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Eels
/ Mastacembelidae / Zig Zag Eel
Zig Zag Eel
Mastacembelus circumcinctus | Pictures
SYN: None
PD: An elongated, snake-like fish.
The snout is long, fleshy, and pointed snout.
No
pelvic fins are present, and the anal and dorsal fins are highly elongated.
The caudal fin is very small.
The
back and body area yellow-brown, as are the fins.
The body is marked with many irregular, brown transverse bands.
SIZE: To 16" (41 cm) in the wild, not usually more than 6" (15 cm) in captivity
SS: M.
zebrinus
HAB: Vegetation choked rivers in Southeast Asia; Burma, Thailand, Sumatra.
S: bottom
TANK: A tank measuring 20” (51 cm) with a capacity of 10 gallons (38 L) is only sufficient
for fish to 3" (7.5 cm) in length.
Larger fish should be moved to a tank measuring 36” (91 cm) with a
volume of 35 gallons (132 L).
The tank should have densely planted thickets with a cover of floating plants to diffuse
the lighting.
Provide hiding places with pipes, wood, roots, and rocks.
Have a tight-fitting cover, this fish
may jump.
Use fine gravel or preferably, sand, because the Zig Zag Eel has a tendency to burrow.
WATER: pH 6-8 (7.0), 6-25 dH (10), 75-81°F (24-27°C), some salt can be added if
desired.
SB: A good community fish if kept with fish over 2" in length.
This fish will burrow and may uproot
plants.
SC: Large Gouramis, Knifefish, Giant Danios, large Loaches, Loricarids, Eartheaters, Acaras,
Cichlasomines, Asian Catfish
FOOD: Live;
Tubifex, fish fry, Brine Shrimp, mosquito larvae, bloodworms,
Cyclops.
SEX: Only distinguishable when mature; females are plumper.
B: Unsuccessful in captivity.
BP: 10.
Breeding has not been accomplished in aquaria.
R: Will burrow in substrate and disappear for days, even weeks. Nocturnal.
DC: 5.
A hardy species that requires a diet of live foods.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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