Zebra moray (Gymnomuraena zebra) care guide

Group
Marine fish
Other names
Echidna zebra
Family
Muraenidae (moray eels)
Origin
Indo-Pacific, East Africa and Red Sea to the Americas, including Hawaii and the Galápagos; shallow reefs to 40 m
Water
saltwater
Maximum size
150 cm
Temperature
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Hardness
Salinity SG 1.020–1.025
Care level
intermediate
Temperament
semi_aggressive
Reef safe
no

Care

A dark moray ringed with many narrow white bands and a short, rounded snout. It is usually about 50 cm but can reach 150 cm, and it hunts actively at night. The list calls it one of the easier morays to keep. Smaller individuals are kept in very large home aquaria, but a full-sized adult needs a public-aquarium-sized system. 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/Zebramoray). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Eats only crustaceans, sea urchins and molluscs, crushing them with blunt teeth. Offer crab, shrimp, mussel and clam.

Breeding

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

Compatibility and tank mates

Not reef safe: it will eat most invertebrates. It is usually safe with most fish because it eats shellfish rather than fish.

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

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