Fire Eel (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia)

This red-orange spiny eel shares the family's signature trick: no pelvic fins at all, just a long, flexible body it can drive backward through tight cover as smoothly as forward — useful for retreating tail-first into a burrow without ever needing to turn around. Nocturnal and shy, it spends daylight buried in soft substrate and only really comes alive once the lights go down.

Care level: Moderate · Temperament: Peaceful, predatory to small fish · Max size: ~24" · Min tank: 75+ gal · Diet: Carnivore, live/frozen foods