Blue Ribbon Eel Care Guide
Rhinomuraena quaesita is an Indo-Pacific moray and protandric hermaphrodite that changes colour with sex; it is notoriously difficult to feed in captivity.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Rhinomuraena quaesita is a slender moray of the family Muraenidae, instantly recognisable by its ribbon-like body, expanded leaf-like nostrils and flared lower jaw. Colour tracks both age and sex: juveniles are jet black with a yellow dorsal fin, mature males show vivid blue with a yellow jaw, and females become almost entirely yellow. The species is a protandric hermaphrodite, with males reversing sex to become females.
Taxonomy
- Family: Muraenidae
- Genus: Rhinomuraena
- Scientific name: Rhinomuraena quaesita
- Order: Anguilliformes
Habitat
The species ranges across the tropical Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to the Tuamotu Islands, north to southern Japan and south to New Caledonia and French Polynesia. It is a reef-associated, non-migratory fish of lagoon and seaward reefs, recorded from about 1 to 67 m depth. Individuals are secretive, typically buried in sand or rubble with only the head exposed.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 500 L
- Temperature: 24-27 °C (75-81 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Salinity: SG 1.024-1.026
- Carbonate hardness: 8-12 dKH
- Lifespan: up to ~20 years in the wild
- Substrate: deep sand bed for burrowing; a secure, escape-proof lid
Diet
In the wild Rhinomuraena quaesita is a piscivore that feeds on small fishes. This narrow diet underlies its poor captive survival: most specimens refuse food after capture, and many do not survive beyond a year in home aquaria. When feeding can be initiated, small meaty marine items are offered every two to three days.
Compatibility
The eel is peaceful but a bottom-dwelling predator. It is kept in fish-only systems, avoiding small fish that could be eaten and aggressive or competitive tankmates that may outcompete it for food. Stable, high water quality is essential.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2009). The species is taken by commercial fisheries and the marine aquarium trade.
Blue Ribbon Eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita) Breeding Guide
Overview
Rhinomuraena quaesita is a moray of the Indo-Pacific, recorded from East Africa to southern Japan, Australia and French Polynesia at depths of 1-57 m. It is a protandric hermaphrodite, changing from jet-black juveniles to blue males and finally to yellow females, and is notoriously difficult to keep, with most captive specimens dying within a year. It is not bred in home aquariums.
Sex Change and Reproduction
This species is generally considered a protandric hermaphrodite, transforming from male to female. Wikipedia describes how a male develops reproductive organs, lays eggs and then dies within roughly one month of completing this transition; blue males measure about 65-94 cm while yellow females reach up to 130 cm. This compressed, terminal reproductive phase is unusual among moray eels.
The Leptocephalus Larva
Larval ribbon eels are described as a large, greenish leptocephalus — the flattened, transparent, leaf-like larval form typical of eels. Leptocephalus larvae have a prolonged planktonic life and highly specialised feeding requirements, and rearing them is not achievable in a home aquarium, which is the central reason the species is not propagated outside rare public-aquarium events.
Why It Is Not Home-Bred
Spawning has occurred at some European and North American public aquariums, but most captive specimens die within one year after refusing all food, so simply maintaining a healthy long-term individual is already exceptional. Combined with the protandric, short terminal reproductive window and the unrearable leptocephalus larva, this places breeding entirely beyond the home aquarist.