Mastacembelus

The tyre-track eel, Mastacembelus armatus, is a spiny eel from India, Thailand and Sumatra, also known as the white-spotted spiny eel. Growing to around 91 cm, it hides during the day and often buries itself, so it needs sand, plenty of hiding places and a close-fitting hood. It eats live fish in the wild, and tankmates should be too large to be considered prey.

The Tanganyikan spiny eel, Mastacembelus ellipsifer, is a spiny eel endemic to Lake Tanganyika. It is found around the shores, most often where the rocks give way to sandier substrates, and spends much of its time burrowed in the substrate, so the aquarium needs a layer of sand. Nocturnal and predatory, it is best kept in a Tanganyikan community with species too large to be considered food.

The fire eel, Mastacembelus erythrotaenia, is a spiny eel recorded from Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. It usually inhabits sluggish lowland waters including floodplains and slow-moving rivers, and is also a food fish in its native countries. In the aquarium it hides away during the day and often buries itself, so it needs a sand substrate, plenty of cover and a close-fitting hood.