All fish / Muraenidae

Ribbon Eel

Rhinomuraena quaesita

Also known as blue ribbon eel, black ribbon eel, yellow ribbon eel, ribbon moray, bernis eel, leaf-nosed moray eel, rhinomuraena, ปลาไหลริบบิ้น, ハナヒゲウツボ, belut pita, 五彩鳗, 黑五彩鳗

A very thin moray eel with leaf-like flared nostrils and a long, low dorsal fin. Juveniles are black with a yellow fin, males turn bright blue with a yellow face and females become mostly yellow, which is why it is prized by experienced reef keepers.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

100 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: live or freshly thawed small fish, ghost shrimp and mysis, often only live food at first

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years in the wild, often much less in captivity

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to French Polynesia, north to Japan and south to Australia

Breeding

It is a protandric hermaphrodite that changes from male to female, and it scatters pelagic eggs. It has not been bred in home aquariums.

Good to know

Many specimens refuse food and die after import, so buy only one already seen feeding and use a tight-fitting lid because it escapes readily. It will eat small fish and shrimp.