How has your experience been with Zebra Morays?

[CincyReefer07]

Looking to get ideas and thoughts from those of you that have kept zebra morays in the past, more specifically in a reef tank. Was the zebra moray any kind of an issue for you? Did you have to do anything special for your zebra moray? Did it demolish your cuc or were they okay? What was the lifespan or how long have you had it? How often did you specifically feed your moray? I feed a few times a day currently of frozen foods and pellets/flakes, I’m aware I’ll probably have to go to my seafood counter at the grocery for specific foods for the zebra I have gone back and forth on it for 8 months. I love them, originally planned on having one, then talked myself out of it, then every time my buddy at my LFS gets some in I’m constantly tempted.

I have an 8 foot long by 30 inch deep and 25 inch tall 310 gallon display mixed reef with a BRS DIY screen top lids. SPS frags and a BTA up top and softies and lps frags down low. My LFS currently has a 24”, 16” and 14” long zebra moray in his store.

I have a very large cuc consisting of hermits, various snails, a sand sifting star, conches, couple emerald crabs and a couple good sized cleaner shrimp. As for fish I have a few tangs(plan to add more), pair of clowns, black cap basslet, 5 bangaii cardinals and then a foxface that is ready and waiting to go into my display. Plan on adding a about 8-10 anthias later as well as a pair of triggers and a Bella goby.

Basically just wondering if it’s going to end up potentially being a mistake if any of you have gotten one and regretted it.

 

[JC1977]

I don’t keep my zebra eel in a reef however I will say he’s not really that mobile and I’ve never seen him cruising the top half of the tank. I’ve also never seen him go after a fish. Surprisingly I have a few hermit crabs left over from when the tank was a reef and he completely ignores them too! Maybe I’m just lucky with mine but he’s very docile for the most part. Now as far as keeping one with coral I’m not sure how that would go?? I think your biggest problem is having a big bodied eel bulldozing your corals off rocks inadvertently when he gets hungry and dies start moving around. Anyhow best input I can give you hopefully somebody had successfully kept one in a reef will chime in. Best of luck!

 

[CincyReefer07]

I don’t keep my zebra eel in a reef however I will say he’s not really that mobile and I’ve never seen him cruising the top half of the tank. I’ve also never seen him go after a fish. Surprisingly I have a few hermit crabs left over from when the tank was a reef and he completely ignores them too! Maybe I’m just lucky with mine but he’s very docile for the most part. Now as far as keeping one with coral I’m not sure how that would go?? I think your biggest problem is having a big bodied eel bulldozing your corals off rocks inadvertently when he gets hungry and dies start moving around. Anyhow best input I can give you hopefully somebody had successfully kept one in a reef will chime in. Best of luck!

If he stays more within the rockwork and the lower part of the tank, I’d be definitely fine with, because that’s less risk of breaking any of the sps sticks on the upper portion of the rockwork in my tank. Right now none of them are very large so I doubt there would be much risk, but I’m still adding and plan to hopefully grow out large colonies. I’d also be pretty disappointed if I lost my cleaner shrimp, I love those little guys hopping back and forth on the rocks and on the tangs. And I know there is a potential risk for them to get eaten.

Wondering also if anyone has had an eel and cleaner shrimp and the shrimp weren’t murdered lol

 

[JC1977]

If he stays more within the rockwork and the lower part of the tank, I’d be definitely fine with, because that’s less risk of breaking any of the sps sticks on the upper portion of the rockwork in my tank. Right now none of them are very large so I doubt there would be much risk, but I’m still adding and plan to hopefully grow out large colonies. I’d also be pretty disappointed if I lost my cleaner shrimp, I love those little guys hopping back and forth on the rocks and on the tangs. And I know there is a potential risk for them to get eaten.

Wondering also if anyone has had an eel and cleaner shrimp and the shrimp weren’t murdered lol

I would say there’s a slim chance being the shrimp are established but it’s definitely risky! As far as coral just keep in mind this eel will get some impressive girth on him when well fed and they are powerful. I think it’s going to be a gamble as far as him not knocking over a prized colony of acros. If you try it the key is going to be noticing when he’s hungry and getting food to him before he starts to wander too much! But again it’s a gamble. They’re great pets but their size is the only issue for you and your situation.

 

[jda]

Great fish. Need a super tight top. Mine never ate any inverts or shrimp or anything live that I know if. It ate squid, octopus, cuttlefish, whole shrimp off of a feeding stick - key is whole animal with the guts, brains, etc. and not just cleaned human food. Asian supermarket is your friend.

Mine would sometimes go into hiding and hibernation for weeks. This is normal, but it freaked me out at first.

Seem to do best with stacked rock where they can completely get away and not the caves and arches that humans think are cool. Once mine found a spot, it was there a lot. They seem to be restless if they cannot fully hide to where nothing can see them.

They can be clumsy and eat a lot, so while coral safe, not always coral friendly.

Mine went to a large restaurant tank when I moved and it was doing well for many years after that.

 

[CincyReefer07]

Great fish. Need a super tight top. Mine never ate any inverts or shrimp or anything live that I know if. It ate squid, octopus, cuttlefish, whole shrimp off of a feeding stick - key is whole animal with the guts, brains, etc. and not just cleaned human food. Asian supermarket is your friend.

Mine would sometimes go into hiding and hibernation for weeks. This is normal, but it freaked me out at first.

Seem to do best with stacked rock where they can completely get away and not the caves and arches that humans think are cool. Once mine found a spot, it was there a lot. They seem to be restless if they cannot fully hide to where nothing can see them.

They can be clumsy and eat a lot, so while coral safe, not always coral friendly.

Mine went to a large restaurant tank when I moved and it was doing well for many years after that.

As far as the top goes, I wouldn’t say it’s tight but it covers the entire top, only gap is the gap of the powerhead cords along the back wall. So along the back of the tank the lids have about a 1/4” to 3/8” gap across the back. But I was thinking I have some scrap 1/8” clear acrylic I thought about supergluing pieces of it onto my current lids that just lay on the rim, and using maybe Velcro or something to attach it more firmly to the tank itself rather than just laying inside the rim.