Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Not Suitable for Fish-Only Tank
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: East Africa to the Hawaiian and Marquesas Islands, north to Southern Japan, and south to New South Wales.
Size: 24 inches (60 cm)
Natural Environment: Burrows into sandy areas in lagoons and near coastal reefs and has a depth range of about 3 to 25 feet (1 – 8 m) and at night, its head protrudes from the sand, but by day, only the tip of its snout or the top of its head protrudes from the sand or mud. Basically feeds on smaller fishes and crustaceans in evening and daytime hours.
General Husbandry: Has a whitish body with wide brown bands. Not collected for the trade.
Taxonomy:
Order: Anguilliformes
Suborder: Congroidei
Family: Ophichthidae
Subfamily: Ophichthinae
Genus: Leiuranus
FYI: Those in this genus are termed ‘Snake Eels’ and are nasty looking and quite secretive, residing buried in the sand or mud with only their head showing while awaiting a tasty meal to come close enough to be captured and eaten. They require at a minimum, very deep fine sandbeds, e.g., 6 – 10 inches (15 – 25 cm), more if a large species, and tankmates large enough not to be eaten. Basically unsuitable for the average home aquarium as they require live foods and an environment tuned to their needs, e.g., far more area than what would be given a moray eel two to three times their size, and containing little decor.
Shown here for identification only.
