All fish / Muraenidae

Kidako Moray

Gymnothorax kidako

Also known as kidako moray eel, japanese moray, no, kidako eel, ウツボ, 蠕纹裸胸鳝

This is a stout, brown moray covered in irregular yellowish to pale mottling and bars, with a fin running along the whole back. It comes from warm temperate rocky coasts, so it copes with cooler water than most tropical morays. Keepers value it as a hardy, characterful display fish that spends its day peering out from rockwork.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

70 cm

Temperature

16 to 26 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

500 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: fish, squid, shrimp, clams and other meaty seafood

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Northwest Pacific: southern Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China

Breeding

Morays release their eggs and sperm into open water, and the larvae drift in the plankton for a long time as leptocephali. It has not been bred in home aquariums.

Good to know

It grows to around 90 cm and will eat any fish or crustacean small enough to swallow. The tank needs a tight-fitting lid with no gaps because morays are skilled escape artists, and you should feed it with tongs because a bite can be serious.