Moray Not So Innocent Now

[kewskills]

Well as some may know i got a very small baby moray to other week, well he has settled in now, i tong feed him because i know then that he is eating, well the little sod now tries to bite me, obviously the mussels and fish that i have are not big or tasty enough, so my fingers are on the menu. he is getting closer to my fingers everyday.

 

[nmonks]

As I've said before, moray eels bite, and their bites are potentially dangerous. How dangerous? Do see the photos at the bottom of Marco Lichtenberger's article here. Besides immediate trauma and loss of tissue, moray bites are apparently venomous at some level, and more importantly, any wounds are very prone to secondary infections.

In short: no-one in their right mind should be putting their hands in a moray tank to feed that fish. Even when cleaning the tank, you should have a protocol of some sort that ensures the moray is kept well away, for example by trapping it in a cave with a net, or having a friend observe the eel while you work.

Cheers, Neale

 

[kewskills]

Well now I know he is definitely eating and happy, I have no need to do this anymore. He is a fantastic fish to watch though, so full of character, very glad I got him.
Those photos are nasty, Thanks for the advice as always.

Cheers, Karl

As I've said before, moray eels bite, and their bites are potentially dangerous. How dangerous? Do see the photos at the bottom of Marco Lichtenberger's article here. Besides immediate trauma and loss of tissue, moray bites are apparently venomous at some level, and more importantly, any wounds are very prone to secondary infections.

In short: no-one in their right mind should be putting their hands in a moray tank to feed that fish. Even when cleaning the tank, you should have a protocol of some sort that ensures the moray is kept well away, for example by trapping it in a cave with a net, or having a friend observe the eel while you work.

Cheers, Neale

 

[nmonks]

The thing with morays is, despite having eyes, they are almost blind. They hunt by smell, and if the juice from the prawn gets onto your fingertips, they can't resolve between the food item and your hand. I agree that hand-feeding fish often helps during the settling in period, but with morays I'd be a bit more circumspect. Either use long forceps, or else those long, thin wooden skewers used for making kebabs. Stick the food on the end, and hand feed to your heart's delight, keeping the food well away from your actual hand.

Cheers, Neale

 

[kewskills]

I am using 12" forceps to feed, he shoots straight past the food towards my fingers, maybe they smell nicer, or he is just so excited he over shoots his target. I know i will be much more careful, he is small but could still do some damage.

Cheers, Karl

The thing with morays is, despite having eyes, they are almost blind. They hunt by smell, and if the juice from the prawn gets onto your fingertips, they can't resolve between the food item and your hand. I agree that hand-feeding fish often helps during the settling in period, but with morays I'd be a bit more circumspect. Either use long forceps, or else those long, thin wooden skewers used for making kebabs. Stick the food on the end, and hand feed to your heart's delight, keeping the food well away from your actual hand.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Jelly]

I think you should get another one . It good to see he has come out of his shell. It was very cool seeing him take that bit of Mussel from the tongues the first time. I want one.

That pic in the link is nasty.

 

[kewskills]

Nice to see you on this forum again Jelly, next time you are round you can feed him by hand of course

Definitely need 1 or 2 more

I think you should get another one . It good to see he has come out of his shell. It was very cool seeing him take that bit of Mussel from the tongues the first time. I want one.

 

[simonas]

Hi Karl

I've kept two together for a year now and they are fine together plus they look good the way they intertwine in the feeding frnzy!! they go mad at feeding time its amusing to watch

oh and the bites hurt!!! or at least my elbow did when I whacked it on something from the shock of being bit and jumping like a girl!!

 

[Honeythorn]

I don't usually come in here but I was browsing and saw this... My Grandfather had a Moray in a big tank in the hall, and used to hand feed the fish. It would come right to the surface and take it gently from his fingers, and he also used to let me feed it by hand ( the tail end of a goldfish ) I knew they had teeth and could easily bite but I wasn't expecting to see what was depicted in that picture!!!!! BAD GRANDAD! I can't believe I fed that thing now!

 

[andywg]

That picture is a bite from a large green moray (Gymnothorax funebris, a fish that gets to some 2.5 metres in length and is reported to reach 29 kg. Getting a bite such as that is not that likely from a home kept moray.

 

[nmonks]

Hi Andy,

The point to the picture isn't so much the initial trauma caused by the size of the jaws, but the scope for secondary infections caused by bacteria in the tank or the jaws of the fish.

Cheers, Neale

That picture is a bite from a large green moray (Gymnothorax funebris, a fish that gets to some 2.5 metres in length and is reported to reach 29 kg. Getting a bite such as that is not that likely from a home kept moray.

 

[andywg]

Hi Andy,

The point to the picture isn't so much the initial trauma caused by the size of the jaws, but the scope for secondary infections caused by bacteria in the tank or the jaws of the fish.

Cheers, Neale

I am aware of this, yet the poster above me was expressing shock at the initial trauma. I was pointing out that very few people have the ability to house full grown green morays (which are one of the more nasty morays you will find).

I must admit to being somewhat of a risk taker when keeping fish, not to mention that one of my morays will only hand feed and will not take food from the floor or from a feeding stick. As such I have little option but to put my hand in the tank, though I do make sure that the snowflake (E. nebulosa) is not about before feeding the white ribbon eel. Even with blunt teeth I believe he has managed to surprise me and give a nasty bite (though it is possible I was bitten by the porcupinefish or trigger).

Were I to keep anything from the Enchelycore or Gymnothorax genera then I would probably take more care.

As an aside, I am interested to note that the morays produce the toxins themselves rather than through eating organisms. Should we take this to mean that they definitely retain the toxins in captivity unlike most Tetraodontiformes?