Gymnothorax gracilicaudus

Jenkins, 1903

Slendertail Moray

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean:Western Australia east to Tuamotu, Line, and Hawaiian Islands, and also the Carolines and Marianas and the Great Barrier Reef.

Size: 12 inches (30 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow lagoons reefs, reef faces and fore-reef slopes at depths between 6 to about 80 feet (2 – 20 m) and stays under rocks and/or in caves during daytime and hunts prey during evening hours when it feeds mainly on smaller fishes and crustaceans.

General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade, having a whitish body with brown bars on the dorsal fin, and on the frontal body, and brown blotches on the aft body.

Best maintained in a dimly lit aquarium having live rock, hiding places/caves, and tankmates large enough not to be eaten.

As to diet, fresh fish and/or crustacean flesh impaled on a long feeding stick and waved near its head, which usually sticks out of a hiding area, will entice it to grab the food and should be offered twice weekly.

Taxonomy:

Order: Anguilliformes

Suborder: Muraenoidei

Family: Muraenidae

Subfamily: Muraeninae

Genus: Gymnothorax

FYI: Avoid hand feeding!

Highly secretive.

One of the smaller, and easy to maintain morays.

May be difficult to get feeding, if so, try feeding live ghost/grass shrimp and/or small crabs, e.g., fiddler crabs.

Aquarium must be covered, as they can get out of the aquarium through very small openings. Its an escape artist.

Rockwork in the aquarium should be quite stable, as they can undermine rock structures and cause their collapse.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Temperament: Semi-aggressive

Diet: Carnivore

Coral Safe: Yes

Fish Safe: With caution

Invertebrate Safe: With caution

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium

Tankmates: Semi-aggressive

Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons

Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 – 28°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5