Tire Track Eel (Mastacembelus armatus) Care Guide
Mastacembelus armatus is a large Asian spiny eel reaching about 90 cm, marked with a winding tire-track pattern and needing a big tank.
Overview
Mastacembelus armatus, the tire-track or zig-zag eel, is a large elongated freshwater fish of the family Mastacembelidae from Asia. It is marked with a winding dark pattern on the flanks and reaches up to about 90 cm in the wild, though it is typically smaller in captivity.
Taxonomy
- Family: Mastacembelidae
- Genus: Mastacembelus
- Scientific name: Mastacembelus armatus
- Common synonym: Marbled Spiny Eel
Habitat
FishBase records the species from Pakistan to Vietnam and Indonesia. It inhabits highland streams, lowland wetlands, still waters and rivers with sandy, pebbly or rocky beds, occasionally burying in fine substrate and entering flooded forests seasonally. It is found in freshwater and brackish water and is potamodromous.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 600 L
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 6.5-7.5
- GH: 5-15 °dGH
- Lifespan: 10-18 years
- Substrate: sand
Diet
The tire-track eel is a nocturnal carnivore. FishBase reports it consumes benthic insect larvae, worms and some submerged plant material; Wikipedia adds small fish, mollusks and crustaceans. In the aquarium it is offered live and meaty foods roughly every two to three days.
Compatibility
It is a semi-aggressive bottom-dweller, described as aggressive toward members of the same family but peaceful toward other species. Mid-size robust fish make suitable companions, while smaller fish and shrimp should be avoided.
Breeding
In the wild it spawns beneath rocky substrates during the monsoon season. There are no widely documented successful captive-breeding programs.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2019).