All fish / Muraenidae

Fimbriated Moray Eel

Gymnothorax fimbriatus

Also known as fimbriated moray, darkspotted moray, spot-face moray, yellow-headed moray, fimbriated eel, moray eel, アミメウツボ, belut laut, 缘边裸胸鳝, 花鳍裸胸鳝

This moray has a pale yellowish green body covered in irregular black spots, with a yellowish head that becomes darker with age. It is kept for its striking look and the way it peers out from rockwork, and it settles well into a large reef-style tank with plenty of caves.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

70 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

500 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: whole fish, squid, shrimp and other meaty seafood fed with tongs

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa and Madagascar to Japan, Australia and the Society Islands

Breeding

Morays scatter eggs in open water, and the larvae drift as leptocephali for a long time before settling. Captive breeding of this species has not been achieved in home aquariums.

Good to know

It grows to about 80 cm and will eat small fish, shrimps and crabs, so tankmates need to be large. Morays are good escape artists, so use a tightly fitted lid. The bite is serious, so keep your hands away from it when feeding.