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Eels / Mastacembelidae / Zebra Spiny Eel

Zebra Spiny Eel, Short-Finned Spiny Eel
Mastacembelus zebrinus | Pictures

SYN: Macrognathus zebrinus
PD: The back is light yellow-brown. The flanks are a little darker and the belly is yellowish white. A fine golden line extends from the eye, back to the rear area of the fish. Just below this line is a broader, dark stripe that follows the golden stripe until the midsection. The body is marked with many transverse brown-black stripes.
SIZE: To 6" (15 cm) in captivity, 18” (45 cm) in nature.
SS: Other Mastacembelus and Aethiomastacembelus species.
HAB: Found in streams with heavy vegetation and water falls in Eastern India.
S: bottom
TANK: A tank measuring 24” (61 cm) with a volume of 20 gallons (75 L) is recommended for small fish, under 4” (10 cm). Follow suggestions under M. circumcinctus.
WATER: pH 6-8 (7.0), 6-25 dH (10), 75-82°F (24-28°C), some salt can be added if desired
SB: A peaceful fish ideal for a community tank. Gets along well with own species as long as they are similar in size.
SC: Large Gouramis, Knifefish, Giant Danios, large Loaches, Loricarids, Eartheaters, Acaras, Cichlasomines, Asian Catfish
FOOD: Live; Tubifex, fish, Brine Shrimp, mosquito larvae, bloodworms, Cyclops.
SEX: Only distinguishable when mature-females plumper
B: Unsuccessful in captivity
BP: 10. This species has not be bred in captivity.
R: Will burrow in substrate and disappear for days, even weeks. Spends most of the day buried with its snout sticking just out of the gravel.
DC: 5. A robust fish, more suited to community tanks than other eels. This species diet must include 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.