Tessellate eel (Gymnothorax favagineus) care guide

Group
Marine fish
Other names
Laced moray, Tessellate moray, Leopard moray, Honeycomb moray
Family
Muraenidae (moray eels)
Origin
Indo-West Pacific, East Africa and Red Sea to Papua New Guinea, Japan to the Great Barrier Reef; outer reef slopes at 1–45 m
Water
saltwater
Maximum size
300 cm
Temperature
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Hardness
Salinity SG 1.020–1.025
Care level
expert
Temperament
aggressive
Reef safe
no

Care

A huge moray patterned with a black honeycomb on a pale background, reaching 3 m. It rests in crevices by day and hunts at night; large adults can be aggressive. Morays have poor eyesight and find food by smell, so feed with tongs rather than fingers; a bite can be deep and may become infected. Fit a tight lid with every gap closed, as eels are expert escape artists. Water figures here are general marine aquarium guidance, not species-specific: 24–27 °C, pH 8.1–8.4, salinity SG 1.020–1.025. Adults grow far too large for home aquaria and are for public-aquarium-sized systems; no home tank size is given. Selling: our policies require the adult size and long-term tank needs to be stated clearly in the listing. Large fish must travel by a specialist live-animal courier (see the Livestock shipping guide). Sources: Wikipedia, List of marine aquarium fish species (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listofmarineaquariumfishspecies); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacedmoray). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Carnivorous, eating mainly small fish and octopus or squid.

Breeding

Breeding in home aquaria has not been reported in the sources used here.

Compatibility and tank mates

Not reef safe. Will eat any fish it can swallow.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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