Shalom, greetings my fellow eels lovers!
A new research (2016) by Japanese scientists found out some interesting facts: They caught Echidna Nebulosa at the rivermouth (estuarium) of Tabaru River in Yonaguni, Japan. At the same locale they also caught Gymnothorax Richardsonii and Uropterygius Micropterus. (check page 6,8,9)
This shows that for smaller morays, the barrier between pure saltwater and the brackish estuarium is not a closed barrier, they can go back and forth as they please, and thus finding a supposedly "fully marine" eel in brackish water is not so surprising. That's why my fish procurers often caught E. Nebulosas, G. Richardsoniis, U. Micropteruses and other small moray species in the estuarium; that's because these small morays _do_ enter the brackish water regularly, perhaps for hunting or for escaping larger predators.
However, I believe this phenomenon is not global, perhaps only on certain places such as Yonaguni and Indonesia.
Also, we are talking about their natural habitat. In aquarium care, the rule of a good fishkeeper is to put marine eels in saltwater.
The journal is here: http://www.museum.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/publications/pdf_images/yonaguni/Fishes_of_Yonaguni.pdf
A new research (2016) by Japanese scientists found out some interesting facts: They caught Echidna Nebulosa at the rivermouth (estuarium) of Tabaru River in Yonaguni, Japan. At the same locale they also caught Gymnothorax Richardsonii and Uropterygius Micropterus. (check page 6,8,9)
This shows that for smaller morays, the barrier between pure saltwater and the brackish estuarium is not a closed barrier, they can go back and forth as they please, and thus finding a supposedly "fully marine" eel in brackish water is not so surprising. That's why my fish procurers often caught E. Nebulosas, G. Richardsoniis, U. Micropteruses and other small moray species in the estuarium; that's because these small morays _do_ enter the brackish water regularly, perhaps for hunting or for escaping larger predators.
However, I believe this phenomenon is not global, perhaps only on certain places such as Yonaguni and Indonesia.
Also, we are talking about their natural habitat. In aquarium care, the rule of a good fishkeeper is to put marine eels in saltwater.
The journal is here: http://www.museum.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/publications/pdf_images/yonaguni/Fishes_of_Yonaguni.pdf
