Keeping Eels, Muraenidae & Congridae

By Kelly Humber

There is no doubt about it, eels are simply fascinating. They come in a wide variety of shapes and colors and easily captivate all who come in contact with them. Unfortunately, eels are notoriously hard to care for and often do poorly in home aquariums if the proper steps are not taken to ensure their proper care and environment.

In general, there are two main families of eels that are readily available for purchase: The Muraenidae family (including eels such as the Tessalata, Wolf, Snowflake, and Zebra Moray Eel) and the Congridae family known as Garden Eels (including Spotted Garden Eels and Splendid Garden Eels). In this article we will take a quick look at both families of eels and discuss the main considerations for their care.

Moray Eels – Family Muraenidae

There are approximately 200 species in the family Muraenidae, but only 12 species are suitable for the home aquarium. To further complicate matters, only 5 of those 12 species are deemed safe to be in captivity with other fish. The most popular of these eels are the Snowflake Eel (Echidna nebulosa) and the Zebra Moray (Gymnomuraena zebra). These eels typically grow to a length of 30″-36″ and require …read more

Read more here: Aqua Nerd