Sillner's Garden Eel (Gorgasia sillneri)
Fish in the family Congridae. Hard care. Reef Safe.
Quick facts
Appearance
Sillner's Garden Eel is a slender, elongated conger with a pale tan to yellowish-brown body marked by distinctive dark blotches or saddle markings along the dorsal surface. The fish has a relatively small mouth and large eye, with the rear two-thirds of the body capable of entering the sand burrow. A characteristic white or light stripe often runs along the lower side.
Diet and feeding
Feed small frozen foods such as mysis shrimp, copepods, and small silversides. Offer food 1–2 times daily in small portions, allowing the eel to pluck food from the water column near its burrow.
Difficulty and care for the Sillner's Garden Eel
Garden eels are challenging for most hobbyists due to their specialized habitat requirements, dependence on live sand for burrow construction, and difficulty accepting non-live food sources in captivity. They require a mature, well-established tank with soft substrate and minimal disturbance.
Common health issues
Stress-related decline, substrate refusal (failure to burrow), starvation (refusal to eat), secondary infections from handling or inadequate water quality.
Origin and habitat
Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea, East Africa, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Found in tropical reef environments at depths typically between 10–50 meters.
Log Sillner's Garden Eel in your reef tank
Reef Trak gives you the full record on every species in your tank: acquisition date, source, photos, parameters at time of stocking, and links to maintenance and feeding events. Track Sillner's Garden Eel alongside everything else in your reef.
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