ally86ozzy
Fish Crazy
Common name: Mosquito Fish
Scientific name: Gambusia affinis
Family: Poeciliidae
Origin: Southern and Eastern portions of the US
Maximum size: 1" (males) to 1.5" (females)
Care: An easy fish to take care of, they are hardy and can survive under many conditions, but thrive in brackish water. Temperatures range from 68- 80 degrees F. Mosquito fish can be kept in a tank as small as 5 gallons.
Feeding: They prefer live food, though I've gotton away with feeding mine freeze-dried bloodworms. They can also be fed flakes and will nibble on live plants and algae. They will eat their offspring if small enough to fit in their mouths.
Breeding: Like guppies, these fish are easy to breed, just put them in your aquarium and wait. They have a gestation period of about a month. The average brood is 20-40 fry. You can tell the female is pregnant by looking at her gravid spot, which is a spot near her anus that will darken as the fry grow inside her.
Sexing: Sex differs by the anal fin. If it is rounded, it is female. Close to the body and pointed, male. You can also tell the difference by color. Males have brighter colors such as orange and black, and females are a drab gray, like female guppies.
Comments: Mosquito fish live about 2-3 years, depending on the conditions they are in. You should keep 2-3 females per every male to divide the attention of the male, because if you only have one female, the attention will be directed on her and she may eventually die.
theaquariumwiki.com
Pregnant female mosquito fish. Notice her dark gravid spot and dull coloring.
pbrc.hawaii.edu/~taras/danger.html
Not a good example of a male. I don't know if they're supposed to be colored or not, but mine is. See the size difference. The top one is female, bottom is male.
fs.sdsu.edu/pisces/ecosystems/Lesson04.htm
Again, not a good example of a male. I think mine might be a hybrid lol.
jjphoto.dk/fish_archive/aquarium/gambusia_affinis.htm
BTW, did I mention that mosquito fish are related to the Millions Fish? The Millions Fish are Guppies.
Scientific name: Gambusia affinis
Family: Poeciliidae
Origin: Southern and Eastern portions of the US
Maximum size: 1" (males) to 1.5" (females)
Care: An easy fish to take care of, they are hardy and can survive under many conditions, but thrive in brackish water. Temperatures range from 68- 80 degrees F. Mosquito fish can be kept in a tank as small as 5 gallons.
Feeding: They prefer live food, though I've gotton away with feeding mine freeze-dried bloodworms. They can also be fed flakes and will nibble on live plants and algae. They will eat their offspring if small enough to fit in their mouths.
Breeding: Like guppies, these fish are easy to breed, just put them in your aquarium and wait. They have a gestation period of about a month. The average brood is 20-40 fry. You can tell the female is pregnant by looking at her gravid spot, which is a spot near her anus that will darken as the fry grow inside her.
Sexing: Sex differs by the anal fin. If it is rounded, it is female. Close to the body and pointed, male. You can also tell the difference by color. Males have brighter colors such as orange and black, and females are a drab gray, like female guppies.
Comments: Mosquito fish live about 2-3 years, depending on the conditions they are in. You should keep 2-3 females per every male to divide the attention of the male, because if you only have one female, the attention will be directed on her and she may eventually die.
theaquariumwiki.com
Pregnant female mosquito fish. Notice her dark gravid spot and dull coloring.
pbrc.hawaii.edu/~taras/danger.html
Not a good example of a male. I don't know if they're supposed to be colored or not, but mine is. See the size difference. The top one is female, bottom is male.
fs.sdsu.edu/pisces/ecosystems/Lesson04.htm
Again, not a good example of a male. I think mine might be a hybrid lol.
jjphoto.dk/fish_archive/aquarium/gambusia_affinis.htm
BTW, did I mention that mosquito fish are related to the Millions Fish? The Millions Fish are Guppies.