Zebra Spiny Eel (Macrognathus zebrinus) Care Guide
Macrognathus zebrinus is a Burmese spiny eel patterned with thin dark vertical bars, reaching up to about 46 cm.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Macrognathus zebrinus, the zebra spiny eel, is an elongated freshwater fish of the family Mastacembelidae from Myanmar. Its body bears a series of thin, dark vertical bars with pale outlines, and the caudal fin is marked with small black spots.
Taxonomy
- Family: Mastacembelidae
- Genus: Macrognathus
- Scientific name: Macrognathus zebrinus
Habitat
FishBase records the species from the Irrawaddy, Sittang and Salween rivers in Myanmar, with reports from Indonesia. It is a benthopelagic freshwater fish.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 250 L
- Temperature: 22-28 °C (72-82 °F)
- pH: 6.5-7.5
- GH: 5-15 °dGH
- Lifespan: 8-12 years
- Substrate: sand (for burrowing)
Diet
The zebra spiny eel is a carnivore. In the aquarium it is fed roughly every two days on meaty and live foods; it can be a robust feeder once acclimatised.
Compatibility
This is a peaceful, crepuscular bottom-dweller. Larger barbs make suitable companions, while tiny nano fish and shrimp should be avoided as they may be eaten.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2010).
Breeding the Zebra Spiny Eel (Macrognathus zebrinus)
Overview
The Zebra Spiny Eel (Macrognathus zebrinus) is a mastacembelid of the Irrawaddy, Sittang and Salween rivers in Myanmar, also reported from Indonesia, reaching about 46 cm TL. It is a freshwater, bottom-dwelling species patterned with thin, pale-outlined dark vertical bars and a striped caudal fin, and is listed Least Concern by the IUCN (FishBase).
Sexing
No reliable external sex difference is documented for this species. In spiny eels generally, mature females tend to become plumper than males when in condition, but this is only apparent at sexual maturity.
Conditioning
In the absence of species data, conditioning would follow general spiny-eel practice: a soft sand bed the eel can burrow into, heavy feeding of live and frozen meaty foods, and water around the species' 22-28 C tolerance and near-neutral pH (FishBase).
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
FishBase provides no spawning information for M. zebrinus. Related Asian spiny eels are seasonal, wet-season spawners, and some (such as M. aculeatus) attach eggs among floating-plant roots, but whether M. zebrinus follows the same pattern is unconfirmed and should not be assumed.
Common Challenges
The decisive obstacle is the complete lack of a documented reproductive protocol for the species, on top of the general difficulties of sexing spiny eels and triggering seasonal spawning. Any attempt is experimental.