Snake eel
Cirrhimuraena cheilopogon
The Snake eel exhibits a slender, elongated body with a distinctive dark brown to yellow mottled pattern and a long, pointed snout.
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About the Snake eel
A shy sand-burrower from Papua New Guinea, this snake eel spends most of the day hidden with just its head poking out like a little periscope. It is a specialist predator and a serious escape artist, so it needs deep sand and a rock-solid lid if anyone ever attempts it in a tank.
Quick Facts
Size
approximately 40-55 cm (inferred from congeners)
Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Difficulty
Expert
Min Tank Size
75 gallons
Lifespan
10-15 years
Origin
Western Pacific (Papua New Guinea)
Diet
Carnivore - small fish and crustaceans; accepts meaty marine foods
Water Parameters
22-26°C
8-8.4
8-20 dGH
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This species needs 22-26°C in a 75 gallon tank. Use our heater calculator to find the right wattage.
Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- This species hits 24-30 in, so plan for 120g+ with a 5-6 ft footprint. Give it 4-6 in of sugar-fine sand and set rock on the glass or PVC so burrows do not topple the scape.
- Make the lid jail-tight - seal every opening and cover overflow teeth; they can slip through 1/2 in gaps and climb weirs.
- Run 1.025 SG, 76-79 F, pH 8.1-8.4, 8-11 dKH, nitrate under 20, and strong aeration. Keep moderate flow but leave calm sandy zones for burrowing.
- Kickstart feeding at dusk with live ghost shrimp or small prawns, then switch to tong-fed thawed shrimp, squid, scallop, and the occasional silverside. Rotate foods and use a vitamin soak; skip freshwater feeders.
- Feed 2-3 times a week in modest chunks until you see a slight belly curve; they may fast after shipping, so keep offering without digging them up.
- Tankmates: good with larger, laid-back fish like tangs, rabbitfish, and big wrasses. Skip ornamental shrimp and tiny fish, and avoid triggers, puffers, big groupers, and other eels that may harass or outcompete.
- No copper or harsh meds in the display; quarantine separately and if treatment is needed, stick to eel-friendly options like praziquantel. Use tongs only - they strike fast and can nip fingers.
- Breeding is a no-go in home tanks; they are pelagic spawners with leptocephalus larvae, so keep just one and do not expect pairing.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Active midwater grazers like tangs and surgeonfish - they ignore a burrowed snake eel and are way too big to be a snack
- Sturdy large angelfish and butterflies - plenty of size and attitude, but they do not mess with an eel in the sand
- Halichoeres and big Thalassoma wrasses - boisterous, fast, and not tail-nippers when the eel peeks out
- Rabbitfish and foxfaces - chill algae eaters that keep to the midwater and leave burrowers alone
- Hawkfish and full-sized clownfish pairs - chunky enough not to vanish at lights-out
- Lionfish of similar or larger size - both are ambush predators and usually ignore each other if nobody fits in anybody's mouth
Avoid
- Tiny bottom dwellers and sleepers like gobies, dartfish, firefish, and jawfish - prime night-time snacks for a hunting snake eel
- Delicate or slow pickers like mandarins, seahorses, and pipefish - get outcompeted for food and risk a grab after dark
- Nippy aggressors such as triggers and big puffers - they chew on exposed eel tails and faces, constant stress
- Huge vacuum-mouth predators like large groupers or snappers - may try to swallow or bully a slender eel
Where they come from
Cirrhimuraena cheilopogon is a true snake eel from the Indo-Pacific. Think sandy reef flats, lagoon edges, and seagrass patches. They spend most of their time buried with just the face sticking out, watching for passing snacks at dusk and through the night.
Setting up their tank
Give them room and a place to dig. A single adult needs a long tank, 120 gallons or more. They can hit 2+ feet, and they use the footprint more than the height. Keep the aquascape open so they can cruise along the bottom and find burrow spots.
- Substrate: fine, sugar-grain aragonite. No sharp crushed coral. Aim for 3-4 in across most of the floor, and create a 6-8 in deep zone if you can.
- Rockwork: set rock on the glass or on PVC/egg crate, then add sand. Do not let them undermine a pile and cause a collapse.
- Lid: absolute must. Tight-fitting top, mesh over overflow teeth, plug every cable gap. They are escape artists.
- Flow and light: moderate flow, not blasting the sand. They are crepuscular/nocturnal, so keep bright lights from hitting their burrow zone all day.
- Filtration: they are messy meaty eaters. Strong skimmer, decent mechanical filtration, and stay on top of detritus in low-flow corners.
- Intakes: guard powerheads and weir inlets with foam or mesh so a curious eel nose does not get sucked in.
Deep-sand box trick: place a rimless plastic container or acrylic box on the bottom, fill with very fine sand 6-8 in deep, then surround it with your normal 2-3 in bed. The eel will choose the deep spot, and you do not have to run a deep bed everywhere.
They like pre-dug hideouts. Bury a few lengths of 1-1.5 in PVC at shallow angles with the openings just peeking out. They will claim one fast, which makes target-feeding easier.
What to feed them
Think meaty and smelly. Getting a new snake eel to eat is the hardest part. Many arrive only interested in live prey. You can usually switch them to frozen if you are patient and feed at night.
- Good foods: silversides, sand eels, raw shrimp, squid strips, scallop, krill, and pieces of marine fish.
- Live starters (short term only): gut-loaded ghost/grass shrimp, small crabs. Use sparingly to avoid bad habits and parasites.
- Tools: long tongs or a feeding stick. Wiggle the food right at the burrow entrance.
Turn off pumps, wait 30 seconds for the water to settle, and present the food right where the eel is watching. If it refuses, try again after lights out with room lights dim. Consistency wins this game.
Clam-on-the-half-shell is a great icebreaker. Set it near the burrow to scent the area. Once the eel starts tasting, switch to tongs with small pieces.
- Feeding rhythm: 3-4 times per week for adults, small portions. Juveniles can eat a bit more often.
- Vitamins: soak frozen items in a marine vitamin mix once or twice a week to avoid deficiencies.
- Avoid: freshwater feeders like goldfish/rosy reds. Poor nutrition and disease risk.
How they behave and who they get along with
Most of the day you will see a face and two curious eyes. They are shy at first, but once they learn your feeding routine, they will snake out further. They hunt by smell more than sight.
- Safe bets: larger, confident but non-bully fish like tangs, rabbitfish, foxfaces, larger wrasses that are not eel-pickers.
- Maybe: peaceful groupers and hawkfish if sizes are well matched.
- Not safe: small gobies, dartfish, firefish, ornamental shrimp and small crabs. They are food.
- Avoid: triggers, big puffers, and eel-nipping wrasses. They may harass or injure the eel.
If you keep more than one burrowing eel, give them separate, spaced burrows. They can squabble over tubes, especially at feeding time.
Breeding tips
Not something you are going to pull off at home. Snake eels are pelagic spawners, and their larvae are the transparent leaf-like leptocephalus stage that drifts for a long time. That rearing phase is outside hobby reach. Enjoy your eel as a single specimen.
Common problems to watch for
- Refusal to eat: the big one. Try night feedings, stronger-scent foods, and the clam trick. Keep tankmates from stealing all the food.
- Escapes: they will find any gap. Weight the lid and mesh the overflow. Check after maintenance.
- Injuries from substrate: coarse, sharp beds scrape their skin. Switch to fine sand.
- Undermined rocks: they dig under structures. Place rocks on the bottom before sand.
- Intestinal parasites: common in wild eels. A round of praziquantel in quarantine helps. Work with a vet if you can.
- Medication sensitivity: eels do not like copper or formalin. Treat disease in a separate tank with eel-safe options.
- Water quality swings: meaty foods spike nutrients. Keep up on export and do not overfeed.
Never net a snake eel. They twist and tangle, and you can damage the jaw. Herd it into a PVC tube or a specimen container for moves.
Acclimation routine that works: blackout the tank, float and temperature-match, then a slow drip for 45-60 minutes. Add the eel with a container or tube right in front of a pre-made burrow and leave the lights low for the rest of the day.
Set a consistent feeding spot near the eel's chosen burrow. They learn fast, and it keeps the tank clean because you can siphon leftovers from one area.
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