Gymnothorax Polyuranodon (Freshwater Moray Eel)

[SHiBBY]

Hey guys,

I was always under the impression that freshwater morays were on the BL, and just found out that they aren't.

Does anyone have one? What are they like? Can they be kept successfully in community tanks?

Thanks!

[TankMaster]

Freshwater morays are actually brackish. I think SalmonAfrica Kept them. He has written a nice article on brackish setups and fish ..

[SalmonAfrica]

Hey Shibby

True freshwater eels, those in the genus Anguilla, are indeed blacklisted, but as far as I know Moray Eels are not.

At the moment I still have 2 Gymnothorax tile, what you would call a 'freshwater' moray, but it is actually a brackish and marine fish. The same goes for G. polyuarnodon. However, the latter is a very, very rare fish, and when they are avaliable they're flipping expensive. You're far more likely to encounter G. tile, because they often pop up among wholesalers stock. Just ask your LFS to try and get some in if you're looking for them.

As for keeping them, they're fantastic fish. As a community fish, not so great. Besides them being brackish acting as a limiting factor on tankmate choice, they're also predatory in nature and will easily pick off smaller tankmates. A good fish to mix them with are Archerfish, primarily because Archers get to a sufficiently large size to avoid becoming prey, and because they occupy the upper levels of the tank, and don't compete directly with the Morays for their food.

Cheers

[SHiBBY]

Thanks for the info!

So keeping them in normal freshwater is a no-go? That's a pity... They look so cool. I watched a few videos on YouTube last night and stumbled upon freshwater morays, which to date, I had thought to be only marine. Also found one eating a catfish roughly the size of its head with no problems! Scary...

One day... when that BL is significantly shorter... Moray, stingray and blue crayfish - a freshwater "marine" tank! Whoohoo!