All fish / Muraenidae

Honeycomb Moray

Gymnothorax saxicola

Also known as honeycomb moray eel, ocellated moray, blacktail moray, saxicola moray

This is a fairly small moray from the western Atlantic. It is tan to brown with a pattern of pale spots and a dark-edged dorsal fin that shows a row of black blotches. Keepers like it because it is hardy, stays smaller than many morays and has plenty of character as it peers out from rockwork.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

50 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: shrimp, squid, chunks of fish and other meaty seafood, fed a few times a week

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Atlantic: North Carolina to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico

Breeding

Like other morays, it is thought to scatter eggs that develop into long-lived leptocephalus larvae drifting in the open sea. It has not been bred in home aquariums.

Good to know

It will eat small fish and crustaceans, so only keep it with tankmates too large to swallow. Use a tightly sealed lid because morays escape through small gaps. Most of what is known about its care comes from general moray husbandry, as few sources cover this species in detail.