| Saltwater Eels | | | | eels needs a large tank. It eats chopped fish, squid, |
| Eels for saltwater aquarium come from three families | | | | mussels, clams and more. |
| Ophichthidae (worm and snake eels), Heterocongridae | | | | Another popular moray eel is the snowflake eel |
| (garden and conger eels) and Muraenidae (moray | | | | (Echidna nebulosa). This eel also gets its popular name |
| eels). | | | | from the body coloration, which features white spots |
| | | | or splashes on a dark back-ground. The snowflake |
| The majority want to hide in rock and caves, so the | | | | eel does not get as big as the zebra moray, but |
| aquarium must be decorated accordingly. Last but not | | | | reaches about 2 feet in the aquarium, and it is easier |
| least, they are all excellent escape artists. | | | | to maintain. But it is a little more aggressive than the |
| Together these basic traits mean that one should | | | | zebra, and it seems to spend its entire life trying to |
| only put an eel in a large aquarium (50 gallons or | | | | figure out how to escape from the aquarium. |
| more) that has a good filtration system because | | | | This eel will eat fish and crustaceans smaller than |
| these fish need a lot more food than more common, | | | | itself, so the selection of potential tankmates is |
| smaller marine fish. | | | | narrowed compare to the zebra. They need rocks |
| Their foods are also higher in protein than flake feed | | | | and caves and may only come out at night. |
| which means there will be more ammonia production, | | | | There are smaller eels that can be kept in the |
| leading to nitrate buildup in the aquarium. Regular | | | | aquarium and as a colony such as Hass' garden eel |
| water changes are a must with these fish. | | | | (Taenioconger hassi). These eels bury themselves in |
| Water quality for saltwater eels is the same for all | | | | the sand, and if several are kept in the large tank, |
| marine fish, as the ocean's basic water parameters, | | | | they will space their homes in the sand and all rise |
| except temperature, are the same worldwide. These | | | | out of the holes looking like plant stems in the |
| eels are all tropical and need a water temperature in | | | | garden. These eels are difficult to keep, you should |
| the mid 70s. | | | | have the experience and patience needed to be |
| Behavior differs among eels even in the same family. | | | | successful with these species. Eels add a whole new |
| A popular eel is the zebra moray eel (Gymnomuraena | | | | dimension to an aquarium and are worth a try. With a |
| zebra). The body of this eel is dark brown with white | | | | little planning, you can be successful and enjoy these |
| stripes running vertically down the body the entire | | | | fish. |
| length of the fish. They grow over 4 feet long, but | | | | We hope that this guide was of help to you and |
| are peaceful and will not bother tankmates. They are | | | | your hobby. |
| good for community marine aquariums but not reef | | | | Also, please see information on freshwater eels. |
| compatible because they will knock corals over. This | | | | THANK YOU... |