Splendid Garden Eel

The Splendid Garden Eel is one of the most visually captivating eel species, displaying a stunning white to cream body liberally decorated with bold orange spots and bars that give it an almost painted appearance. Unlike the sinuous, free-swimming morays that most people associate with eels, garden eels are colonial burrowers that spend their entire lives partially embedded in sandy substrates, swaying gently in the current like a garden of living flowers. This remarkable behavior, with dozens of slender eels protruding from the sand like stalks of grass, is one of the most memorable sights on Indo-Pacific coral reefs.

In the wild, Splendid Garden Eels form large colonies in open sandy areas adjacent to coral reefs, where they feed by extending their upper bodies out of their burrows to catch passing zooplankton in the current. When approached by a predator or diver, they slowly retreat into their burrows in a synchronized wave, disappearing beneath the sand. Each individual maintains its own permanent burrow, which is lined with mucus secretions to prevent collapse.

Keeping Splendid Garden Eels in captivity is an advanced undertaking that requires a specialized setup. A deep sand bed of at least eight inches of fine, sugar-sized sand is essential for proper burrowing. The tank must have gentle, consistent water flow to deliver planktonic food past the stationary eels. They are extremely shy and easily stressed, requiring a very peaceful environment with no aggressive or boisterous tankmates. Feeding is the greatest challenge, as they require frequent offerings of live or frozen planktonic foods delivered in the current.