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Ribbon Eel

Black Ribbon Eel ~ Blue Ribbon Eel

Family: MuraenidaeRhinomuraena quaesitaPhoto © 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.

   These eels are only recommended for experienced 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

Geographic Distribution Rhinomuraena quaesita Data provided by FishBase.org Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Anguilliformes Family: Muraenidae

Maintenance difficulty:    The Ribbon Eel, Black Ribbon Eel, Blue Ribbon Eel is very difficult to keep. They are so difficult to keep, they are better left in the ocean! They are finicky eaters that need a lot of work to get to eat. Try all kinds of seafood, squid, shrimp, krill, and live food like guppies. They will also eat ghost shrimp if they are available.

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.

Author: David Brough. CFS.

• Rhinomuraena quaesita : $49.99
• Rhinomuraena quaesita : $69.99

Black Ribbon Eel Rhinomuraena Quaesita Fob 8 Next Day Shipping Offered By: Pets Warehouse Price: $49.99

Blue Ribbon Rhinomuraena Quaesita Fob 6 Next Day Shipping Offered By: Pets Warehouse Price: $69.99

Lastest Comments on Ribbon Eel View all 18 comments on Ribbon Eel Add Your Comment

Alan Carter - 2010-09-29 I have a Juvenile Blue Ribbon Eel still black. This guy has been very easy for me to keep. I have him in my 55 gal tank at my girls house with plenty of life rock, sand bed, (which he never burys himself in), soft corals, LPS, SPS a huge Snowflake Eel, two Tomato Clowns, a Lion Fish, a Huma Huma Trigger, and a Damsel. Seriously anything I put in front of him he'll eat. I have fed him frozen krill, frozen silversides, ghost shrimp, rosey reds from pets mart, gold fish, and small Damsels because I don't like them, and they are a good snack. lol. Does anyone know when he'll turn blue? Click For Replies (1) Anonymous - 2012-01-25 You bought a BLACK ribbon eel NOT a BLUE ribbon eel, they look similer when young. Reply

bill - 2010-04-02 I just bought a blue ribbon eel about a week ago that the store said was a trade in from another customer. It is eating very well with spot feeding krill I feed him 2 -3 pieces a night is this enough or too much? Please let me know he's a real pig wisemand1957@att.net Click For Replies (1) ANNE - 2011-08-14 I just started my salt fishwater aquarium again and also bought a blue ribbon eel but it's now two weeks and he does not want to eat anything I give him. Has anybody got some advice for me? annecoetzeeacdc@vodamail.co.za Reply

patrick brougham - 2007-06-05 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. Click For Replies (2) Lisa Wildey - 2010-06-26 Hello just wanting some advice we have had a ribbon eel since Feb this year and and just recently we have lost damsels and chromies and also clown fish and had a line tang with a chunk missing from its back does this sound similar to your eels behaviour? Thank you in advance Lisa sarah - 2010-12-02 How Much Does Your Ribbon Eel Weigh, I need to find out for a project? Reply

Nick De Jong - 2009-09-29 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... Reply

Casie Honeycutt - 2009-07-21 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! Reply

Greg Earle - 2008-08-04 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! Reply

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