Animal-World > Marine - Saltwater Fish > Marine Eels > Ribbon Eel

Ribbon Eel

Black Ribbon Eel ~ Blue Ribbon Eel Family: Muraenidae

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Rhinomuraena quaesita Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The Black Ribbon Eel seen above is a juvenile. The Blue Ribbon Eel is bright blue with a yellow mouth and is the adult color of a mature male black ribbon eel. A female Ribbon Eel is yellow.

   We do not recommend them for most aquarists!

   These are probably the hardest eel to keep since they can be finicky eaters, often refusing food.The Ribbon Eel, Black Ribbon Eel, Blue Ribbon Eel should only be kept by very experience marine enthusiats as they are extremely difficult to acclimate to captivity. We have had success with only one! Getting it started on ghost shrimp and then guppies.

For more Information on keeping marine fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Marine Aquarium

Maintenance:
   Feed all kinds of live fish and meaty foods. Use a poker if necessary at first to place the food right in front of their mouth. Don't worry if it doesn't eat for a while at first, they can go for several weeks without food (and often do).

Habitat: Natural geographic location:
   Found in the Indo-Pacific.

Foods:
   They feed mainly on small fishes in the wild with an occasional invertebrate.

Social Behaviors:
   Sociable and peaceful, can be considered a community fish as long as the tankmates are not small enough to eat! Since its' mouth is fairly small, it is probably one of the best eels for the community aquarium.

Sex: Sexual differences:
   The juvenile is black, like the eel shown in the picture. As they mature, the black will turn blue with the tips of the mouth and inside the mouth turning yellow. Apparently they will grow larger to become fully grown females which are a golden yellow color.

Breeding/Reproduction:
  Probably not possible in the aquarium.

   Several freshwater species of eels are known to lay their eggs in the ocean and die afterwards.

Light: Recommended light levels:
   No special requirements.

Temperature:
   No special requirements. Normal temperatures for marine fish is between 74 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit.

Length/Diameter of fish:
   Ribbon Eel, Black Ribbon Eel, Blue Ribbon Eel adults can grow to 100 cm (36 inches).

Minimum Tank Length/Size:
   A minimum 60 gallon aquarium is recommended.

Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong
   No special requirements.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom
   Will generally stay in the bottom. Will bury themselves in the gravel with only their heads sticking out.

Availability:
   This fish is available from time to time.

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Latest Comments
Hi Everyone. I bought a Black Ribbon Eel about a year ago and it is doing just fine. It didnt eat for about two months at first, then decided it liked my fire gobies. Now I feed mollies or any other live fish. I recently got a blue ribbon eel that I added to my tank. They are best of friends and the blue eel started feeding within the 1st two weeks. The strangest thing has happened though, the Blue ribbon has now changed color and has turned black. Now that is freaky... Nick De Jong 2009-09-29
I had my eel for over three years! He has a strong and rich color. At first he would'nt eat. Then I fed him some goldfish and guppies with a little garlic solution. It had worked and now I feed him the same thing to this very day. someone 2007-11-05
My ribbon eel is a pig. He will eat any kind of meat put infront of him, including over half of my fish in my reef tank. I had one a few months back that refused to eat, . . . and died. My suggestion to you would be, only have fish big enough that your eel can't eat. Even then my eel has grabbed onto a few big ones too. I just cant seem to feed him enough, crazy, I'm confused. patrick brougham 2007-06-05
I have a blue ribbon, he is about 4 feet. i feed mine baby feeder guppies live, and now he is eating sliversides. I will tell you that in 15 years i have never seen one eat, and have lost one due not eating. If you are lucky enough to find one eating, you are lucky. Ghost eels almost always will eat live grass shrimp Anonymous 2006-09-28
I have a ghost ribbion eel that is doing very well and has never had a problem eating. He likes to eat krill, also eats every day. tammy perryman Tammy Perryman 2006-09-13
Some of the coolest comments:
We have had our black ribbon eel for about a year and a half now. He is in a 55 gallon hexagon aquarium with a maroon clown and a blue damsel. I have a hard time believing the stories about ribbon eels not eating. Ours eats EVERYTHING. As far as live foods go, we feed him goldfist and rubys. He also loves the minnows we get from ponds and rivers around our house. We also found he really enjoys cut strips of catfish and bass meat. We've never fed him silversides or any other frozen food. When we first got him my husband would feed him by hand, but now he has no problem catching it himself or stealing it from our clownfish and anemone. It's really a sight! He is now (very slowly) starting to change color and has grown more than a foot in the last year. We're really enjoying him! Casie Honeycutt 2009-07-21
I have a Ribbon Eel which I believe is the longest-lived Ribbon Eel in captivity. I have had it continuously since around 1985 or 1986, I believe. It has been through at least 3 house moves which were undoubtedly traumatic to it (drain tank, put eel in bucket, etc.). I feed it 2 dozen feeder guppies a week, once a week, and I keep nothing else in the tank (a 60 gallon) to make sure it is not stressed at all. It is like the Energizer Bunny! I am absolutely amazed at my success in keeping this beautiful creature alive for so long. I wish someone at the Monterey Aquarium or some institution would come study it before it goes! Greg Earle 2008-08-04
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
This site is great! I am tring to find an eel to fit the tank my teacher owns, but nothing seems to fit the tank. I read this site and now I might have found the correct eel to fit the tank! Thank You! Grace 2004-03-03

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Author: David Brough. CFS.