Care
Half Banded Spiny Eels make an unusual addition to the peaceful softwater fish community. The aquarium should have a soft sand substrate so that these diggers can bury themselves, and plenty of hiding places amongst plant thickets, bogwood, caves, pipes and so on. Indian Almond Leaves (Terminalia catappa) are very much appreciated as 'leaf litter', and will help to simulate blackwater conditions, but they must be replaced regularly. The footprint (length and width) of the tank is much more important than the height. Lighting should be diffused with the use of floating plants, and it is also a good idea to use a blue moon light timed to come on just before the main lights go out, so that you can view the antics of these nocturnal creatures under their preferred dimly lit conditions. Although they tend to stay buried for much of the day with just their snouts protruding from the cover, they do become very active at night. Be sure that the aquarium has no gaps at the top, as these fish are great escape artists. Half Banded Spiny Eels are not aggressive, but adults are capable of taking small fish overnight, so tankmates must be chosen with care. Neon Tetra sized fish, for example, are not recommended. Suggested tankmates would be large Rasboras, large gouramis, good sized peaceful botiid loach species, Geophagus species, L-number suckermouth cats etc. Spiny Eels are fairly sociable and are best kept in groups of 5 or more. Clean, well-filtered water is essential. May also be seen on sale as the Zig Zag Eel.
Feeding
Must be given frozen foods such as mosquito larvae, brineshrimp, daphnia etc. Larger specimens will take bigger frozen foods such as Mysis shrimp, finely chopped krill etc.
Breeding
There are currently no reports of this egglaying species having been bred in the home aquarium. There has been speculation that spawning could be triggered by a cool water change coupled with a sudden increase in water movement (i.e. from powerheads).
