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Liberian spiny eel

Mastacembelus liberiensis

Also known as Liberiensis eel, Orange spot eel

FreshwaterFish

Liberian spiny eel (Mastacembelus liberiensis)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–82°F
23–28°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
15 in
38 cm
Minimum tank
79 gal
300 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Mastacembelidae
Origin
Upper Guinea rivers, Liberia and Guinea

Overview

The Liberian spiny eel is a solitary bottom dweller from West Africa that spends its days burrowed in sand or tucked among roots. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

The Liberian spiny eel shares its rivers with one of Africa's rarest large mammals. The Upper Guinean forests it calls home are the last stronghold of the pygmy hippopotamus. This shy, dog-sized relative of the common hippo is found nowhere else.

Caring for the Liberian spiny eel

Keep the Liberian spiny eel in a tank of 79 gal (300 L) or larger, with a deep sand bed it can burrow into. Give it root tangles, driftwood or pipe caves to shelter in by day, since a secure daytime retreat is what settles it. Dried leaves and low, shaded light suit it. Fit a firm lid.

Keep the water warm and gently acidic to neutral, at 73 to 82°F (23 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Soft flow and tannin-tinted water give the tank the feel of a rainforest stream. Feed meaty foods in the evening, such as earthworm, prawn, and frozen bloodworm and mysis.

Keep it singly, because it does not tolerate its own kind in a normal tank. It is peaceful with tank mates too large to swallow but preys on small fish. Choose robust, calm companions and avoid tiny species. Its breeding in the aquarium is undocumented.

Good to know

The Liberian spiny eel is a West African member of the spiny eel family, Mastacembelidae. Boulenger described it in 1898 and named it for Liberia, where the type specimens came from. The trade sells it as the orange spot eel, after the warm spotting along its body.

In the wild

The Liberian spiny eel lives in the forest rivers of the Upper Guinea region, in Liberia and Guinea. It keeps to shaded margins among roots and submerged wood.

Common questions

What size tank does a Liberian spiny eel need?

A Liberian spiny eel needs at least 79 gal (300 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Liberian spiny eel need?

A Liberian spiny eel is comfortable at 73–82°F (23–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a Liberian spiny eel eat?

A Liberian spiny eel eats meaty foods such as earthworm, prawn, and frozen bloodworm and mysis. Feed it in the evening.

How big does a Liberian spiny eel get?

An adult Liberian spiny eel reaches about 15 in (38 cm).

Related species