Undulated moray

Peckoltia

New member
Picked up a 2' Undulated moray sold to me as a brown. Does anyone have any personal experience with this species. It is currently in my 450 FOWLR and is currently on it's own as it is the first inhabitant of the system.

Please share any info and experience with me...

cheers

Alex
 
I not know if you read a post not too long ago, for I had a typing error on the size of the eel that someone else here has this same eel.

This eel grows to 5' and is quite aggressive to feed on fish, you will find that you will have a difficulty in finding larger fish as tank mates. The fish would need to be far larger then its jaws can expand too and yet still there be no guarantees in this that this eel wouldn't attack and fish even too large.
 
I would concider takeing the eel back if it where my tank i just couldnt see useing a 450 gal tank on just one eel. Maybe see into getting a zebra or goldentail eel in its place. or one of each.
 
I added a single male blue spotted stingray to the tank today. With a disk diameter of about 12". They seem to be doing great so far, no bites out of the ray disk. The ray has actually made the moray a bit more active.

Will update as the days go past. Hopefully things go well.
 
Excuse me, But did anything registered with you in what SWITCH or myself said here?

I nice size tank as it may be, your still placing at risk this beautiful ray for if you had far more easy going eel species, I can say it be good the mix for this ray you have should either be in a more community setting then to be in a tank with a more aggressive species.

As you had said, The ray has actually made the moray a bit more active for one thing you need to understand, these species understand of the presents of another predator for as well, your eel is as yet still a young juvenile and it is trying to make out and understand the ray presents.

In either case, this will prove to be in either case a very terrible idea of yours for the long term, the ray cannot survive with this eel.

Like I was saying, you all a sudden witnessed a change in motion/active of your eel soon after the ray was in this tank?

I suggest with no hast that you return either one of these species to your lfs, with the ray you can manage some fish, with the eel that you have, you will in time (not real soon that is) see to the type of moray which you have that it will be difficult for you to keep many fish in this tank. And it not matter that your a nice size tank there, this eel is a active species in which hunts day or night when it so pleases.

I do ask you to not judge your eels mildness as that your idea will work, this is only the calm before the storm as the saying goes.
 
I saw a small (for a green moray) green moray - only 3 feet - eat a ray about that size. no joke. It was in an LFS, many people saw it happen. He just folded it in half like a taco! :eek1:

And I would consider their aggression levels (green and undulated) to be on par with each other, the undulated just doesn't get as large. The undulatus unfortunately fits into the category of 'should be housed alone'. Though they are cool, I think the only tankmates I would personally try would be other eels larger than the undy.


good luck though, whichever direction you go. :)
 
HI again TT ;) That is what I know in what will happen in time if they remain in the same tank for when it comes to eels, their is only one main tank inhabitant that can either equal them or better other then another eel which would prey on another and that is a grouper.

I readied in swf site that someone questioned that sites so called expert for when I look at it, it only proves that not all are so ignorant in the mixing of these species and specially where I readied they sleep side by side. This short of thing changes in time with most of these animals inhabitant the same tank that one month or year they appear as buddies and the next month or year they are bitter enemies.

It matters not if the grouper be a little smaller then the eel for groupers can take a prey equal to their own size and if hungry will attack what`re it feeds on the eel or spits it out because it is too large for it to take in the whole meal.

I believe that you remember that video one shown of a tess becoming a possible meal to a large grouper? Where afterwards the grouper had to spit the eel out because it couldn't en gulp the whole meal.

Peckoltia, as in what TT had suggested, if your a desire to stay with the eel, I could offer you some suggestions if any one other eel species. Of course, there be no guarantees due to the aggression and size of these eels for also I will suggest to feedings and all else for this to possibly work for you.

But please do take notes that if you ignore anything and go your own way in this as you just done here, you will fail horribly.

And TT, I not know what to make out of that saying where this person says the species test each other, for this will in time be more the grouper in that tank doing then the eels.
 
Say TT, I not took notice I'm sorry of this you said "And I would consider their aggression levels (green and undulated) to be on par with each other, the undulated just doesn't get as large."
You are right however on not as large, but by no means are they equals, it would never work with the two and besides all that, the green and the Tess morays would seem as they can be housed with other larger species of eels. But in the long term of it, it would never work well, not unless it is a huge city aquarium tank. For the most part the green and tess are solitary creatures for as unlike the giant moray, they pair together in a lair, but not these two.

So in short TT, the green wouldn`t be on his suggestion list :(
 
Cheers for the replies.

They went fine over night together, the ray has started feeding this morning. Granted this is probably not the best tank mate for the moray, so I will move it with my other two smaller blue spots this afternoon.

I have alot of experience with keeping FW tankbusters, aswell as being in the aquaculture industry, aswell as finishing my aquaculture degree at uni at the moment. So I am not completely new to this. But I am always learning.

I have no plans on getting rid of the eel. I made the decision to buy it, now I will provide it with a suitable home. I currently have a 6x2x2, 8x2x2.5, 8x3x2.5. The moray is in the 8x3 for now. I am moving house in ~18months (never can be too sure with builders, anyone who has built a house will understand). Under construction is a L shaped tank (actually two seperate tanks in the shape on an L in the wall) with one length being 12x4x3 and the other being 6x4x3. So the eel with always have a home somewhere in my collection. I will not take this eel back for number of reasons. My tanks are large and my knowledge and willingness is learn are more then a macth for this eels potential size. I think by taking this eel nack, it will more then likely just end up in someone 55-200gal aquarium. The store I got it from claimed it was a brown at that it was fully grown at 2'. Which is obviously not the case.

I don't have a camera at the moment as my digi just kicked the bucket. But my parents are currently traveling and picking up a new digi on the way back through Singapore for me, so I will have pics in a few weeks.

Thank you all for showing concerns. I love my animals dearly. I know my choice in tank mate is one that not all would agree with, but alot of fish keeping is hit and miss. The tank that the new blue spot came from had a 3.5' wobbygong aswell as a few other morays, including a small 18" green moray. This tank was like this for some time, as i frequent this store, although i do not agree with the way they keep some of their stock.

I will update the progress of the eel + my other fish soon. Will also have pics up in the not too distant future.

Alex
 
Last edited:
I have to go over if you were looking for some other eel request to go with your eel, but one thing, are you sure that its a Undulated moray?
 
Thank you all for showing concerns. I my animals dearly. I know my choice in tank mate is one that not all would agree with, but alot of fish keeping is hit and miss.

Its good that you look to do the right thing, but within all honesty, If this eel is what you say it is, once when grown prey on the ray(s) There be no mistake in it ;) and nor is it a hit or miss :(

aswell as a few other morays, including a small 18" green moray.

So your a green as well :eek: It is of your chosen, if that is what you want. Your a long way before it becomes a monster in your tank and just out of interest for the eel, what size tank do you plan for it to live its life out in?
 
Hi

Sorry I should have explained a little better. The green moray was at the store, not at my house. It was in the same tank that my new blue spot came out of. I have enough monsters to look after without adding a green moray to the mix.

I would say my undulate will either stay in the 8x3 or go into the 6x4 when I move house.

undulates are reported to max out at 5'. I think that realistically I will one day be dealing with a 3-4' max eel.
 
You almost giving me the big one, a heart attack that is :) But on your thought that the eel would only max out to much smaller size is another huge mistake to believe in. For if you do all the right things by this eel, it will I promise grow to its max. In other words, your water quality is the best as for you feed it a variety of nutritional sea foods and feed it well as it should be. In all of that, I promise if you do those as correctly as they all should be done and you do have the eel you say. It will grow to its normal maximum size.
 
Granted. ALthough IME with marine animals and maximum sizes. 5' is the max recorded size. This would be a fairly old specimen. I would think up and around 20years old. So when my animal is that old, i'm sure I will have better arrangements. But i think a 8x3 or 6x4 to be more then sufficient for a 3-4' eel.
 
It sounds to me like you will make it work, one way or the other - that is awesome. But I just had to share the "ray taco" story with someone. ;) Sometimes we only see how truly aggressive or brutal something can be 1% of the time, and it can be simple to envision this or that species co-existing - until you actually see it point blank.

And while to just mix and match haphazardly is foolish and sometimes cruel, if one does his homework and uses discretion then a calculated risk can pay off far more than can be imagined. (another member said this once and I agree :))

Have fun with the new beast,
 
Peckoltia, yes, it will not happen for a very long while for eels for the most part of what I seen in home aquariums, they not grow as fast as if out in the wild and I'm sure I not need to go over why that is.

For eels at a time will seemly grow faster where as at many times will grow slower and even sometime before every reaching their maximum size will grow then at the slowest pace for like for a sample here, both of my dragon eels had grown 4" in four years for as I not gotten to view their full bodies in the last two years for perhaps you readied that thread that both of these dragons moved across the front of the tank behind one another.

So yes, they growth quickness will not be so much of an issue that you have a good deal of time here and still however being that your eel is 2', it will in a year time period, seemly to grown much as for other times will appear to grown little or nothing at all.

It is the same thing for one other will be taking back a tess moray for I told him there as well that the eel be OK for a good while in the largest tank he had that he had time to setup a larger system to keep the eel. But he has seen that the cost would been so high and didn't wish to risk it.

So know that eels takes years to grow and I strongly believe that their growth is tampered by being cage in a tank what if large enough or not and still I stand by my knowing that it can still grow to its normal maximum size even if it be 15 years later for you will have that eel for a great many years, decades.

And while to just mix and match haphazardly is foolish and sometimes cruel, if one does his homework and uses discretion then a calculated risk can pay off far more than can be imagined. (another member said this once and I agree )

That is sad and very true TT, but one can only make his opinions known to those and it is left too that person to what they will want too do in if they would take you up on your advise or do it much the hard way.

And Peckoltia, my comment has nothing directly to do with you personal ;) I just hope that it works in the way you think it will that there be no problems.

Buddy
 
Read my above posts. I have a diploma in Aquaculture as well as a cert 3, and am currently finishing my degree. The industry that I work in is based around maximising fish growth. I am not going to rant and rave because I do not have time nor the need to do so.

In short maximising fish growth is my job, albeit I am not working directly with moray eels (marron at the moment). I understand fish growth, I did not study for the last 5 years and work in the industry foor another 3 to be told how to grow fish by hobbyists on the internet.

Cheers for your words of wisdom.

I will have pics up when I get my new camera. So stay tuned!

Alex
 
Peckoltia, I think you need to understand something with me and that is when I at most times have many dealings with in trying to assist so many at one time, I can honestly forget something that you might had said and please understand that this is nobody's fault other then what's in my memory. I no idea of each persons successes or anything and there be others that I talk to one on one with and I even forget their names at times.

So its not to say I'm looking like if I was treating as someone who knows nothing which is not the case. I many times confused one thread with another, but this not happens all the time.

I do hope that this helps you to understand my situation. :(

Buddy
 
No worries. I am just fully aware of marine husbandry, it is my life and my job.

I asked people for experience with these species. I know that most people who reply to threads like this will vomit up information they have heard along the way. With no personal experience with the species. Thanks for trying to be helpful.

If anyone has kept this species please share with me your personal findings.
 
Back
Top