will change slightly with age also. This eel is one
of the smaller species of morays, attaining a length of 24".>
Thank you very much. <You're welcome. James (Salty
Dog)>
Ghost Ribbon Moray? Pseudechidna, Rhinomuraena?
7/4/06 Hi, <Hello there>
I
am looking for a little information/advice I bought what I am about 90%
sure is a ghost ribbon moray thanks to your wonderful site. The local
fish store has had him for about a month and I thought he was really
cute. He is quite reclusive and really doesn't venture out a whole
lot, hopefully that will change. <Can... with a good deal of time
going by, calm surroundings> He is about 1' 6" to 2'
and seems really healthy. I told the guy at the fish store I was
interested and he was telling me that they are very hard to keep and
almost never eat in captivity. <This is so> He almost talked me
out of buying him, I told the guy at the fish store that if he would
eat in front of me I would buy him. The eel ate two ghost shrimp. Now
what I need is any and all the information you are willing to give on
this beautiful creature. <What little I know is posted on WWM...
do have an article coming out in TFH on Rhinomuraena... that
pretty much rehashes the same. See fishbase: http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=10216&genusname=Pseudechidna&speciesname=brummeri
Is this your species?> As of right now he is in only a twelve gallon
nano <Much too small... take care that this fish doesn't
"exit straight up"> for one more week when he will go into
me 100 gallon show tank. Please any and all advice and information is
welcome, I can find next to no information on these guys. Also is it
possible to keep more than one in a 100 gallon long tank? Thanks again
for the help. <Mmm, no... not a social species. One to a system
unless it is huge. Bob Fenner>
| Moray Species? Yes... 7/2/06 Hi
Crew! <Arthur> I bought a moray
3 weeks ago and I am guessing that I purchased a Stout Moray I
would just like to have a second opinion on the specie
<Species... the other is "money"> my eel belongs
to. If ever it's a Stout Moray, do you have any tips on
feeding/keeping my eel or all of those I find in your feeding FAQs
can be useful? Lastly, can you give me any articles I can read
about Stout Morays, their characteristics/behaviours?
Thanks,
Arthur - Hope this time the pictures will
be of help! :D <Mmm, of the three species commonly labeled as
such by Fishbase.org, I'm guessing you mean Gymnothorax
eurostus? http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=6662
Can't quite make out identifiable characteristics from your
"above" pix other than to state that this does look like
a Moray of some sort... Likely piscivorous... Have you read through
our materials on this family: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/morays.htm and the linked files
above. Bob Fenner> |
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Re: Moray Specie? 7/3/06 Thanks
Bob! I'll just visit the sites
you suggested and hopefully get something out of it.
Arthur <Real good. Please do
send along "side" pix of your Moray, progress reports
re your experiences. Bob Fenner>
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| Re: Moray ID, beh. 7/13/06
Hi Bob! <Art> As requested, I
tried my best on getting the best SIDE shot you asked for. Though
the lighting might not help since the bulb I have in my tank is
color blue. To help you distinguish it further the moray I have has
a brown skin from snout to tail and fades to white around its belly
with yellowish spots. In image IMG_0591 you may notice an elongated
nostril (which may suggest the moray I have is in the Gymnothorax
eurostus species). If you really cant distinguish it I might rule
out that it is a stout moray;) <Is there a
gold/ish rim about the eye? The head here reminds me of Gymnothorax
miliaris: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/morays.htm>
Anyway, I would also like to ask if its normal to
morays to be shy? <Oh, yes... most species are extremely so,
particularly "when new"> Since mine is hiding under
and behind its rocks all day long. The only time I see it out is
during night time and in under poor light condition since I
don't want to startle it. Lastly, what is the indication when a
moray does not gape/open its mouth from time to time? <That
there is sufficient oxygen... little stress...> Because one
thing I know about Moray is that they open their mouth to breath. I
catch mine usually like its in suspended animation. The only
consolation I get from my moray is that it is able to hunt from
time to time. Thanks
again. Arthur <Appears healthy
from your photo, description. See fishbase.org re this species as
well. Bob Fenner> |
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