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Picta eel Hi, you have a great site on moray eels. I wonder if you could help me. I have had a "peppered" (Picta) eel for about eight years. It has recently stopped eating, although looks normal, maybe a bit harder breathing. It's been hot lately and the temperature in the tank is above 80F. Could it be the age problem? <Yes, definitely a possibility> How long do they live? <Some Gymnothorax species have been kept in captivity (public aquariums keep records) for more than forty years> Or any other hints? Thanks! <I would try leaving the lights off during the day (to help cool the water), possibly rig a fan up to blow air across the waters surface (careful so that the Eel doesn't leave the tank!), maybe even float a plastic bag (or jug if the tank is big) of ice during real warm days... And try switching foods, adding liquid vitamin prep. to the food... acts as appetite stimulant. Know that good sized Morays can go w/o eating for many weeks. Bob Fenner> Julia "Yellow fin Eel" identification Good Morning, Afternoon, or Evening, I just got a small eel through mail order, and the place, which deals with some of the rarer eels fairly regularly, had no clue what it is. I have been planning on getting an eel for a while, and this one sounded very interesting so I got it, since a friend of mine offered to buy it for what I paid if it got to big or I didn't want it anymore. It's got a brownish pick body, with 2 raised up nostrils and a white/yellowish eye that is about even with the back of it's mouth, which is fairly small. The top jaw hangs over the bottom just slightly in a bulbous kind of way, making it very "cute." With it's mouth open (and closed too) it looks exactly like pictures I've seen of a Yellow Dwarf Moray, other than it's unusual color. Besides the pick-brown body color, the dorsal fin is fluorescent yellow (and I mean fluorescent), as is the fin on it's rear underside (seems to be a continuation of the same fin). The yellow does not fade in, there is a definite starting point at the base of his fin. It's about 8 inches long, and is already eating prawn after having it for 2 days. I have "Marine Fishes" and "Reef Fishes Volume 1" by Scott Michael, and the closest thing we could find to it was a white eyed eel, or a long tail moray (hope it's not one), though it also looked nearly identical in body structure to the yellow dwarf moray, minus the lack of eye stripe and the color. Based on their experience, the place I got it from told me they thought it might be a dwarf. I am assuming it to be a crustacean eater from the mouth structure, with no discernable teeth, so possibly getting 2 feet or so max? <Good description, and comparison with Scott's reference... don't know the species, ultimate likely maximum size... would "guess" at the size, nutritional needs as you have done> Is there anything you can think that it might be, or are those the only possibilities? How does one tell the difference between a White eye moray and a long tail moray as a youngster? Are there other color morphs of the white eye moray? I know there are nearly white ones. Is it even possible that he's a new species? <Yes to the above> I will try to get a picture of it if I can find a friend with a digital camera that I can borrow. He's a beautiful little eel, and is in quarantine at a friend's tank until I can replace and decide if I'll re-set up my 38, which randomly cracked along it's whole length and drained onto my floor in about 5 minutes. <Yikes. No fun> Thank goodness he arrived later that afternoon and not earlier. I am planning on most likely not setting up a 38, and converting one of my discus tanks (a 75 gallon) to the 38's purpose, I want to know what he is so I know if I can get possibly a golden tail moray to go with him, not to mention the fact that I'm planning mostly dwarf lionfish and Scorpionfish, and I'd like to make sure they're not potentially going to be eaten (all of their full grown sizes range from ~4" to ~7"), or if he's a dwarf, the other way around. I'd like to have (assuming I use the 75) the eel, either a Chestnut Moray or a Goldentail Moray, 2-3 Leaf fish, a Fu Manchu lionfish, a Blackfoot Lionfish (if I can find one) and either a Sea Goblin, a Dwarf Fuzzy Lionfish, or a Dwarf Zebra Lionfish. <All similarly tolerant of crowding, self-generated pollution> There will be roughly 50 lbs of live rock, though I'll probably try to get more for the 75, and I'll do Caulerpa and various mushrooms throughout the tank, possibly with a colt coral or an anchor coral. I'll be using a Fluval 404 and an Amiracle SL-5 hang on the back "sump." The tank will now essentially revolve around this eel (assuming it's one of a manageable full grown size). Please let me know what you think it may be, or tell me if I need to send in a picture to be of any help. Sorry to be so lengthy. Thank you very much, Valerie Hess <Do send along images as you make them. Bob Fenner> Big sand sifters Hello (again), <cheers> I wrote you yesterday and I appreciate the quick response. I currently have sand as a substrate in my tank and was wondering if there were any sand sifting and algae eating creatures that would survive in a tank (125 gal) with the two eels, the Lyretail wrasse, and the pink tail trigger? <hmmm... not much I suspect. But a large goatfish may very well work fine.> Also what is the best way to get my eel to start eating frozen or prepared foods? <begin with thawed squid tentacles (whole calamari at the Italian groceria or a big grocery store). No eel can resist them wagged in their face <smile>> The previous owner only fed them live Rosy Reds. <what an absolutely horrible food for an eel!> Should I just not feed him for a while and wait until he is hungry enough? <that would be fine if necessary... they can go many weeks without food if necessary. I suspect the frozen squid tentacles will work though <G>> Do let me know if it doesn't> Thanks (again!) Jeff from NC <kindly, Anthony Calfo>
Still Italian moray Hi Bob, Sorry but I think my e-mail has had some problems, so I think I sent you an old message again by mistake. This is the right one though: I must say you really scared me by mentioning G. helena...if you consider that I didn't take an E. nebulosa because it would have been bigger than the moray I had chosen. <No desire for frightening or upsetting you...> Eventually, the LFS told me he doesn't sell Mediterranean fishes. Actually, my moray should come from Singapore, so it can't be G. miliaris; he might be a G. thyrsoideus after all, what do you think? <Possibly... though Singapore is a huge transit-zone for world goods... your fish may well have been shipped to there from elsewhere. Also, assuredly, the Morays on this planet have not all been cataloged/identified> Sorry to bother you unendingly with this taxonomy stuff, but there is a reason why I liked so much Microbiology lessons some years ago. Thanks for the bibliographic references. Unfortunately, Ronald Thresher's work on reproduction is out of print, but I found a copy of his "Behavior and Ecology on the Reef and in the Aquarium", that I'm ordering together with Scott Michael's "Reef Fishes" and another book for conscientious marine aquarist, which I suppose it's yours. Can't wait to read it. Ciao! Lore <Ahh, know you will enjoy, gain by these readings> PS. what do you mean, you have a Lorenzo there? <Oh, a friend, associate Lorenzo Gonzalez is part of the WWM team. Bob Fenner> Italian moray Hi Bob, Lore again. How are you? Thanks a lot for your immediate answer - it took me much longer to get some decent pictures! <And sorry for the delay in this response. Have been away> I hope the ones I'm sending will be helpful to determine my moray's species. By the way - yes, another question! - could you please tell me if there are books or publications about moray eels' biology and behavior? <None specific or involved. About the best coverage of the group all the way around is in Scott Michael's outstanding Reef Fishes (vol. 1). This tome can be purchased through fine fish stores, Amazon.com...> I'm quite interested in ethology, but I couldn't find anything specific. And morays are such fascinating creatures to observe, even if in captivity... I know you're right when you say they should better be left in the seas from which they came, but I guess I was just too egotistic for that, so the least thing I can do is to treat my moray the most moray-ish way I can (apart from getting a bigger tank as soon as possible). Again, thank you very much!! Lore <You are welcome my friend. Bob Fenner> Eel Out of Water Best Site ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How long can a snowflake moray eel live out of water? <no rule of thumb...but for VERY long periods of time in some cases. By any measure...several hours easily. Some much longer. I pray that you'll never be able to confirm that <wink>. Anthony> Thanks, James Normal Respiration for a Moray Can you give me what the normal respiration for an moray eel is? About 18" adult. I have an moray, looks to be breathing about 60 (mouth open) a second. <I think you mean one breath per second or 60 per minute. Sounds about right.> However, its always bulging behind his open mouth. Almost like its swallowing with every breath. is this normal or abnormal? <Sounds normal.> Other than that, it looks to be normal. Thanks, Ed <You are welcome. -Steven Pro> Eel Proofing My Tank Cover Hi Bob! Nice site.... I was looking for help and found you guys. I am expecting my first snowflake moray eel in a few days, very excited. Yet I am concerned about their "escape" behavior. I have a standard non-glass hood, and can place weight on the door. My concern is the openings on the back where the filter comes over the side of the tank. How can I make this a less inviting opening? Can I put something along the sides to make them too tall to be climbed? How tall should they be? This little eel is supposed to be around 10". <standard aquarium hoods have a plastic piece in back that you can trim to fit perfectly around filter components. If this is missing on yours, you can easily buy a replacement and cut to fit. Keeping the tank water level a little bit low can be helpful too toward dissuading a jumper> One other question, how long do marine Bettas live? I've had mine for eight years or so, and he has recently taken to not eating, and not moving around much.... I am worried about him. <I've seen one over ten years captive and suspect they live a good bit longer. We do not know how old your Betta was on capture though. Have you tried/used live food like grass/ghost shrimp to entice it?> Thanks! Wendy <best regards, Anthony Calfo> Eel Proofing my Tank II Thanks Anthony! <Steven Pro working a little on Easter in between feasts at my parents and my in-laws.> My eel is happily excavating under a piece of coral, eating shrimp and small pieces of squid. I didn't have the plastic piece for my hood, and was concerned about how long it would take to order it. I found another temporary solution. I am using a heavy black mesh that a friend of mine uses in his filters, it is about 1/2 inch thick, and pliable... so I laid it over the back of the tank, under the filter, and attached it over the sides with some sturdy clips, and put a heavy piece of coral on top of it for good measure. The water passes right through the mesh, but the eel cannot. <A nice solution.> In regards to my marine Betta not eating. I would like to try the live glass/grass shrimp... where can I get some? <I would try your LFS first. There is a picture of what you are looking for there, Ghost Shrimp, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/shrimpfw.htm> I looked around on your site, but didn't find a place... too many other neat things to look at. Thanks again, Wendy <You are welcome. -Steven Pro> Eels and Shrimp? Hey guys, I've read several FAQs and I've been through the WetWeb moray section several times. I've read something more then once that I was shocked and I just wanted to clarify without you all. Now from what I've read, it sounds like smaller eels like snowflakes will eat any and all inverts (shrimp is what I'm really concerned about.) But, I've also read that most of the Gymnothorax (spelling) seem to leave cleaner shrimp alone while they will eat cleaner wrasses/ neon gobies. I wouldn't get a cleaner wrasse anyway as per your site. My question is, I am thinking of pursuing a Gymnothorax permistus (spelling again!). The one that looks similar to a tessellated but with bigger spots and much smaller in size. I have a cleaner and a coral banded in my FO tank. Would this eel make quick work of my shrimp or would he leave them be? Would a smaller eel of this species be more likely to eat them then a larger one? Thanks ........keep up the great work. Joe <what works/is safe in the wild and what happens in captivity are sometimes two very different things (like yellow tangs schooling in the wild and generally beating the tar out of each other in small groups in aquaria). IMO, the cleaner shrimp will probably be safe... but all bets are off. You really have to be cautious and willing to take the chance. Kindly, Anthony> Re: Moray eel Hi Bob, Lore again. How are you? <Fine my friend> Thanks a lot for your immediate answer - it took me much longer to get some decent pictures! I hope the ones I'm sending will be helpful to determine my moray's species. By the way - yes, another question! - could you please tell me if there are books or publications about moray eels' biology and behavior? <None specific as far as I know. Oh! Scott Michael's v.1 "Reef Fishes" is about the most complete, useful accounting of this group. Available through e-tailers, bookstores, Amazon etc.> I'm quite interested in ethology, but I couldn't find anything specific. And morays are such fascinating creatures to observe, even if in captivity... <Do seek out Ronald Thresher's work on Reproduction of Reef Fishes... some very interesting material on Muraenids> I know you're right when you say they should better be left in the seas from which they came, but I guess I was just too egoistic for that, so the least thing I can do is to treat my moray the most moray-ish way I can (apart from getting a bigger tank as soon as possible). <You are perceptive to realize so much about yourself... and compassionate to care to provide good care for your aquatic charges> Again, thank you very much!! Lore <Be chatting my friend. BTW you do know we have a Lorenzo here? Bob Fenner> Moray eel Hi Bob, Let me say first of all that your site is really good and full of useful information; it isn't easy to find competent advice about the keeping of morays, not in Italy at least. My newly-acquired moray is quite small (25 cm) and for now is housed (alone) in an admittedly small tank (25 gal), but I plan to buy a bigger one as soon as I change home...so my first question is: how big is he going to get? The LFS told me his adult size will be around 65 cm, and in fact I first thought he was a gray moray, but he lacks the typical black dots on the head. He's definitely a Gymnothorax, and it looks like he's got a third row of teeth in the roof of his mouth; the anal fin is long approx. half of the body. His body color is pale yellow with pinkish-gray head and mottles (looks a bit like Gymnothorax thyrsoideus, but with different colouring). I looked up every moray I could find in fishbase.org, to no avail. Maybe these are juvenile colors? <I suspect you are correct here... In all likelihood this fish will grow to a few feet in length> If so, what species do you think they belong to? <Could you send an image along?> Second question: he has settled quite well, and I feed him fish and calamari. Two little fishes three times a week I was told. I thought calamari would vary the moray's diet (they are small enough for him to eat them whole, for he doesn't like chopped fish), but do you think that it would be better to feed him every day, being so small? Thank you very much! Lore <Would be better at 25 cm./10 inches to feed more frequently, smaller amounts... perhaps daily to every other day. Ciao, Bella. Bob Fenner> It's A-Moray! Hey Bob, sorry to trouble you but I do have a question that I would like your knowledge to handle. <<Not Bob, but JasonC - Bob is away diving.>> Hopefully I have a Dragon Moray coming in soon for my new 125 <it's being kept at the store till I have the tank ready for it>. It's from Okinawa, not Hawaiian, is there any difference in care requirements? <<none that I can think of>> My main question is compatibility. What sort of fish would go in with this guy? Will it be possible to keep other large guys < dragon wrasse, Hawaiian black trigger, Volitans lion, large puffers, etc> or will he end up chomping them, and as such being better with large school of Chromis like fish? <<depends on the size of the eel, but the first list - these are tough customers, potentially your best match for an eel neighbor.>> thanks for any help, I'm still amazed you give out such personal service. <<you are quite welcome. Cheers, J -- >> Compatibility (rocks, marine systems) How is the world treating you Bob? I'm sorry to trouble you again but I need your advice. I have a 300g tank with coral sand 2 G. permistus, 2 Horseshoe crabs 2 Lion fish hermits and damsels as a live food source and 100 pounds of live rock. I use a w/d filter and L/R for filtration. My question is regarding aquascaping. I have been sown the local market and there is a large selection of rocks for sale there. I think the rocks are quartz or very similar. They contain no flecks of metal like granite and have natural holes running through them. I would like to know if it is safe to put these rocks in my tank with the L/R? <Perhaps so... but they may prove deleterious in another way. Your Morays are actually quite clumsy... and even Lionfishes have cut themselves on such sharp material...> If not Could you recommend a type of rock that is safe, besides rock from the sea. Thanks again for your time and troubles hope the rest of the day treats you well. Craig <Do place some of this material in a "test tank" with a few damsels to give it a bit of bioassay... if they show no signs of distress after a month or more, it can likely be trusted. Bob Fenner> Gray Moray Great site, most fantastic info on the web. I saw what I was told was a geometric moray at a not so local LFS. Truly magnificent animal. 2 ft long whitish gray. I wonder if this what you call the gray moray. <Yes, Gymnothorax griseus, (Lacepede 1803)... Geometric Moray is the South African vernacular.> If so what do you think of it? Its for sale for 300 dollars. Is this a reasonable price? <A fabulous species... pricey here> Can it be found cheaper? I can't seem to find it on any site. Id really like to get it but is it worth the 300 dollars? <Possibly... if someone were to pay such for it.> It would be going into a 110 with sump and Tunze protein skimmer. Is this reasonable for the long term. The only other inhabitant is a 10 inch assasi trigger. Thanks so much. Sincerely, Brian <Would keep an eye on the trigger... might well go after the moray. Approaching two of its near maximum size of three feet this animal will "need" more space. Bob Fenner> Compatibility Are a Pair of Gymnothorax permistus aka reticulated eel. Compatible with Foxfaces in a 200g fish only tank? <If the Morays are otherwise fed, maybe. Bob Fenner> Re: Your endorsement of Leopard Moray I'm a bit confused. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/morays.htm Are you endorsing it or not endorsing it for home aquarium? I have 15 years experience in marine aquarium keeping but have never kept a Leopard (is it also called Tessellated)? If it's personality is peaceful enough, it would make a spectacular addition to my 200 gallon living room display. Any comments are greatly appreciated. <Mmm, this is a spectacular looking species... and easier-going and more consistently so as Morays, Muraenid eels go... but still an avid fish-eater if/when hungry... Have seen it kept with many expensive fishes though... Bob Fenner, feeling a bit cagey this AM> Regards, Robert Ponder Freshwater Dip for an Eel How long should I freshwater dip a zebra moray before I put it in the tank? The eel page said you didn't really have to quarantine this eel, just freshwater dip it, I just wanted to know how long would be adequate. <I would dip him for 5 minutes in water that has been adjusted for temperature and pH and well aerated for oxygen content. Keep a close eye on him for adverse behavior and for jumping out. -Steven Pro> Thank you. Nine Fingered Eel Keeper Hi, First I want to compliment you
on the moray article, its great. I am an English guy living in Thailand
so getting info is not easy except off the net. My question is this: I
am a novice and have never had a salt tank before., but I want a
leopard moray. I have a 200g tank with a wet/dry filter and I want to
dedicate the whole tank to the leopard moray and maybe a couple of
tangs to keep on top of the algae. Do you think that a leopard moray
will be happy in a 200g tank. Well as happy as he can be anyway. I know
very little about what protein skimmer to use or anything at all really
it is all new to me. I have had a lot ok experience with wild eels
though both morays and congers. I used to feed a conger when I lived in
England a few years ago. And when I came here in Thailand I fed Morays
squid by hand. One individual was quiet tame and would like to be
stroked after being fed. This does give me the advantage of knowing a
moray and how to treat it, which is with respect. But it doesn't
help me take care of one in a tank to much. I want to
know what I can do to make it as happy as possible. I also want to hand
feed as much as possible even though it is advised against I would like
to know if you hand feed your morays, and is it possible with the
leopard moray? Do you think I should get from young to do this? Also do
you know how I can get a lot of info of the net on this species or is
this site the best going? I wont be surprised if it is!! I know
that is a lot of questions and I'm sure your a busy man but I would
really appreciate it if you can find the time to help me. I want to let
you know that I will be very dedicated to this and have a lot of
patience so if there is a slower but better route to the perfect moray
tank I will take that one. <There is much for you to read on the WWM
site. Much on setting up your tank, cycling, maintenance, and
then the specifics about eels. Depending on what you are calling
a leopard eel. Take a look here
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/eelsmar.htm and here
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/eelsmar.htm and see if you cannot identify
your animal by scientific name. Please do not hand feed your eel
or any wild eels. Guess what your fingers smell like after you
pick up that piece of squid. You guessed it, squid. Unless
you want people to call you nine fingered Craig, I would buy one of the
feeding probes/tongs sold for just this purpose. -Steven Pro>
Thanks a lot for your time CRAIG |
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