A few questions about Spot Finned Spiny Eels (Macrognathus aculeatus)
I have been keeping a yellow Spot Finned Spiny Eel (Macrognathus aculeatus) for a year. Could I keep 2 of them one male and one female each? Nobody could yet tell me the gender differences. Are spiny eels livebearing, or do they lay eggs?
Hello,
Concerning "pair-housed":
there are no objections in an appropriately large (above 300 liters) and well structured aquarium with plenty of hideaways near the bottom.
Soft bottom ground (sand!), into which the fish can dig themselves, is important. It is individually different how often they do this. However, when they are frightened in an "open area", even specimens that are not shy otherwise may hide themselves so completely in under a second (!) that only the front part of the head remains visible.
Concerning "gender":
this is indeed difficult to tell with spiny eels. It mostly can be seen by the gonopore in adult specimens (best by direct comparison) - that allows recognizing the genders in almost all species. Furthermore, female spiny eels are slightly thicker than males.
Concerning "livebearing or egglayers":
all spiny eel species are egglayers.
Best regards
sera GmbH
Dr. Bodo Schnell