mexican and hawaiian dragon moray

[trigahappynigerog]

a while back when i first started with salt i seen an eel labeled mexican dragon moray going for $120 it was scary looking, reddish and a little yellow with the white spots. i seen the same eel at another lfs at for $400 labeled hawaiian dragon. i was shocked. i could have sworn it was the same eel. i asked a worker and he told me they were different and the hawaiian was more exotic colorful looking. till this day i think it was the same eel just labeled wrong, since i havent seen a mexican dragon lately can someone tell me the difference between the two. I should have got it when i had the chance. i just came from the that had it for 120 and since they relocated the lfs the hawaiian was going for $1000. I still think it was the same eel. i am planning to get one and if the only difference is the horns ill get the mexican.

 

[trigahappynigerog]

i have did a search on the web for pictures and they show the hawaiian.

 

[blueberryboomer]

I saw a dragon moray for 1400.00 yesterday.
No way would spend that kind on money on a fish, maybe when we have like 10-20 years experience. Lisa

 

[indy1]

Yes a true Hawaiian dragon moray will cost you $1200+. Any other Dragon for less is a mexican

 

[trigahappynigerog]

i know two different lfs that are selling them for $400 but i still want to know what a mexican looks like

 

[trigahappynigerog]

i guess nobody can help with this one

 

[mark-24]

Expensive Hawaiian dragon eel(Muraena pardalis):

Cheaper Mexican dragon eel (Muraena lentiginosa):

-Mark

 

[topfish]

I seen dragon eels, that are black and red. What kind of dragon eels are those?

 

[topfish]

anyone?

 

[von_rahvin]

my lfs guys who are great just sold a 24" dragon for like 800. I thought it was insane!! but since you guys post it above fore 1200, and say that is a good price . . . . it is the hawaiian, cause it has those horns. why are these eels so expensive?

 

[trigahappynigerog]

thanks mark. i just seen a mexican at an lfs yesterday. but thanks for the flix. the mexican was $50. the mexican is brownish and the hawaiian has teeth,horns,and is red yellow and orange. a hawaiian i had my eye on died because the pump was clogged. $400 gone!!!!! i will probably get a hawaiian in six months.

 

[justchillin]

ok well now that i have seen those pics it looks like i actually have a mexican dragon eel not a snowflake...when i bought it about 3 1/2 years ago it was labled as a snowflake, but it looks almost identical to the second pic you have posted...
so i guess now the question is:
are there any major diferences between snowflakes and mexican dragons (size, agression, etc)???
also what do mexican's usually sell for?? i paid like $20 bucks for my so called snowflake eel?

 

[justchillin]

Mark-24: found your pic for the mexican dragon eel on another site (MD)and it was label as "Jeweled Eel" (which i haven't heard of)where did you find your pic???
...any ways this is the info they had on it:
Jeweled Eel - Muraena lentiginosa
The Muraena lentiginosa grows up to 60 inches. The Jeweled Eel prefers a tank of at least 200 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. The Muraena lentiginosa is a carnivore and likes to eat meaty treats (like live feeder, fiddler crabs, small fish & grass shrimp). The Jeweled Eel is a low maintenance fish and may act semi-aggressively toward other fish. Not reef-safe. Will eat other crabs, fish & eels. Grows to 5 ft. Keep water quality high (SG 1.020 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F). The Jeweled Eel is commonly collected from Central America.
anyway although the pic looks just like what i have, i have a hard time believing that my eel will every reach 60" since mine is about 15-16" and i've had him for some time now...
so now i have no idea what kind of eel i have???
could it be a snowflake with weird markings???

 

[trigahappynigerog]

1400 beans!?!?!? that is alot of money. i asked one lfs about their hawaiian he said,"$1000" i almost fell on my behind. it was already full grown and losing its color on its body. i guess they sell these eels for alot of money because of their exotic color and look. just like clown triggers go for 100 and undulates 10. in my opininion they are both beautiful. its all part of the economics of selling fish. but to this day i have never seen an eel that looks as intimidating as the hawaiian, maybe a full grown green moray.

 

[trigahappynigerog]

im making this post active again for all the questions about the mexican and the hawaiian. there are pictures of the two.
in my 125 i have :
undulate , clown triggers, hawiian and zebra eels, harlequin tusk, dragon wrasse, and five striped humbug damsels.
they are all juveniles and with all the negative responses about keeping these fish together they all live happily together. i have had no problems and the ones i had problems with already got eaten. you are taking a chance putting aggressive together and some fish are more aggresive than others. it just depends on the fish. so i dont recomend this unless you are willing to lose fish..when they get bigger i am planning on a bigger tank to house all of my fish, but that is years from now...

 

[indy1]

I think the cost of the hawaiin eels is so high, because of regulations on exporting fish from Hawaiin waters.. Not sure?

 

[trigahappynigerog]

they cost because they are colorful, hardy, beautiful, exotic and probably hard to catch. they can be found in reefs in the indo-pac regions not just hawaii..same reasons why clown triggers $100 and others are cheaper.