Fish
Mastacembelus favus
Mastacembelus favus
Origin: Mastacembelus favus comes from Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and the Mekong basin (Laos, Cambodia, southern Vietnam). It inhabits rivers with flow and soft bottoms, burrowing into the substrate or hiding in cover by day.
Also known as: White-spotted spiny eel, Zig-zag eel, Mastacembelus favus
Fact sheet
- Size
- 50 cm
- Lifespan
- 10 years
- Minimum tank size
- 400 L
- Temperature
- 24–28 °C
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
- Hardness GH
- 5–20 °dH
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swimming zone
- Bottom
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Jumps out
- Yes
- Eats plants
- No
Overview
Mastacembelus favus is a large spiny eel often confused with Mastacembelus armatus. It is distinguished by a light brown body with a net-like mosaic pattern of dark spots and rings resembling a tyre track. It is a nocturnal bottom predator that needs a spacious tank with soft substrate and cover. It hides by day and comes out to hunt at dusk. It is peaceful toward large fish but eats small ones. Like other spiny eels it readily escapes an uncovered tank.
Appearance
The body is strongly elongated and snake-like, up to 50 cm long. Colour is light brown with a contrasting dark net-and-spot pattern forming rings and a mosaic over the whole body. The snout is drawn out into a mobile proboscis. The dorsal and anal fins are long; a row of short spines precedes the dorsal.
Care
A tank of at least 400 L with soft sandy substrate, cover, and a sealed lid. Temperature 24–28 °C, pH 6.5–7.5, hardness GH 5–20. Powerful filtration, flow, and clean water are needed. Sharp substrate is contraindicated — the fish burrows.
Feeding
A nocturnal predator. It takes live and frozen foods — earthworms, shrimp, bloodworm, and pieces of fish. It can be trained onto sinking carnivore pellets. Feed in the evening, 3–4 times a week.
Compatibility
Peaceful toward large similarly sized fish, it eats small ones. Companions are big calm species. Clashes over cover are possible with its own kind. It needs open space near the bottom.
Breeding
Breeding is not documented in captivity. In nature spawning occurs in the rainy season. Fish in trade are usually wild-caught.
Fun facts
Mastacembelus favus was long considered a variant of armatus, but genetic data confirm it as a distinct species. It is told from armatus by its net-mosaic rather than zig-zag pattern. Both are sold under the common name tire-track eel.