Purplemouth Moray Eel

(Gymnothorax vicinus)

Gymnothorax Eels should be added to large well established aquariums with plenty of stable rock work for hiding. Most Eels are nocturnal and hide in cracks and crevices during the day with only there heads sticking out. Eels will venture out during the evening looking for small fish, invertebrates and crustaceans. Do not attempt to hand feed or stick your hand in the aquarium near Eels as they may bite. When feeding use a long handled tool with meaty foods attached waving in front of them as most Eels have poor eye site. Provide a diet of meaty based foods along with live ghost shrimp, Grass shrimp or crabs. Keep only 1 Eel per aquarium as they can be quite aggressive. Provide an aquarium with a tight fitting lid, Eels have been known to escape.

The Purplemouth Moray Eel are also known as the Brown Conger, Brown Moray, Deepwater Conger or Dusky Mouthed Moray Eel. Rarely seen in the aquarium trade. Purplemouth Moray Eels colors are quite variable. Mostly off white to dark body color with small dark purple to brown spots camouflaging themselves, purple mouth, horizontal dark line on the corner of its mouth and their snout and head sometimes have a purple tint. Juveniles are dark with a their lower jaw being white. They can grow to almost 50".

We recommend a minimum aquarium size of 150 gallons or larger for this species.

Water conditions: Salinity 1.020 - 1.025, Temp (F) 72 - 78, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Alkalinity 8 - 12 dKH

  • Care: CareEasyEasy
  • Behavior: BehaviorAgressiveAgressive
  • Diet: DietLive FoodLive Food
  • Habitat: HabitatReefReef
  • Light: LightMediumMedium