All eels were Like all morays, its bite has a weak release mechanism and therefore its jaw must be pried off (even in death during cases of human bites). The Zebra Moray Eel is an ideal moray for the community fish tank. Keep the water quality high and theater values stable. Join Date: Feb 2000. They should be fed Protein rich foods, as much as they can eat in a few minutes, and should be fed with a stick or claw to prevent humans from getting bit. Not recommended in a reef tank or with invertebrates. These eels eat fish, crustaceans, worms and other scavenged food. The zebra moray eel is carnivorous, and does most of its hunting at night. This eel is not as prone to escape as the other morays, but it’s important to have a tight-fitting lid completely covering the aquarium. Here you can see we were feeding shrimp to our zebra moray eel. To elicit a feeding response, try live foods such as small blue crabs, small shrimp and fiddler crabs. They can grow to about 4 foot long or more with a wide girth. The zebra eel looks really cool to have as a pet but as a beginner reefer I have some doubts. Keep this in mind when considering introducing a Zebra Moray Eel into your reef tank. The pH is between 7.8-8.0 , the nitrites are 0, the Nitrates are between 10-20 and the ammonia is 0. However, after you introduce your Zebra Eel to your tank, he may not eat for a few weeks from stress/new environment. Diet & Feeding: With short, pebble-like teeth and powerful, stocky jaws, the Zebra can crack through the hard shells of its favorite foods: crabs, mollusks, snails, clams and other bivalves, and sea urchins. Zebra Moray II 12/15/08 Thanks Marco for your very prompt help! Giant Moray Eel . They are exceptionally hardy and easy to care for. They can lift themselves even higher if supported by the aquarium glass. The Zebra moray eel prefers an aquarium with suitably sized caves in which it can rest in safety while watching the world outside the cave. Any dark, hidden retreat within its range is liable to house a Zebra Moray. Like all morays, the Zebra Moray must have plenty of rockwork and caves to hide in for it to feel safe and secure. Also known as Echidna Zebra, Zebra Banded Moray, Zebra Eel. This species has also been reported seen off the coast of Panama which indicates that they can be found in suitable environments all across the tropical Indo Pacific Ocean. On the pain scale, it was a 4/10. Watch Queue Queue It prefers to live on the bottom of the sea, in coral reefs or shallow lagoons. 2000. Small specimens will not harm corals, anemones or gorgonians. The Zebra Moray Eel perhaps one of the best choices for those wanting to add an eel to an aquarium 125 gallons or larger. Free shipping over $149! Location: Winston-Salem, NC. References The Zebra moray eel is a specialized predator feeding mainly on crustaceans in the wild. Moray eels (Muraenidae) are predatory fish that will most commonly live off fish or crustaceans. he wasnt eating when i first brought him but i found he liked whole shrimp after about 4 months as the petshop owner was telling me to feed him cockle and stuff like that which he didnt eat. Maximum Length: Grows to a length of approximately 36 inches. Gymnomuraena zebra has a nocturnal activity and actively hunt its prey. Zebra moray eels can be trained to eat out of your hand, but I do not recommend this as you ever so often will get bit due to their poor eye size. Feeding the Zebra eel all he wants to eat at one feeding every two to three days is efficient. It is beneficial if the Zebra moray eel can move from one side of the aquarium to the other without having to expose itself. Their mouths are … I ran out of decent sized sharks and started feeding the eel medium rosys, 3 or 4 at a time, what a time I had trying to keep the lionfish from eating itself to death while the eel fed. & Randall, J.E. Temperature : 72°F - 80°F (22°C - 27°C) Specific Gravity : 1.020 - 1.025. Zebra Moray Eel Gymnomuraena zebra. This eel won’t usually harm fish. Carbonate Hardness (dKH) : 8 - 12° It uses its excellent sense of smell to locate its prey. They feed mainly on crustaceans, mollusks and sea urchins. Origin: Indo-Pacific. ... Presenting the food directly to the moray on a feeding stick—and perhaps giving it a bit of a jiggle to make it appear lifelike—will help to ensure your moray gets its fair share of the fare. _____ This usually means a couple of times a week. This will get the eel used to eating from the tongs. Like other eels, they like a Salinity of 1.022 to 1.025, a PH between 8.2 to 8.5, and a temperature of 75f-78f. Zebra Moray Eels should be kept in a good environment and a temperature between 72 and 78°F. I feed him krill and occasionally crab. Origin: Indo-Pacific. Marine Eels saltwater aquarium fish shipped directly to your door at the lowest prices & highest quality online. Large specimens can easily accidentally harm corals and gorgonians when they move around in the aquarium since they are very clumsy. As with feeding other large carnivores, you can save money on food by purchasing seafood from your local market and cutting it to the appropriate size for the animal being fed. You will see that the eel took a bite at my finger twice. Start by feeding the eel with the live food it is used to, only attached to a feeding stick or tongs. Identification: These passive eels have remarkable patterns of deep black to chocolate brown interspersed with vertical white stripes. After adjusting to a given set-up and routine of feeding, lighting and tankmates, a zebra moray will show itself more and more; however, these eels are reclusive in … Max size: 60 in / 150cm ive had my zebra moray eel for about 9 months now and hes about 2ft long. Zebra Moray Eel – This species grows up to about 3 feet in length and can be kept in a 40-gallon tank. Earning its stripes. This species can be recommended to beginners with the reservation that the fish grows large over time and adult specimens will need large aquarium.Â. The Zebra Moray is found in the Indo-Pacific, and one of the few moray eels that will not eat fish. The Zebra Moray Eel will get along fine with larger fish but is best kept singly in an semi or aggressive fish-only tank. Then slowly switch out the live food for prepared bits of meaty food. Give them a varied diet consisting of meaty foods. It does not seem as if he has moved today. I have been constantly monitoring his condition and he seems to be breathing less and less. Temperature: 72-78ºF (22-26°C). Zebra Moray eels are typically found off the coast of Africa where they can usually be found in rocky or coral reef on coastal shallow water up to 40 meters deep. The Zebra Eel, Gymnomuraena zebra, is appropriately named due to its striking black and white striping pattern. But one of the creatures washed up on a beach in Porthcawl, Wales, this week and nobody has any idea how it got there. It will help keep your fingers intact. A varied diet is the best way to go. Records of the Australian Museum 53: 71-102 figs 1-10 PDF Open access Böhlke, E.B. Rockwork with large overhangs and crevices that it can fit entirely within will make the Zebra comfortable. They are Carnivorous, and will stalk their prey through their cave. To avoid overfeeding, the Moray must only be fed every 3-4 days, but may then also have a large meal. Once the moray has a good grip, the prey cannot escape. Even if you don't hand feed them they can try to find out if your hand is food and you should therefore always be careful when you work in an aquarium containing Zebra moray eels. Moray Eel. Hand feeding can also make them associate your hand with food and attack you when you are working in the aquarium. A dark cave, PVC pipe, or rock/coral-covered pot … The Zebra moray eel grows quite large and even though a small juvenile can be housed in a 40 gallon / 200 L aquarium you'll need a much larger aquarium to house an adult 60 in / 150 cm Zebra moray eel. The truth though is, that the eels only attack in self defense, and most bites on humans are the result of mistaken identity or attempts by humans to hand feed them – don't try it! The moray’s teeth face backwards on an angle, pointing toward the throat. Size : Up to 24 inches (61 cm) Life span : 4 years or more in captivity. Firstly, one of the most iconic behaviors is the way aquarium saltwater eels swim. Other common names: Leopard Moray Eel, Japanese Dragon Moray Eel While Morays will add an alternative look to your aquarium, they will also add some interesting and rare behaviors. They can be found from the Red Sea and the African east coast to Hawaii. Morays are carnivores, but species can be divided between those that eat hard-shelled organisms (durophagous) and … Zebra moray eels sold in stores are almost always in good health and no special care has to be taken before buying one. Eels are fantastic additions to a tank, if you can provide it with needs such as a large tank, appropriate hiding spaces and alot of attention. Very secretive and shy. Diet sounds adequate and varied (though usually G. zebra does not eat fish). at bare minimum a 150g tank, but its always better to go beyond that. They may dig up the substrate or move loose objects in the aquarium, so … It will be a little more sensitive during the acclimatization period but this is usually not a problem with this very hardy species. Dragon Moray Eel. The zebra moray eel has become known as a danger to humans. Feed with feeding stick to ensure your eel gets food. Large Zebra Moray eels prefer good portions of meaty fish and shellfish. Moray eels have a second set of toothed jaws in their throat called pharyngeal jaws. pH: 8.1-8.4 Zebra Eel-Gymnomuraena zebra JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. © Copyright 2019 - Relative Wisdom, LLC | Website by GetFound Marketing. From time to time this eel goes into what we describe as a “hibernation” period, often hiding and not eating for several weeks or so. They feed on crustaceans, not fish. Zebra Moray Eel. These eels rarely bother even the smallest fish. Moray Eel Behavior. Biology. Here is a list of foods that are excellent for eels. Give them a varied diet consisting of meaty foods. to analyze feeding sequences with "small" and "large" prey. The Zebra Moray Eel is definitely a conversation piece with its zebra-like bands. The Zebra Moray Eel (Gymnomuraena zebra) is a tropical marine (saltwater) fish. Identification: These passive eels have remarkable patterns of deep black to chocolate brown interspersed with vertical white stripes. They then push their p… Feeding 3.5 foot long Zebra Moray Eel. Rockwork with large overhangs and crevices that it can fit entirely within will make the Zebra comfortable. They will often take shrimp, crabs, squid, clams, and feeder fish. I recently purchased a zebra moray eel the lfs said to only feed once a week that dosnt sound like enough to me. The moray eels of Australia and New Zealand, with the description of two new species (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae). Its head is rounded with a small mouth and very sharp teeth. The Zebra moray eel is well suited for an aquarium environment and adapts very well. For larger eels, which would include the Tesslata Eel, zebra moray and Japanese Dragon Eel you may need to feed multiple times at once, while small eels can take a … Usually during the day they can only be seen deep in caves or holes and seldom if ever put their head out. MILLER-MORAY FEEDING BEHAVIOR tionship between the size of prey consumed and size of eel (Beumer, 1979). I have been feeding the zebra moray eel about twice a week. Groupers, barracudas and sea snakes are among their few known predators, making many morays (especially the larger species) apex predators in … It should be kept singly in a large tank with plenty of live rock, a sandy substrate, and a tightly sealed lid. The Zebra Moray is one of the most docile eels available, making it ideal foe a peaceful community tank. I will speak to the shop and see if he can be moved to larger quarters for a while. The zebra moray, Gymnomuraena zebra, is a species of marine fish in the family Muraenidae. The Zebra Moray Eel is a carnivore that should not be fed freshwater fish, flake or pellets. Zebra moray eels are commonly available in the trade and finding them is usually not a problem. The Zebra moray eel is one of the most commonly available morays and one of the most suitable moray species to keep in aquariums as well. The Zebra Moray. If your local store doesn't have them in stock you can ask them to order it for you or you can order it yourself online. The body is black to brown with white vertical stripes. The high fat content of goldfish makes them a poor choice for feeding any saltwater predator, not just the zebra eel. The Zebra Moray Eel has an elongated body with a paddle-shaped tail. Scientific name: Gymnomuraena zebra The eye-catching Zebra Moray Eel is an ideal moray for the community fish tank. The Zebra Moray Eel is a carnivore that should not be fed freshwater fish, flake or pellets. Zebra eel - Gymnomuraena Zebra - Another great eel for the beginner for the same reasons as the snowflake, but generally need a cleaner tank to look it's best, so can be a bit more tricky than the snowflake.