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- Spotted mud eel
Spotted Mud Eel
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Part fish, part burrowing animal. The Spotted Mud Eel, or cuchia, is a long, smooth, scaleless fish with a dark olive-brown body flecked in black, tiny eyes and almost no fins. It breathes air through pouches behind the head and spends much of its time in a burrow, with only the head showing.
It comes from muddy swamps, ponds and paddy fields across eastern India and Bangladesh, where it can survive in shallow, low-oxygen water. It is tough, long-lived and strangely charismatic. It is also a big, hungry predator that grows much larger than many buyers expect.
It grows large and eats everything that fits.
Adults can exceed 60 cm, and some reach more than a metre in the wild. Any fish or shrimp small enough to swallow will be eaten. Plan for a large, secure tank of its own.
Care Snapshot
| Scientific name | Monopterus cuchia |
| Also known as | Cuchia, Gangetic Mud Eel, Indian Tulip Eel; also placed in Ophichthys |
| Family | Synbranchidae — swamp eels |
| Origin | Native to eastern and north-eastern India, Bangladesh and surrounding regions |
| Adult size | 60–100 cm |
| Lifespan | 10 years and more |
| Minimum tank | 300 litres, minimum 120 cm length |
| Temperature | 20–30 °C |
| pH | 6.5–8.0 |
| Hardness | 4–20 dGH |
| Diet | Carnivore — meaty foods |
| Temperament | Predatory; best kept alone |
| Care level | Moderate — hardy but large |
| Swimming zone | Bottom |
Setting Up For It
- Deep, soft substrate. Fine sand at least 8–10 cm deep, or plenty of tubes and caves to hide in.
- Seal the lid completely. Mud eels are strong escape artists and can push through small gaps.
- Air at the surface. They breathe air; leave a gap between water and lid.
- Strong filtration. A large, meat-eating fish produces a lot of waste.
- Dim lighting. They are most active at night.
Tank Mates
Good matches
Best kept alone. In a very large tank, robust fish too large to swallow, such as large barbs or plecos, may be tolerated.
Keep away from
Small fish, shrimp and other eels. Also aggressive fish that might harass it.
Two mud eels may fight; keep singly unless the tank is very large.
Feeding — Meaty And Messy
Mud eels eat earthworms, prawns and fish in the wild. In captivity they readily take meaty frozen and fresh foods.
Feed two or three times a week for adults, more often for juveniles. From the AQA range, a large carnivore pellet can be added once accepted.
Foods they take eagerly: earthworms, chopped prawn, mussel, fish fillet and frozen krill.
Sexing & Breeding
Swamp eels can change sex during their life, often starting as females and later becoming males. External sexing is not reliable.
In the wild they breed in burrows during the monsoon, with the male guarding the eggs. Aquarium breeding is rare.
Keeping It In Indian Conditions
- A local fish that handles Indian conditions. It tolerates warm water and moderate temperature swings, so heaters are rarely needed.
- Power cuts are less dangerous for this air-breathing fish than for most, but keep the water clean.
- Summer is rarely a problem — this is a fish of warm, shallow paddy water. Still, keep the tank shaded and below about 31 °C.
- Local foods are easy. Earthworms and fresh prawn from the local market make an excellent, cheap diet; rinse prawn well and remove uneaten pieces quickly.
- Do not release it. Swamp eels can become invasive outside their native range, and releasing any aquarium fish into Indian waters spreads disease.
What You Receive
Juveniles and young adults, quarantined and conditioned at our Bengaluru facility before dispatch. Colour and spotting vary between individuals, and sex cannot be determined. Packed with oxygen and insulation for pan-India delivery.
Covered by the Best4Pets live arrival guarantee. Please film an unboxing video before opening the bag — it is required for any DOA claim.
