Mudskippers
Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 4:03 pm
Another write up from our website credit - Lindsey Harrison - Fish inc - http://www.cichlidmania.net
ladies and gentlemen may i introduce my "cousin" from the coast-periopthalmus barbarus-the mudskipper.one of the best "wetpets" you can get. friendly,easy to keep and wierd( the fish that is not me)
mudskippers are found throughout africa and asia , found in coastal regions and mangrove swamps. these are primarily "brackish" and saltwater habitats and this must be reflected in thier care. full seawater is not required, a tablespoon per gallon should be fine- they can live in pure freshwater as long as it is hard and high in KH, but they do better with salt. next the tank -
rule one - a very tight fitting cover, houdini has nothing on these guys- any gap will do just a few millimeters. beware!.
i'm lucky enough to have an old vivarium i use for axolotl's etc, its pretty much escape proof. after that its all pretty easy. males can be terrotorial so one male only in small ( 36") tanks, you can kep as many girls as you like, space being the only limiting factor. in larger (48"+) tanks more than one male can be kept as part of a group. tankmates can include archerfish,bumble bees,mollies etc basicaly anything as long as they like salt. plants can be ommited unless salt tolerent.
feeding is easy with frozen brineshrimp, bloodworm etc easily taken by all. once settled algae waffers and flake are usually taken. they become hand tame and will take food from your fingers. try to buy them at 2"-3" long and they should settle well.
males have larger dorsals and bigger heads. to date i've not heard of any spawnings but most gobies are paternal families using caves and holes under stones. i can't tell you how much fun these guys are
"chilling by the pool"
ladies and gentlemen may i introduce my "cousin" from the coast-periopthalmus barbarus-the mudskipper.one of the best "wetpets" you can get. friendly,easy to keep and wierd( the fish that is not me)
mudskippers are found throughout africa and asia , found in coastal regions and mangrove swamps. these are primarily "brackish" and saltwater habitats and this must be reflected in thier care. full seawater is not required, a tablespoon per gallon should be fine- they can live in pure freshwater as long as it is hard and high in KH, but they do better with salt. next the tank -
rule one - a very tight fitting cover, houdini has nothing on these guys- any gap will do just a few millimeters. beware!.
i'm lucky enough to have an old vivarium i use for axolotl's etc, its pretty much escape proof. after that its all pretty easy. males can be terrotorial so one male only in small ( 36") tanks, you can kep as many girls as you like, space being the only limiting factor. in larger (48"+) tanks more than one male can be kept as part of a group. tankmates can include archerfish,bumble bees,mollies etc basicaly anything as long as they like salt. plants can be ommited unless salt tolerent.
feeding is easy with frozen brineshrimp, bloodworm etc easily taken by all. once settled algae waffers and flake are usually taken. they become hand tame and will take food from your fingers. try to buy them at 2"-3" long and they should settle well.
males have larger dorsals and bigger heads. to date i've not heard of any spawnings but most gobies are paternal families using caves and holes under stones. i can't tell you how much fun these guys are
"chilling by the pool"
