Archers With Mudskippers

[jonny5]

So i am currently about 75% done with my DIY 3d background (with a built in ledge for skippers). And i would really like some Periophthalmodon septemradiatus but i know they do not get very large and i dont want predation to be an issue. I have built in recessed portions on the ledge to allow the mudskippers to be submerged withouth entering the main body of water.

The archers i have are microlepsis so i know they only get about 7 inches big. But will the septemradiatus be viewed as food? if so then i will go with the giant african skipper.

 

[nmonks]

Mudskippers don't mix with fish, so I wouldn't bother unless you have a public aquarium-sized pond. The problem is that mudskippers avoid water bodies with big fish (they view them as predators) while they view smaller fish as food. In public aquaria it's easy enough to create large, shallow areas an inch or two deep where the mudskippers can bathe, but in home aquaria this isn't so easy to do, and while you might get lucky and have a bold mudskipper that gets along fine with your archers, the chances aren't good. Obviously if a mudskipper doesn't bathe sufficiently frequently, it's likely to get stressed and sick.

In any event, archers view fish up to about a third their length as food, and the long, narrow shape of a mudskipper would make it particularly tempting. If you want a goby to keep with archers, then the widely sold violet (or dragon) goby would be equally good fun, and because it's fully aquatic, you wouldn't have to make any compromises over tank design. Other options would include knight gobies (very pretty), crazyfish (liable to rest in odd positions, and would love the "skipper" ledge you built), or any of the medium-sized Eleotris and Dormitator species we see from time to time (Eleotris fusca for example, or Dormitator lebretonis).

Cheers, Neale

 

[jonny5]

ah gotcha, would be nice but if it wont work then it wont work. Time to set up that spare 30 gallon