TankBud

Honeycomb moray

Gymnothorax favagineus

Also known as Laced moray, Tessellate moray, Leopard moray eel, Blackspotted moray

SaltwaterFish

Honeycomb moray (Gymnothorax favagineus)
jon hanson from london, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.0–8.4
Adult size
70.9 in
180 cm
Minimum tank
291 gal
1,100 L
Temperament
Aggressive
Social behavior
Solitary
Own kind
One per tank
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe with caution
Family
Muraenidae
Origin
Native to the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, living on coral and rocky reefs where it hides in large caves by day.

Overview

The honeycomb moray is a big, aggressive eel that grows into a genuinely huge animal. It is a fish for experienced keepers only.

Did you know

The amount of black on a honeycomb moray varies a great deal from one reef to the next. Heavily spotted and lightly spotted fish were once thought to be different species.

Caring for the honeycomb moray

Keep the honeycomb moray only in a very large fish-only system. It needs at least 291 gal (1,100 L), and realistically much more given its potential size. Give it a massive cave and a heavy, clamped lid.

Hold the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) with a pH of 8.0 to 8.4. Feed silversides, whole shrimp, squid and chunks of marine fish on a stick. It can be bold and snappy at feeding time, so keep your hands out of the tank while it is hungry.

It ignores corals but eats any fish or crustacean it can catch. Pick only large, tough tank mates, and keep just one honeycomb moray per tank.

Good to know

Gymnothorax favagineus, also called the laced or tessellate moray, is one of the larger morays offered in the trade. It is reported to reach up to 3 meters in the wild, though most seen are well under 2 meters. Its pale body carries a dense black pattern like a honeycomb or leopard print. The spots range from fine speckles to broad blotches. Like all morays, it breathes by constantly opening and closing its mouth to pump water over its gills. This looks threatening but is normal.

In the wild

The honeycomb moray is native to the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea, where it lives on coral and rocky reefs. It hides in large caves by day and hunts fish and cephalopods at night.

Common questions

What size tank does a honeycomb moray need?

A honeycomb moray needs at least 291 gal (1,100 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a honeycomb moray need?

A honeycomb moray is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.0–8.4.

What does a honeycomb moray eat?

A honeycomb moray eats silversides, whole shrimp, squid and chunks of marine fish, offered on a stick. It will also eat any fish or crustacean it can catch.

How big does a honeycomb moray get?

An adult honeycomb moray reaches about 70.9 in (180 cm).

Related species