Animal-World > Marine - Saltwater Fish > Marine Eels > Zebra Moray Eel

Zebra Moray Eel

Family: Muraenidae

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Gymnomuraena zebra Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   A very popular and beautiful eel. The Zebra Moray Eel are very suitable to the aquarium, with specimens known to have lived in captivity for more than 20 years!

  Though rather reclusive, the reef safe Zebra Moray Eel is very peaceful and slow moving. It needs lots of rock in order to conceal its entire body, but once comfortable in its environment, it will venture out for food. Though very docile and compatible with fish, even other species of eel, its natural diet are crustaceans and it will readily snack on ornamentals. They are generally a chocolate-black, but some specimens can be more golden brown than the eel pictured here.

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

Status:
   These fish are not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:
   True to its name, the beautiful Zebra Moray Eel is easily recognized by its zebra striping, narrow white bands on a chocolate or golden brown background. It is also readily distinguished from other eels by a blunt rounded snout.

Length/Diameter of fish:
   Adults can grow to 144 cm (57 inches), but usually only attain about 90cm (36 inches) in captivity.

Maintenance difficulty:
   The Zebra Moray Eel is easy to keep once they are established in the aquarium.

Foods:
   The Zebra Moray Eels are carnivores. Having blunt teeth suitable for grinding, they primarily eat crustaceans in their natural habitat, such things as crabs, snails, urchins, and mollusks. For this eel a good choice is crab meat, blue crabs with their carapace cracked works well. Also fiddler crabs are readily available. They will also eat other meaty foods such as shrimp, clams, squid, scallops and fish flesh.
   Though a very docile fish they can become a bit more aggressive when feeding and they do have a very strong bite, so it is best to feed with a feeding stick. Juveniles will eat more readily than adults and will take a wider variety of foods, however most specimens that are available are already over 17 inches (43.2 cm). Use a feeding stick if necessary at first to place the food right in front of its mouth. You can gently tap the eel's snout with the food laden stick to encourage it to eat. Don't worry if it doesn't eat for a while at first, they can go for several weeks without food (and often do).

Maintenance:
   These fish are generally very easy to care for and are hardy. Provide basic marine aquarium care with a 20% water change monthly or 10% twice a month.
   For more information see, Marine Aquarium Basics: Maintenance

Aquarium Parameters:
   A reclusive fish, it needs to have plenty of rock with holes for hiding its entire body in to feel comfortable.
Minimum Tank Length/Size:
   A minimum 75 gallon (284 liters) aquarium for an adult Zebra Moray Eel.
Light: Recommended light levels
   No special requirements.
Temperature:
   No special requirements. Normal temperatures for marine fish is between 74° and 79° Fahrenheit.
Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong
   No special requirements.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom
   Will generally stay in the bottom of the aquarium. Will find a cave or crawl under a rock and spend most of their time there with only their heads sticking out.

Social Behaviors:
   Sociable and peaceful, can be considered a community fish as long as the tank mates are not ornamental crustaceans, they will readily snack on those. Because of their need to retreat, they are best kept in a reef aquarium, or an aquarium with lots of rock.

Sex: Sexual differences:
   Unknown.

Breeding/Reproduction:
    Probably not possible in the aquarium. See Breeding Marine Fish page for a description of how they reproduce in the wild.

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

Availability:
   The Zebra Moray Eel is available from time to time. Usually it can be acquired from your pet store or found on the internet.

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Latest Comments
I have a zebra moray and find him to be extremely easy to feed, in fact hand feed. He loves to eat prawns and will come completely out off his hiddy hole to get them. Anonymous 2009-06-29
I got one of these guys a week ago. I can't get him to eat. Tried raw shrimp, silversides, ghost shrimp, and rosy reds. I'm gonna try to find some little blue crabs. Other than the feeding problems, make sure you have a nice weight on the tank lid. Mine got out the FIRST night! Rob 2008-06-09
Zebra Morays are an easy to keep, beautiful and hardy eel. I have never had trouble feeding mine. It likes freeze dried krill, and table shrimp and scallops from the store. An excellent pet, your family and friends will love to watch. Steve Wright 2004-07-17
great community eel,but is quite challenging to feed ,sometimes refusing food.they wont eat other tankmates. i have had my zebra moray escape from a small gap in my aquarium but is still alive now (very hardy).so make sure you have a secure top on your aquarium. craig warren 2004-07-14
Some of the coolest comments:
Zebra Morays are actually somewhat of a rare find and not as hardy as some of the other common moray eels but can be kept sucessfully. The most frequent problem is feeding. Their primary food source in nature is almost srtictly crustaceans. I have been sucessful with whole frozen Krills for a transition from live foods. Some success with Freeze dried after that. The AquaSmith The AquaSmith 2006-09-23

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Author: David Brough, CFS.
Additional Information: Clarice Brough, CFS.