Caring for a Freshwater Moray Eel

First identify your eel. Make sure that the breed purchased is in fact a freshwater/brackish moray. They are not to be confused with saltwater morays. Freshwater morays live where freshwater and saltwater meet, most commonly near the mouths of rivers emptying into the sea. They are brackish fish, requiring freshwater with high salinity. One of the more common freshwater morays found in pet stores is the Snowflake moray eel. When purchasing an eel, make sure that you are actually buying a freshwater eel, not one of its strictly saltwater cousins.

Provide the essentials. For an adult eel, you should provide an aquarium of at least 30 gallons. The larger the tank, the more hiding spots, the better. Your aquarium should have a reliable filter and heater. The temperature should remain between 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make sure that you have a sturdy, secure lid for your tank. Freshwater morays will jump when startled. Larger morays can nudge open a tank lid if it isn’t properly secured. Seal off any gaps, holes, or spaces at the top of your aquarium. Morays are known make escape attempts. If they escape, they will most likely die. Even if you manage to find your moray before he suffocates, he can pick up harmful bacteria from the floor. If your eel jumps and you manage to save him, place him back in the tank and do frequent water changes. If he develops injuries or infections, medicate the water.

Add salt to your aquarium. Freshwater morays require a fairly large amount of salt in their water. Purchase either standard aquarium salt or sea salt. Following the product instructions, start by adding the recommended amount of salt to the tank (approximately 1 large tablespoon of salt per five gallons of water). Make sure to study your moray’s behavior. If he is extremely inactive or refuses to eat, you may need to add more salt to the water. If you see a coating of slime building up on your moray, this indicates that he is becoming very ill as a result of low salinity.

Make sure that any fish you already have in your aquarium or any fish you plan on adding are capable of living with high concentrations of salt in the water.

Provide numerous hiding spots for your eel. Freshwater moray eels are easily stressed, especially in the first 1-2 months in which they are adjusting to their new home. Having a range of places to hide will allow your eel to duck away and rest. They are primarily nocturnal, and prefer to hide during the day.

In the beginning, feeding your eel is the most important and most difficult step. Many eels die in the first 1-2 months because they are stressed either by improper water conditions (not enough salt) or environmental conditions (not enough hiding places). When they become stressed, they refuse to eat and eventually starve to death. If your eel doesn’t eat right away, don’t worry. They can often go long periods without eating. When you first bring your eel home, it will be stressed, and will need time to acclimate to its new surroundings.

When purchasing an eel, ask the vendor if he has been able to get the eel to eat. If possible, request that the vendor feed the eel and watch to make sure that it eats. Whatever food the vendor feeds it, buy some and take it home with you.

Freshwater eels have a preference towards live foods. They enjoy goldfish, guppies, rosy reds, or other small feeder fish. They also eat ghost shrimp, small crawfish, and various worms. Small, uncooked salad shrimp purchased in grocery stores work as well. Try different foods and determine what your eel likes to eat. A variety of foods is always a healthy choice.

When they are hungry, freshwater morays tend to go out in search of prey. Because they have bad eyesight, this usually means they just swim around until they bump into something. If your eel is moving around frequently or seen swimming up and down near the surface, it is probably time for a feeding.

Don’t house your freshwater moray with smaller fish, as they will most likely end up as snacks.

Keep your eel’s aquarium clean. Make sure that you have a strong, reliable filter for your tank, such as a canister filter. Do large water changes at least once a week. Whenever you do water changes, remember that you will have to add more salt to the water.

Remember to pay attention to your eel’s behavior. Usually when something is wrong, or when the eel needs something, it can be recognized.

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