Gymnothorax melatemus cf.
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Minimum Tank Size | 65 Gallons |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Water Parameters | 72-78 F, pH 8-8.4, Salinity 1.020-1.025 |
| Aggression | Semi-aggressive |
| Size | 12" |
The Dwarf Golden Moray Eel is a prized small eel, found in the indo-pacific ocean. They are easy to keep when given the proper tank and make for a charming addition to any reef tank that does not house small, slow swimming fish.
The Dwarf Golden Moray Eel has sharp teeth, making it more dangerous than other pebble tooth eels, however they are unlikely to bite humans unless you are feeding them by hand.
The benefits of choosing the Dwarf Golden Moray Eel over other eels are:
- They are one of the smallest eels
- The do not cause trouble in the tank unless trained to hunt live feeder fish
- They are easy to spot and often remain visible
- Will often last over four years
Overall These eels are an easy addition to mid sized tank who would like to try out eels. The only downside is that Dwarf Golden Moray Eel tend to be more expensive than other eels.
Special Tank Needs
Be sure that there are absolutely no holes, loose mesh or foam that the eel can escape through. Easy exits can often be found around filter and pump tubing or automatic feeders. If you can remove any cover with a light push then it is likely that your eel will escape at some point.
The great thing about the Dwarf Golden Moray Eel is its small size. Before adding the eel to the tank you can easily set up a home for them using PVC pipe and tubing. These will allow your eel to hide under the sand without fear of shifting rocks hurting them. It also allows you to pick where your eel will spend a lot of their time.
Remember that the Dwarf Golden Moray Eel will be spending almost all of its time at the bottom of the tank. This means you will need to keep the water aerated by using a low placed power head that is facing upwards. This will draw in water from above without blowing sand around like a downwards facing powerhead would. You can also place filter outlets low in the tank, but this will not move the same amount of water as a powerhead would.
Critical note:
Eels will almost never eat when placed in an isolation tank. They are made to go long periods of time without eating and will not eat when they do not feel safe. However as the Dwarf Golden Moray Eel is so small you could create a nano tank with rocks, caverns and sand and treat it as an isolation tank.
Behavior & Aggression
The Dwarf Golden Moray Eel is almost a peaceful eel, however it is able to eat small fish and have dangerous teeth. That being said unless you feed them with feeder fish or have very slow fish such as scooter blennies you should have no issues with the Dwarf Golden Moray Eel in a peaceful tank.
Because the Dwarf Golden Moray Eel has two rows of sharp teeth you should not keep them together with other eels unless you have a lot of experience with them. Multiple sharp teeth eels will need a lot larger of a tank so that they can have their own cave systems and feel safe. Remember, an insecure eel is a starving eel.
Most fish will not harass eels unless they are very large predatory fish. The Dwarf Golden Moray Eel is able to eat shrimp and crabs, so be wary when adding them to tank with inverts you want to keep.
Diet & Feeding
The Dwarf Golden Moray Eel is a carnivore and will accept:
- Frozen meats
- Frozen silverside
- Live feeder fish
- Shrimp and crabs
While with most fish live foods, such as brine shrimp, are encouraged the Dwarf Golden Moray Eel should be kept on a frozen diet. Frozen foods often have much more nutrition in them and are easier to keep on hand. Additionally the eel will not always eat when you expect them to. Removing frozen food from the tank is much easier than loose feeder fish.
Eels are very messy eaters. This means they will need a tank with excessive filtration and a protein skimmer to keep the water safe.
Dwarf Golden Moray Eel should always be fed with a feeder stick, as their teeth will easily break skin if they miss their meal and bite your hand.
Their bite and tug is no joke. Only feed with a feeder stick. It may look cool to feed an eel by hand but they can’t tell what they are biting until they have some teeth around it. Whatever you end up using to feed them, be sure it has a very dull end. Eels can easily cut themselves if they strike a pointed metal skewer.
Their feeding should consist of two or three big meals a week. Feeding can be difficult due to their poor eye sight, but once you are used to feeding them it is not too difficult to get the Dwarf Golden Moray Eel to notice their meals.
