0pius Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 I have heard many divers talk about morays when they dive around new zealand, Just wondering why they aren't available in the aquarium trade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 have you seen the size they get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0pius Posted February 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 They do get pretty big, however obviously different species differ in size. There is no way I would have one in my tank but was curious as to why they aren't available in the hobby, whereas in Australia and America it is uncommon for fowlr owners like myself to not have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 this one was at wonderworld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 Eels. First off they require a 'special' aquairum, in that they often escape, so it needs tight fitting lids with no holes. No many of us have, or would have a setup like that. The NZ species of Moray (of which there are 5) all grow far to large for a normal modest Aqairum. Also they are temprate, not tropical, which means chillers. Expensive kit that is rare outside of the reef-keepers and their never ending bags of money. Another factor is the Morays in NZ are found in 2 places, The Poor Knights and the Kermadecs. Both of these places are marine reserves and everything in them is protected. I'd love to keep an eel myself, but the hastle of having tight fitting lids makes it all but impossibe. Check out pics of the Red Dragon Headed eel from Hawaii. Its one of the most awesome looking animals in the ocean. They sell for well over 1k USD. Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 this one was at wonderworld That is a ribbon eel, not the same as a moray, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostface Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 Check out pics of the Red Dragon Headed eel from Hawaii. Its one of the most awesome looking animals in the ocean. They sell for well over 1k USD. Pie like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0pius Posted February 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 That picture of a red dragon moray looks awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 :shivers: when I was in the South Pacific I was free swimming with a mask when a 5 foot green Moray came charging at me out of the reef. :bounce: :bounce: I pretty much ran across the water back to shore screaming the whole way. :bounce: :bounce: This drew a crowd and I was soon settled down and explained that his name was "Wally" and he was a tourist attraction at the local Big Tourist Resort. Later on I even fed this amazing creature but was warned over and over again to never trust him as he could take off a finger (or even a hand) without a thought. Would love to have a snowflake moray in a tank some day though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kookie Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 I've come face to face with a moray eel before. When I was scuba diving off Motiti Island in the BOP. It was very large (even without goggles magnification) and I'm guessing it was an oldie. It just sat half in and half out of its cave, swaying in the current, watching me. Its mouth was big enough to remove a hand. The half you could see was almost as long as my arm. It was awesome to hang mid water, face to face with this creature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 that red dragon is pretty damn cool :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikan Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 You actually find morays are distributed more widely than poor knights and kermadecs. They do require a good habitat in order to be happy otherwise they will try to escape. We have a few yellow mottled morays at work in a 500l tank it has no top on it but they are happy and are feed everyday. Really cool animal and are placid never known a diver to ever be bitten by one. Pretty ugly though only a mother could love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0pius Posted February 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Have you got any pictures of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0pius Posted February 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 The only picture I could find of a mottled moray was a drawing on fishbase are your morays Chlopsis dentatus or G. undulatus. They still look pretty interesting though. If your interested: http://www.uga.edu/cuda/thatsamoray.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 HERE ARE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0pius Posted February 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 That is pretty ugly compared to that red dragon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 yes i reckon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 heres the link http://www.divenz.co.nz/Fish/Eels.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikan Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Best book for images and NZ species info is 'Coastal Fishes of New Zealand' By Malcom Francis. Haven't found anything better, great book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Agree, great book. I think its at 3rd edition. Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 One of the shops here in Anchorage had a small Snowflake Moray, I don't remember the exact price, but it was somewhere around $75 NZ! Got a pic of this stunning looking fish, I don't know what exactly it was. Looked sorta like a little black batfish with really high top and bottom with a ring of orange all around its body. Man, so many cool animals, I never appreciated it when I lived here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 IRA are you on holiday? And yes that would be juv bat fish. The grow MEGA fast and don't look as nice when larger but are cool in big shoals (you would need a 1 brazillian litre tank though). Pieman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warick hearn Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 If you go to Auckland museum they have a huge yellow morey eel in a marine tank....he just sits there and steers at you from under the rocks....they also have a great reef tank... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted February 22, 2006 Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 IRA are you on holiday? And yes that would be juv bat fish. The grow MEGA fast and don't look as nice when larger but are cool in big shoals (you would need a 1 brazillian litre tank though). Pieman Yup. I'll be home March 3rd. I'm pretty disappointed with equipment here though, not much more than pumps and filters. Picked up 300 grams of strontium powder for $12nz though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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