Tin Win's spiny eel
Mastacembelus tinwini
Also known as Tinwini spiny eel, Tinwin's spiny eel
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 73–82°F (23–28°C)
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Adult size
- 17.7 in (45 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 106 gal (400 L)
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Tankmates
- Tankmates with caution
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Irrawaddy basin, Myanmar
- Family
- Mastacembelidae
Overview
Keep Tin Win's spiny eel singly, as it is solitary and territorial with its own kind in anything but a very large, broken-up tank. It buries in sand by day and hunts the bottom at night, so a deep, soft sand bed and secure hides are essential. It is peaceful toward tankmates too large to eat but will take small fish, so keep companions robust and calm rather than tiny. Feed meaty foods in the evening, such as earthworm, prawn, cockle, and frozen bloodworm. Because it grows large, give it around 400 liters with a long footprint and a heavy, close-fitting lid.
In the wild
Tin Win's spiny eel comes from the rivers of Myanmar, keeping to stretches with sand, wood, and root cover. Give it a soft sand floor to bury in, driftwood and pipe hides, and gentle, shaded flow. Warm water in the 23 to 28 C range and a soft to neutral pH around 6.0 to 7.5 suit it, kept clean and well filtered to match a large, actively feeding eel.
Good to know
Mastacembelus tinwini is a spiny eel of the family Mastacembelidae, reaching about 45 centimeters, described by Ralf Britz in 2007. It carries a distinctive pattern of about five dark longitudinal bands, often broken into rows of blotches, with clean pale margins on the soft dorsal, anal, and tail fins. Like its large relatives, it has no recorded history of aquarium breeding.
Did you know
The eel is named for U Tin Win, a Burmese collector who helped find it in the field and supplied the specimens used to describe it, a small tribute to the local knowledge that much fish taxonomy quietly depends on.
Common questions
What size tank does a Tin Win's spiny eel need?
A Tin Win's spiny eel needs at least 106 gal (400 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH do Tin Win's spiny eel need?
Tin Win's spiny eel are comfortable at 73–82°F (23–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.
How big do Tin Win's spiny eel get?
An adult Tin Win's spiny eel reaches about 17.7 in (45 cm).
Where to buy
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Related species
Eyespot spiny eel
Mastacembelus notophthalmusFreshwater17.7 in (45 cm)106 gal (400 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
White-spotted spiny eel
Mastacembelus alboguttatusFreshwater19.3 in (49 cm)106 gal (400 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Marbled spiny eel
Mastacembelus favusFreshwater19.7 in (50 cm)119 gal (450 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Blackedge spiny eel
Mastacembelus nigromarginatusFreshwater19.7 in (50 cm)106 gal (400 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Liberian spiny eel
Mastacembelus liberiensisFreshwater15 in (38 cm)79 gal (300 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)Greshoff's spiny eel
Mastacembelus greshoffiFreshwater15 in (38 cm)79 gal (300 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)