Evermann's snake eel
Ophichthus lithinus
Evermann's snake eel exhibits a long, slender body with a pale yellow-brown coloration and distinctive dark speckles along its sides.
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About the Evermann's snake eel
A long, snake-like burrower that spends most of its time hidden in sand or mud with just the head peeking out, waiting to ambush snacks. It gets big and is a total escape artist, so it needs a deep sand bed and a rock-solid lid if anyone ever tries it in a tank.
Also known as
Quick Facts
Size
148 cm TL
Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Difficulty
Expert
Min Tank Size
180 gallons
Lifespan
10-20 years (estimated; species-specific data limited)
Origin
Indo-West Pacific
Diet
Carnivore - fish, crustaceans, cephalopods
Water Parameters
23-29°C
8.1-8.4
80-110 dGH
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This species needs 23-29°C in a 180 gallon tank. Use our heater calculator to find the right wattage.
Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- Plan big: this snake eel can exceed 24 inches, so think 180+ gallons with a 6 ft footprint and a 4-6 inch bed of fine sand for burrowing; set rocks on the glass before sand so it can't collapse your scape.
- Seal the tank like Fort Knox - cover every gap in the lid, overflow teeth, and powerhead intakes with mesh; if a pencil fits, the eel fits.
- Run 1.024-1.026 SG, 75-78 F, pH 8.1-8.4, with 0 ammonia/nitrite and nitrate under 20 ppm; strong surface agitation or an airstone helps keep oxygen up for this burrower.
- Feed at dusk with tongs right at the burrow entrance: start with live ghost shrimp or saltwater prawns to get it going, then switch to thawed chunks of shrimp, squid, or fish every 2-3 days.
- Skip ornamental shrimp, crabs, and any fish it can fit in its mouth; choose larger, calm tankmates that won't bully it or outcompete it (tangs, rabbitfish, bigger wrasses), and don't worry about pairing because breeding in home tanks isn't happening.
- Quarantine new arrivals and avoid copper on the eel - they are scaleless and react badly; use observation and non-copper treatments instead, and medicate in a separate tank if needed.
- Move it with a large PVC tube and give a similar tube partly buried as a starter burrow; never net it, and keep lights low for the first few days to reduce stress.
- Watch for weight loss or regurgitation: if it refuses food, double-check water quality, try smaller prey or live offerings, and avoid stuffing huge meals.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Bigger midwater cruisers like tangs and rabbitfish that ignore the sandbed and are way too big to be a snack
- Chunky, confident angels (Genicanthus, Pomacanthus) that dont nip and wont mess with a burrow
- Halichoeres-type wrasses that are active but not nippy; they leave the eel alone
- Squirrelfish and soldierfish that hang in caves and keep to themselves at night
- Adult hawkfish that perch and watch the world, not small enough to fit in the eels mouth
Avoid
- Tiny or slender fish that look like snacks: gobies, firefish, dartfish, little blennies
- Nippy bruisers like triggers and big puffers that bite long bodies and faces
- Slow, delicate swimmers with flowy fins like seahorses and pipefish
- Ambush predators like anglers/frogfish that can inhale the eel or bait it into a bad move
Where they come from
Evermann's snake eel (Ophichthus lithinus) is an Indo-Pacific burrower. You find them on sandy and muddy bottoms from coastal shallows out onto soft-sediment reefs. By day they sit buried with just a head poking out, and at night they cruise for crustaceans and small fish.
Setting up their tank
Escape artist alert: if there is a gap, they will find it. Cover every opening, overflow teeth, and cable hole. Weight the lid or clip it down.
Plan for an adult length of 24-36 inches. They are slim but long, so footprint and substrate matter more than flashy rock scapes.
- Tank size: 125 gallons is a realistic minimum for a single adult. Bigger is kinder, especially for a deep sandbed.
- Substrate: 4-8 inches of fine, rounded sand (sugar-fine aragonite). Skip crushed coral; it scrapes their skin.
- Burrow support: Half-bury a few lengths of 1.5-2 inch PVC under the sand. They will use them as starter tunnels and it prevents cave-ins.
- Rockwork: Build on the glass or on PVC risers, then add sand. You do not want rock settling onto a buried eel.
- Flow and oxygen: Moderate flow up top, gentle at the bottom so the sand stays put. Run strong aeration/skimming because tight lids cut gas exchange.
- Parameters: 1.023-1.026 SG, 76-80 F (24-27 C), pH 8.0-8.4, stable salinity. Keep nitrate reasonable; they are hardy to nutrients but hate swings.
- Lighting: They prefer dimmer tanks. If you keep bright reef lights, leave shaded zones and a long dusk period.
Quarantine gently. A bare QT stresses them. Use a food-safe tub of fine sand or a sand-filled container plus a short PVC pipe so they can hide. Keep the lid tight there too.
Avoid copper-based meds. Eels are scaleless and react badly. If you must medicate, research eel-safe options and dose conservatively.
What to feed them
They hunt by smell, not sight. Expect some stubbornness at first. Start with movement and scent, then wean to prepared foods.
- Good starters: live ghost/grass shrimp, small crabs, or live marine-sourced fish (if you can source clean).
- Frozen options: silversides, lancefish, raw table shrimp, squid strips, scallop, krill. Vary it so they do not get stuck on one item.
- Tools: use a long feeding stick or tongs. Wiggle the food near their burrow entrance after lights out.
- Supplements: soak foods in a marine vitamin/HUFA mix a couple times a week. Avoid freshwater feeders like goldfish or rosy reds (thiaminase and disease).
- Schedule: juveniles every other day; adults 2-3 times a week. Big meals are tempting, but steady moderate feedings keep their weight right.
If they ignore food, dim the room, cut the pumps for 5-10 minutes, and offer from just outside the burrow. The smell plus still water helps the penny drop.
How they behave and who they get along with
Mostly you will see a curious head with beady eyes. They are nocturnal, calm, and all about their burrow. They are not reef-safe with crustaceans, but they do not bother corals.
- Good tankmates: medium-large fish that do not live on the sand and will not bully them. Think tangs, larger wrasses, rabbitfish, and big angels.
- Borderline: boisterous triggers and puffers. Some leave them alone; others nip at exposed heads. Watch closely.
- Avoid: small fish that sleep on the sand (they can become a midnight snack), shrimp and crabs (will be hunted), other burrowing eels unless the tank is huge. Morays can view them as competition.
- Territory: they claim a patch of sand. Give them a couple of burrow choices and they will settle faster.
Do not hand-feed. They strike fast and have a strong grip. Use tongs and keep fingers away from the burrow entrance.
Breeding tips
Not something you can do at home. Like other true eels, they have a leptocephalus larval stage that drifts in the plankton. No captive spawnings or rearing successes for this species in hobby tanks as far as I know.
Common problems to watch for
- Escapes: the number one killer. Tape, mesh, and foam every gap. Check after any maintenance.
- Refusing food: new arrivals often fast a week or two. Try live crustaceans, feed at night, and reduce foot traffic near the tank. Once they take, slowly switch to frozen.
- Mouth abrasions: rough substrate or chasing food into rock can scrape them up. Use fine sand and feed near the burrow mouth.
- Rock collapses: always place rock before sand. If something shifts, fix it immediately.
- Medication sensitivity: avoid copper and harsh formalin dips. If disease hits, move them to an eel-friendly hospital setup.
- Internal parasites: wild eels sometimes come in with them. A vet-prescribed dewormer mixed into food is the cleanest route; do not shotgun meds in the display.
- Poor oxygen: tight lids and warm water drop O2. Run a skimmer or add an airstone in the sump, and keep surface agitation up.
- Misidentification: many snake eels are sold generically. Double-check adult size and pattern so you are not surprised by a 3-foot sand noodle.
Moving one? Skip nets. Herd the eel head-first into a rigid tube or a fish bag underwater, seal it, and keep it submerged while you guide it. Much less stress and no tangled mesh.
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