Mudskippers

[Nevergone815]

well the name says it all. i want to set up a nice, large and long tank for a mudskipper (maybe a few depending on size of tank) and was wondering about tankmates. i know they like brackish water (at least from what i was told) and know that they need a amphibeous (sp) set up (water and dry land and humid)

well i know that they are from mangrove swamps... so could i add any other fish that is from there... like the 4 eyed fish or whatever they're called. i am having difficulties finding info on other mangrove swamp dwellers and whether or not they can tolerate brackish water. i want to set up a nice tank maybe consisting of more than just mudskippers, but actually have fish in the water.

is this at all possible?

thanks for your help

 

[Dragonscales]

It's definitely possible, alot of people keep tankmates with their mudskippers.

Really just two basic rules apply when looking for tankmates, both the mudskippers and the tankmates mustn't be at a size where they are a threat via predation (or at risk of injuring due to venom, etc in the case of tankmates) and the tankmates must be brackish.

Alot of people have alot of success with other gobies as tankmates such as desert gobies, etc. Archerfish are also used with larger species but this would require a largish tank. I have heard of people having success with fiddlers and other small crabs too but these are definitely one to be wary of if kept with mudskippers. On a whole though, a good deal of the mudskipper's time will be spent on land in 99% of cases so often they don't interact with waterbound tankmates much.

 

[Dave Legacy]

I think the issue in most cases is that you need to have enough land for the mudskippers and also enough water for fish. My tankmates for mudskippers is going to be 6 Archerfish, 3 Monos, 1 Sole but I have a 200G with a lot of water.

 

[AMS]

Depending on the size of the tank you have quite a few options for fish. If you dont want fish, you could do fiddler crabs. Just try to avoid small puffers, if the mudskipper ever try to swallow the puffer, they'll die of posioning.

 

[Nevergone815]

thank you for all your help guys. i will look into all of the fish that you mentioned that may be able to go into it.

i have some time yet to get it as i am just gathering information before i jump into a tank and realize that i don't have the correct environment for the fish.

one last question... do they need to have crystal clear water or is darker (like with black water extract and tanins) required as they are from swamps in nature? does this apply in home aquaria or is there natural environment clean and clear?

 

[AMS]

well, no water is naturally crystal clear. I dont think the murky water is from peat, but from other things. I have never heard of brackish/mangrove tanks having peat/blackwater extract being used.

 

[Nevergone815]

ok thanks for your help. i wanted to clear that up

 

[nmonks]

It isn't commonly used, but bogwood and peat extract can both be used in brackish tanks perfectly well. There are lots of habitats in the wild where the water is brackish but also coloured with tannins. Pools in coastal marshes, mangrove swamps, pretty well anywhere that there is a lot of vegetation. According to Frank Schafer in the Aqualog book, bumblebee gobies and glassfish both inhabit classic "blackwater streams"!

Provided you buffer the water to prevent a drop in pH, there's no reason not to use blackwater extract. It has hardly any effect on high hardness water, so anything with an SG 1.005 or more will be pretty much immune to its pH reducing effects. For things like monos and glassfish, the blackwater tint really improves the colours.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Nevergone815]

ok thanks fot the info. i was thinking that their water may be a little "murky" because they do live in a swamp and there is a lot of vegitation.

like i said though, i won't be getting these for some time, but i want to make sure i can simulate a good environment for them to the best of my ability. so i am researching online and want to hear about personal experiences and bring in outside knowledge. as we all know the internet may not be the most rliable source for info (i.e. one site says some fish only gets 6" another says 10" than you have one that says 4" or even 8" and you want to rip your hair out) people on forums i have found are the best source of info, rather than the internet.

*please note that i do do research on the net but i trust you guys more than most sites i have come across. i use this forum as a "chat" space and a place to gather info from a reliable, creditable source*

 

[Dave Legacy]

A. bato = 15cm
P. elongatus = 10-12cm
P. septemradiatus = 10cm
P. barbarus = 20cm
P. argentilineatus = 10cm
P. chrysosphilos = 15cm
P. minutus = 8cm
P. schlosseri = 25cm
P. novemradiatus = 5cm

This is in accordance to what Frank Schafer wrote in AquaLog.