TankBud

Ribbon eel

Rhinomuraena quaesita

Also known as Blue ribbon eel, Black ribbon eel, Ribbon moray, Bernis eel

SaltwaterFish

Ribbon eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita)
Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.0–8.4
Adult size
39.4 in
100 cm
Minimum tank
66 gal
250 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
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, where it lives buried in sand or rubble on reef flats and lagoon slopes with only its head showing.

Overview

The ribbon eel is a slender moray with a poor survival record, since most starve in captivity. It is an expert-only fish.

Did you know

A black, a blue and a yellow ribbon eel look like three different species. They can all be the same kind of fish, seen at different points in its life.

Caring for the ribbon eel

Give the ribbon eel a mature tank of at least 66 gal (250 L) with a deep sand bed and secure rockwork. It escapes readily, so fit an absolutely tight lid.

Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) with a pH of 8.0 to 8.4. Getting one to eat is the whole battle. Start with live saltwater feeder shrimp or ghost shrimp, and only later try to wean it onto frozen foods.

It ignores corals but will eat small fish and shrimp. Never keep it with aggressive feeders that outcompete it.

Color tells the sexes apart, since each fish starts out as a male and later changes into a female. Juveniles are jet-black males with a yellow dorsal fin, and subadult males turn electric blue and yellow. Mature females become all yellow.

Good to know

Rhinomuraena quaesita is a ribbon-thin moray with flaring nostril flaps, and its long body is barely thicker than a pencil. It is a protandrous hermaphrodite, the only moray with such a dramatic shift tied to its life stage. It is also called the ribbon moray or Bernis eel.

In the wild

The ribbon eel is native to the Indo-Pacific. It lives buried in sand or rubble on reef flats and lagoon slopes. By day it pokes its head from a burrow, mouth open, swaying in the current.

Common questions

What size tank does a ribbon eel need?

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

What temperature and pH does a ribbon eel need?

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

What does a ribbon eel eat?

A ribbon eel is hard to get eating, so start it on live saltwater feeder shrimp or ghost shrimp. Only later try to wean it onto frozen foods. It will also eat small fish and shrimp in its tank.

How big does a ribbon eel get?

An adult ribbon eel reaches about 39.4 in (100 cm).

How can you tell a male ribbon eel from a female?

Males are jet black when young, then turn electric blue and yellow. Mature females are all yellow, since each ribbon eel starts out as a male and later changes into a female.

Related species