Tanganjikasee Stachelaal Mastacembelus moorii

Hello to all aquarists,

this is my first attempt at creating an article here.

I put the spiny eel in my Malawi tank because the Malawi predators don't really put a lot of energy into hunting young fish. They always get food from me, so there's no need to overexert themselves. 😉

My C. borleyi Kadango regularly produces about 50-90 young! Very few of them don't make it! Almost all the young Kadangos survive. So the tank gets overpopulated in a short time! Unfortunately, it's not possible to give them away in such quantities either. 🤔

This species of spiny eel from Lake Tanganyika is truly very interesting, highly intelligent, and exhibits a very unique behavior in the tank.
At the top of its behavioral traits is that it's an effective and intense hunter; nothing escapes it! Mine is now about 50 cm long after years!

Attention: The other fish must be at least >10 cm, otherwise they will sooner or later end up in the stomach of the M. moorii!

Furthermore, I can also report the following, for example, it eats from my hand, reacts almost instantly to my hand signals, etc.

Brief species description:

Genus: Mastacembelus

Species: moorii

Trade name: Tanganyika spiny eel

Continent, Lake: East Africa, Lake Tanganyika (endemic)

Tank size: min. 200, better 250 - 400 cm length, 60-80 cm depth

Water temperature: 22 - 26 °C

pH value: 7.5 - 9.0

Max. size: 45-50 cm, maybe even more

Diet: Frozen food, live food (mussel meat, krill, crab pieces, (if smelt, feed rarely))

They do not accept flakes, granules, or similar food!

Hunting behavior: They hunt and eat everything that fits into their mouth or can be overpowered.

Keeping: Compatible with large cichlids, nocturnal.

Tank setup: Make the tank eel-proof! These animals "climb" out of the tank if they can. They are very curious!

If you have any questions, I am happy to help.

Best regards, Manfred