All fish / Muraenidae

Dwarf Golden Moray Eel

Gymnothorax melatremus

Also known as golden dwarf moray, dwarf moray eel, yellow dwarf moray, blackspot moray, canary moray, ヒメアミキカイウツボ, 黑环裸胸鳝

This is one of the smallest moray eels. Adults are usually bright yellow to orange-brown with a small black ring around the gill opening, and they rarely grow beyond about 20 cm. Keepers like it because it is a moray that fits in a modest reef or rock tank and is usually tolerant of corals.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

20 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: chopped shrimp, squid, fish flesh and other meaty frozen foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific: East Africa and Red Sea to Hawaii and the central Pacific

Breeding

Like other morays it scatters eggs in open water and the larvae drift as plankton for a long time. It has not been bred in home aquariums in any regular way.

Good to know

It will eat small fish, shrimps and crabs, and it can escape through very small gaps, so use a tight-fitting lid. Give it a rockwork with plenty of caves.