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Malawi spiny eel

Mastacembelus shiranus

Also known as Shiranus eel, Malawi yellow eel

FreshwaterFish

Malawi spiny eel (Mastacembelus shiranus)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
7.5–8.5
Adult size
10.2 in
26 cm
Minimum tank
66 gal
250 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
Lake Malawi and upper Shire river

Overview

The Malawi spiny eel is a bottom-dwelling eel that fits a hard-water community better than most of its kind. It is a fish for a keeper past the beginner stage.

Did you know

Lake Malawi is famous for its hundreds of cichlid species, yet it holds just one spiny eel. The Malawi spiny eel is the only member of its family known from the lake.

Caring for the Malawi spiny eel

Keep the Malawi spiny eel in a tank of 66 gal (250 L) or larger, with a firm lid. Give it a sand bed to bury in and piled rock with crevices to thread. It stays near the bottom and comes out to forage as the tank goes quiet.

Unlike its soft-water relatives, it needs hard, alkaline water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5. Keep conditions clean, stable and well oxygenated. Feed meaty foods such as earthworm, mussel, prawn, and frozen bloodworm or mysis.

Keep it singly, as it is territorial toward its own kind. It is peaceful with tank mates too large to swallow but will eat small fish. That makes it a fair match for medium-sized rift-lake cichlids rather than tiny species. Captive breeding has not been recorded.

Good to know

Mastacembelus shiranus belongs to the spiny eel family, Mastacembelidae. It is sand-toned with fine marbling. A brightly marked form, known informally as the rosette eel, also turns up. It also goes by the name Malawi yellow eel.

In the wild

The Malawi spiny eel is endemic to Lake Malawi and the connected upper Shire River. It lives over sand and along the rocky shorelines, where it feeds on invertebrates and small fish.

Common questions

What size tank does a Malawi spiny eel need?

A Malawi spiny eel needs at least 66 gal (250 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Malawi spiny eel need?

A Malawi spiny eel is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.

What does a Malawi spiny eel eat?

A Malawi spiny eel eats meaty foods such as earthworm, mussel, prawn, and frozen bloodworm or mysis.

How big does a Malawi spiny eel get?

An adult Malawi spiny eel reaches about 10.2 in (26 cm).

Related species