Ultra-Rare White Tesselata Moray Eel from Bali
Very Unusual Marine Aquarium Eel Arrives at California Retailer
Jan 28, 2009
It is not terribly unusual to see tesselata eels in the marine aquarium hobby, but the 11-inch long one that showed up at Carson, California-based Blue Zoo Aquatics recently is anything but usual. “This is an ultra rare white tesselata eel,” said Mark Martin, director of marine ornamental research at Blue Zoo in an exclusive interview with Suite101. “We have never seen this color variant—white with small black spots. All other tesselata eels we’ve seen are black with white markings.”
The name "tesselata eel" is commonly used in Australia and Papua New Guinea for the animal known to marine scientists as Gymnothorax favagineus. The eel is also commonly referred to as the black-blotched moray, the black-spotted moray, the honeycomb moray, and, most commonly in North America, the laced or leopard moray.
Natural History and Biology of the Tesselata Moray Eel
Ranging throughout the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and East Africa to Papua New Guinea, Southern Japan and Australia, the tesselata eel can be found on continental reefs, where its habitat includes reef flats and outer reef slopes as deep as 150 feet (45 meters). It is one of the largest Indo-Pacific moray eels and can grow to almost 10 feet in length (300 cm). It spends most of its time in caves and crevices but may be observed free-swimming as well.
Tesselata Moray Eel in the Marine Aquarium
Despite its adult size, this is one of the better eels for the home aquarium. Bob Fenner, renowned aquarist and author of the book The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, says “the leopard or tessellated moray is one of the few members of the genus I can honestly endorse for home use.” Blue Zoo’s Martin agrees. “This is a fantastic aquarium eel if you can provide it with the proper environment.”
By proper environment, Martin means that the tessellated moray requires a very large system (at least 150 gallons) that is both long and wide and is serviced by top-notch filtration equipment including an excellent protein skimmer. “These eels are messy eaters,” cautions Martin, “and so you need a way to keep the water quality high despite the higher than normal organic load.” In addition, any eel tank needs to be escape-proof with a weighted or latchable tight-fitting lid.
“In general,” says Martin, “this species is very easy to care for. They do best in a tank using live rock for filtration and decoration, as they like to hide in caves in the live rock. The tessellated moray eats all types of larger meaty foods like silver sides, squid, shrimp, etc.”
Appropriate Tankmates for Tesselata Moray Eel
Because this species is fairly aggressive, it really needs to be kept with larger aggressive fishes that it cannot fit its mouth around. “Lions and triggers make good tankmates,” says Martin. “Puffers do as well as long as the eel can remain with its tail and most of its body hidden in the rock. Puffers are known to nip at eel tails.”
In terms of this individual’s very unusual color variation, it’s difficult to say why this particular animal developed this color pattern. “Kuiter and Tonozuka observe that the coloring and patterns are variable and are often related to habitat,” says Martin, referring to a marine animal reference work. “Tessellated eels inhabiting clear coral reefs often have less black than individuals found in more turbid conditions, and this may have something to do with this individual’s coloring. Then again,” Martin adds, “perhaps it’s just a fluke.”
How Much Does a Rare Eel Cost?
Blue Zoo Aquatics plans to sell this unusual eel in its Collector’s Choice store, where they offer rare and one-of-a-kind animals to serious marine aquarium hobbyists. How much will an animal like this cost? “We’re pricing it at $225,” says Martin, “although I must say it’s hard to put a price tag on any animal this beautiful.”
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