FreshwaterBrackish
Zig-zag eel
Mastacembelus armatus
Mastacembelidae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 90 cm
- Body shape
- Elongated
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 15,289 liters
- Diet
- Missing
Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.
Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, and 6 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Adults live in highland streams to lowland wetlands. Usually found in streams and rivers with sand, pebble, or boulder substrate. They seldom leave the bottom except when disturbed. Also occur in still waters, both in coastal marshes and dry zone tanks. Sometimes stays partially buried in fine substrate. Enter flooded forest. Reported to occur in areas with rocky bottoms in the Mekong mainstream during the dry season, but enter canals, lakes and other floodplain areas during the flood season. Forages at night on benthic insect larvae, worms and some submerged plant material. Common during the summer months. Marketed fresh and frequently seen in the aquarium trade. Economic important species, both food and aquarium trades.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Macrognathus armatus
- Macrognathus caudatus
- Macrognathus hamiltoni
- Macrognathus hamiltonii
- Macrognathus undulatus
- Mastacembelus armatus armatus
In other languages
- Beväpnad Pilnäbb
- Almindelig snabelål
- Kirjopuikkokala
- Marbled spiny eel, Spiny eel, Tire-track eel, Tire-track spiny eel, Tire-track spinyeel, Tiretrack eel, Zigzag eel
Articles
All articles
Fish that get along4 min read
Temperament, fin nippers, fish that eat other fish, and fish that need the same water. And what the Harmony mark in the app means.
How to set up an Asian aquarium5 min read
Two aquariums from Southeast Asia: calm forest streams and peat swamps with soft, brown water, and fast mountain streams with cool, oxygen-rich water.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.