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Tanganyika spotted spiny eel

Mastacembelus ellipsifer

Also known as Ellipsifer eel, Banded Tanganyika eel

FreshwaterFish

Tanganyika spotted spiny eel (Mastacembelus ellipsifer)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
7.8–9.0
Adult size
17.7 in
45 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
Lake Tanganyika

Overview

The Tanganyika spotted spiny eel is a solitary, rock-dwelling eel that suits a hard-water community of larger rift-lake fish. It is a fish for a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

Lake Tanganyika is famous for its cichlids, but its spiny eels tell the same story. More than a dozen species of Mastacembelus evolved in that one ancient lake and live nowhere else. The Tanganyika spotted spiny eel is one of them.

Caring for the Tanganyika spotted spiny eel

Keep the Tanganyika spotted spiny eel in a tank of 79 gal (300 L) or larger, with a firm lid. Give it a sand bed to bury in and deep, piled rockwork with crevices to thread. It stays near the bottom and forages once the tank settles.

It needs hard, alkaline water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 7.8 to 9.0. Keep conditions clean, stable and rich in oxygen. Feed meaty foods such as earthworm, prawn, mussel, and frozen bloodworm and krill.

Keep it singly, as it defends its space against its own kind. It is peaceful with tank mates too large to eat but will take small fish. Keep companions medium-sized and calm rather than tiny. Captive breeding is unrecorded.

Good to know

Mastacembelus ellipsifer belongs to the spiny eel family, Mastacembelidae. Its name refers to the oval, ellipse-like blotches on its cream-and-umber body. It also goes by the name banded Tanganyika eel.

In the wild

The Tanganyika spotted spiny eel is endemic to Lake Tanganyika. It lives near the shore, where rock gives way to sand and mud, and hunts small fish and invertebrates at night.

Common questions

What size tank does a Tanganyika spotted spiny eel need?

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

What temperature and pH does a Tanganyika spotted spiny eel need?

A Tanganyika spotted spiny eel is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 7.8–9.0.

What does a Tanganyika spotted spiny eel eat?

A Tanganyika spotted spiny eel eats meaty foods such as earthworm, prawn, mussel, and frozen bloodworm and krill.

How big does a Tanganyika spotted spiny eel get?

An adult Tanganyika spotted spiny eel reaches about 17.7 in (45 cm).

Related species