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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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2009 The copy for fish.mongabay.com was written in 1994-1995. Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date. For this, I apologize. Feel free to send corrections to me. |
