Powell's False Moray

Where they come from

Powell's False Moray is a shy, eel-like fish from the cooler side of the southwest Pacific. Think New Zealand and outlying islands, hugging rocky reefs, surge channels, and boulder piles. You almost never see the whole fish in the wild - just a head peeking from a tight crack at dusk.

Setting up their tank

If you have kept tropical morays, treat this one like a smaller, sneakier cousin that prefers cooler water and narrower crevices. I kept mine for 3 years in a 120-gallon system with a chiller and a maze of rock and PVC tunnels.

• Tank size: 75 gallons minimum for one adult. A 4-foot footprint lets you build a proper cave network.
• Temperature: 64-72 F (18-22 C). A chiller makes life easier if your room runs warm.
• Salinity and chemistry: 1.024-1.026, pH 8.0-8.4, stable alkalinity. Keep oxygen high.
• Aquascape: Secure rock stacks with lots of narrow cracks (1-1.5 in). Use epoxy/zip ties so nothing shifts.
• Substrate: Sand with some rubble to wedge into cave mouths.
• Hides: PVC pipes (1-1.5 in ID) buried under rock work great. Tee pieces make multi-entrance dens.
• Flow and light: Strong, oxygen-rich flow with calm pockets inside caves. Keep lighting on the dimmer side or give plenty of shaded areas.

Quarantine helps a lot with these secretive eels. Set up a QT with a snug hide, dim light, and a tight lid. Acclimate slowly, keep lights low, and do the first feed after lights out.

What to feed them

In the wild they pick off tiny fishes, shrimp, and worms. In a tank, the trick is getting them to recognize non-living food and not stuffing them so full they regurgitate later.

• Staples: thawed shrimp pieces, squid strips, scallop, silversides, sand lance, mussel.
• Transition foods: live ghost shrimp or small shore crabs to wake up their hunting response, then switch to tongs-fed frozen.
• Size and frequency: small pieces (0.5-1 in), 3-4 times per week. Juveniles can take smaller portions more often.
• Supplements: soak foods in a vitamin/HUFA mix a couple times a week.

Pull any uneaten bits. These eels will sometimes swallow too big a piece and spit it out an hour later, which can foul the water in a closed cave.

How they behave and who they get along with

Most of the day you will see a face and maybe part of a neck. They cruise more at dusk. Mine was peaceful toward fish it could not swallow, but anything bite-sized is on the menu.

• Reef with caution: corals are safe, but ornamental shrimp, tiny crabs, and very small fish are food.
• Good tankmates: mid-size wrasses (not the psycho ones), tangs, rabbitfish, larger hawkfish, larger damsels/sergeants, bigger blennies and angels that ignore it.
• Avoid: triggers and puffers that nip, large groupers that bully, lionfish that compete at night, and other eels in tight quarters.
• Keep one per tank unless the system is big and riddled with separate caves. They can get territorial with similar eel-shaped fish.

Breeding tips

Realistically, captive breeding is out of reach. Like other eels, they have a long leptocephalus larval stage that drifts in the open ocean. No hobbyist (or public aquarium, to my knowledge) has closed the life cycle. If you ever see courtship, take notes and footage - it would be a first.

Common problems to watch for

• Escapes: number one cause of losses. Double-check lids and overflow guards after any maintenance.
• Not eating: give it a tighter den, dim the lights, and try live ghost shrimp to start. Then scent-soaked thawed foods on tongs.
• Regurgitation: usually from oversized meals or stress. Feed smaller pieces and keep the tank quiet after meals.
• Mouth abrasions: from panicking and scraping rock or screens. Offer smoother den entrances (PVC rims sanded smooth) and keep handling to a minimum.
• Internal worms and flukes: very common in wild eels. Praziquantel in QT is your friend.
• Heat stress and low oxygen: they sulk and go off food if kept too warm or in stagnant water. Add aeration and keep temps in the 60s-70s F.