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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.
How to save the world's oceans from overfishing
(7/8/2007) Global fishing stocks are in trouble. After expanding from 18 millions tons in 1950 to around 94 million tons in 2000, annual world fish catch has leveled off and may even be declining. Scientists estimate that the number of large predatory fish in the oceans has fallen by 90 percent since the 1950s, while about one-quarter of the world's fisheries are overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion. Despite these dire trends, the situation is changing. Today some of the world's largest environmental groups are focused on addressing the health of marine life and oceans, while sustainable fisheries management is at the top of the agenda for intergovenmental bodies. At the forefront of these efforts is Mike Sutton, director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's conservation program: the Center for the Future of the Oceans. The aquarium, which has long been recognized as one of the world's most important marine research facilities, is pioneering new strategies for protecting the planet's oceans. Sutton says the approach has four parts: establishing new marine protected areas, pushing for ocean policy reform, promoting sustainable seafood, and protecting wildlife and marine ecosystems.
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