Periophthalmus Novemradiatus Questions/advice/assistance

[Rollis]

I've been lurking around these forums for a while, reading up on everything I could find (both here and elsewhere) about keeping Mudskippers.

I currently have an empty 55 US gallon aquarium I plan on setting up for Periophthalmus novemradiatus (Pearse's Mudskipper).

My questions are as follows;

I may or may not go with Mangroves, I'm still up in the air about that. I know they'd make the overall setup much better looking and provide a more natural habitat for the 'skippers, but I am concerned with their size. I've read they grow slowly and most places I've seen that you can order from sell them in the 8-10 inch range. I am hesitant because I don't want to purchase them, and then have to break the tank down in a short time to remove them. Any thoughts on if they will work in that size aquarium, and for how long?

Mudskippers are territorial, of course. So in that size setup, how many would be appropriate to spread aggression to a level where it wasn't an overly important factor? How many could/should be housed together in that size aquarium?

I've also read that Mudskippers could potentially be kept with Fiddler Crabs. Some places say they will not bother one another. Other places say the 'skippers will eat the crabs. I am thinking that, because of the smaller size of this species of 'skipper, it shouldn't be much of an issue. Does anyone have experience with this particular species, or with keeping 'skippers and fiddlers together in general? Does it work, are there any steps I should take if I plan on doing it to make it work positively?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[nmonks]

I may or may not go with Mangroves, I'm still up in the air about that. I know they'd make the overall setup much better looking and provide a more natural habitat for the 'skippers, but I am concerned with their size. I've read they grow slowly and most places I've seen that you can order from sell them in the 8-10 inch range. I am hesitant because I don't want to purchase them, and then have to break the tank down in a short time to remove them. Any thoughts on if they will work in that size aquarium, and for how long?

They grow slowly. Don't worry about it. Most people throw them out when they get too big. They are, after all, trees, and no aquarium is going to be big enough for them.

Mudskippers are territorial, of course. So in that size setup, how many would be appropriate to spread aggression to a level where it wasn't an overly important factor? How many could/should be housed together in that size aquarium?

Territoriality and aggression varies. Only some species fight to the death (notably P. barbarus). Overcrowding actually helps, as does ensuring that there are lots of dry-land areas, not just one.

I've also read that Mudskippers could potentially be kept with Fiddler Crabs. Some places say they will not bother one another. Other places say the 'skippers will eat the crabs. I am thinking that, because of the smaller size of this species of 'skipper, it shouldn't be much of an issue. Does anyone have experience with this particular species, or with keeping 'skippers and fiddlers together in general? Does it work, are there any steps I should take if I plan on doing it to make it work positively?

Richard Mleczko, who wrote the (big!) mudskipper chapter in my book tells me that for best results you shouldn't keep crabs and skippers together. Sometimes it works, but sometimes not. So it's not worth risking.

Cheers, Neale