Golden Dwarf Moray Eel in Reef: What Fish to Avoid?

[gcgrad]

As the title reads, what fish would you stock in a 300 gallon reef with the dwarf eel and what fish would you avoid? Obviously the smaller the fish the more likely it will get eaten. Just curious on others experiences. Thanks!

[Megistos]

I would avoid putting that species in a 300 gallon. It's way too small. You will likely never see it (they're somewhat cryptic and that's a huge tank) and there's every chance it will escape - it's even more prone to try and escape than most morays, and it's small enough that it can get through just about any opening. I've seen them escape biocubes.

You might consider a high-yellow Goldentail moray (Gymnothorax miliaris). They max out at about 2' and are very mellow-tempered. As far as I can tell mine has never even tried to eat fish tankmates (shrimps are a different matter), but even then anything that is over 3-4" long should be fine.

That being said, if you're still insistent on a golden dwarf, avoid anything tiny, somewhat benthic and/or slow (e.g. mandarins, small jawfish). Also avoid anything large with strong jaws (e.g., triggers) because these eels are small and a nasty bite could take them out. Likewise, eels are very foldable, so a medium-sized gaper like a anglerfish, lionfish or grouper could also eat it.