# Is my moray all right?



## BigPretzel (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi,

I signed up because I really need help. I bought a cute little moray eel 3 days ago and named her (?) after our minister of foreign affairs. Anyways, she was doing fine in the tank which is about 200 liters, until I added a big root for her to hide under. Overnight it turned the water brown and I found Tzipi lying there lifelessly. I nudged and poked her but she wouldn't move. Had to run to the toilet, when I came back she had shifted so she wasn't dead and I took her and dropped her in my 60 liter tank which is small, okay, but it's clean and mostly healthy except for a few algae. And indeed, she came back to life, but she was very slow and panting and didn't even fight off her food, a goldfish, nibbling on her. Here's a picture. 
Is there anything I can do for my poor worm?


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

Wood isn't natural in the Coral Reef environment you Moray Eel came from. The brown color you see is probably plant acids (Tannic Acid is one) that leached into your tank. These plant acids can have a dramatic impact on the chemistry of your tank. Take your root out and do a complete water change. Check the ph of your root tank before making the water change, it is probably low. Never let any plant material near a Coral Reef tank, it will leach toxic stuff into the tank.


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## BigPretzel (Feb 3, 2011)

I see  Thanks alot. Do you think she'll be okay now that I put her in a non-contaminated tank? She's only been exposed for like 16 hours or so.

By the way, she was sold to me as a freshwater fish, but I guessed I should slap in some salt anyways. But is this a marine or brackish fish after all?


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## Kaiden32 (Sep 4, 2010)

I guess that some morays are freshwater, or brackish as well as saltwater. If it was sold to you as a freshwater eel, then it probably is, but I don't really know much about them.


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

There are no Moray Eels who live in fresh water. Do you have the species name it was sold to you under? What is its color and how big is it? Does it have the large canine teath that Moray Eels have? Does it like to hide in the rocks a lot? The American Eel that looks a little like a Moray, lives on the East Coast in rivers when adult and eventually migrates to the middle of the Atlantic to spawn, but is a cool water fish and would never survive the warm waters of a Coral Reef,


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## BigPretzel (Feb 3, 2011)

I'm not keeping Tzipi in a coral reef but a simple brackish water tank with a rock and some plastic plants. She loves to hide. In fact eversince she got better, she went invisible.
Unfortunately I can't read enough Hebrew yet, but I don't even remember seeing the price tag for the moray eels on the pet shop tank. They had only just arrived and the guy said, "they eat 1 goldfish a week, 70 shekels, normal water" and that was that. I admit it wasn't the most responsible purchase but I want to be responsible NOW and take good care of my worm.

She's about 30 centimeters long, 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter, has a fat throat and a white belly. Her skin is like on the picture above, greenish brown with tiny white speckles. White eyes and funny nostril "headlights".


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

She sounds like a real Moray Eel, thougth I have never known of one that lives in Brackish water. Keep her water clean and she should purge herself of the tree toxins. The Bark of trees are often full of compounds that are bad for fish. Try adding some Damsel fish (the Eel will eat small ones!) to your tank to pick up some of the food paticles left by your Eel. A Brittle Star or large Hermit Crab might live OK with you Eel since they can usually defend themselves quite well.


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## BigPretzel (Feb 3, 2011)

*You guys! It's really, really bad! Since I've come back from an overseas trip (not for leisure I swear), my moray has been acting strange. She's suddenly been out during the day, and these last few days she seems to be "gasping for air", or that's what it looks like. Also, another fish must have injured her, there's a bright red scrap of nose/open wound standing off her snout. She seems to have gotten weak. She has eaten well I think, I had bought 30 guppies and zebras before I left on Feb 14, and on my return only 6 or 7 were left. 
As for the water, all seems well. The temperature is a steady 25°C, and according to the salty crust I got when I spilled some water, it has enough salt. What can I do to help my poor worm?*


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

Wow you tossed 30 little fish in the tank and left Feb 14th and just now returned? fish off you need to have the water tested, looking at dried up spilled water is not a valid test mesurement.

Test the PH/KH/GH, ammonia (dead fish can spike this really quick), nitrite, nitrate

After testing the water do a 50% water change vacumme the gravel and clean up and dead fish/food debree. And then test the water again.

Most people will recommend you purchase a Master Water test Kit from the LFS, this is all liquid tests that are more accurate than the dip strips. However if dip strips are all you have right now, use them to get a feel for what the water is doing right now.


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

also, cool on the Eel would love to see more pictures once the tank is figured out.


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## BigPretzel (Feb 3, 2011)

No no, I returned first of March! Sorry, forgot to mention that. There are/were no dead fish, however I've been wondering how algae and that other floating plant can thrive so (too) well in salt water.
I'll test the water and post a pic, thanks!


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

Not to mention aren't Moray Eels ambush preditors? More likely to hide out than be an active swimmer?

Now I'm curious and will have to research these eels.


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## BigPretzel (Feb 3, 2011)

Exactly, she isn't supposed to be out in the open! These were the dip strip results prior to a 50% water change I just did:
Cl 0.8
pH 8.2
KH 20°D
GH 16
No2 1
N3 200










(that's debris whirled up by the new water)


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

Do you add a water conditioner to the new water before adding it to the tank?

CL I am guessing refers to clorine which is very bad for fish. And from what I've read here on the forums and on the web is even worse for Scaleless Fish (eels, etc..) since they absorbe it through their skin.

Also I see a lot of plants and what not but I don't see anything like a cave. Is there one in the tank for the Moray to call home and hide in?

here's a link to Wikipedia for Moray's, might be good to try and locate the actualy species you have to make sure the water is correct.

Moray eel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

whats your salt at in your water? There is a testing thing(im freshwater only so i dont know the name off the top of my head) that will measure and give you a number like 1.08 or something. That could be effecting her to.


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## BigPretzel (Feb 3, 2011)

@Chlorine
Yes, I think I'll drip in some chlorine reducer, thanks for reminding me. I normally do that with major water changes, don't know why I forgot this time.

@Plants
All fake 

@Cave
Yup, she crawls under or behind that big rock and under the filter, where she can more or less disappear in. What worries me is, she doesn't really try


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

Research has provided the following information! While listed as fresh water they are indeed thrive in Brackish-Marine water, attached is the artilce I located the information.

Freshwater Moray Eels

Unfortunately pet stores often sell fish miss labled or have limited knowledge of said fish except for what they were provided from thier supplier. Always a good idea to read up on any fish purchased (preferably prior to purchase).

Dragon Gobi (Violet Gobi) are often sold as a freshwater fish and are kept in fresh water at pet stores when they are actually a brackish water fish.


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

BigPretzel said:


> @Plants
> All fake


Wow, I wouldn't have known they were fake, but then I'm new to this whole fish keeping thing. They look great.

I would add an actual cave, and it's possible the injury to her nose is from trying to burry herself in the substrate. Reading the articles I found they hide in caves or burry themselves in the sand. the substrate in the tank looks rather corse for her to dg and burry in.


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## BigPretzel (Feb 3, 2011)

Well, the tangled stuff floating around on the right is real  I lived in Belgium before and there, real plants were cheap and easy to find while fake plants were really expensive. Here in Israel, it's the other way around.
I know Tzipi is a brackish creature, I also tossed in some more salt to be sure. Her food ain't gonna like it but food has no rights.

I'll give her a cave, and when I find the time, I may also change the substrate for sand. The edges are smooth though can't really be that unless she bumped into the brown rock.

Here's a pic of the wound


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

She looks very cool. The cut looks rough =\ poor little thing.


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## BigPretzel (Feb 3, 2011)

She's dead


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

That's horrible big! I'm so sorry for your loss.


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