Anyone keeping mudskippers..?

[vannel]

Hi Bros,

Just wondering if anyone is keeping mudskippers. Recently, there has been quite a few LFS selling these oddballs and I decided to keep a few as well in my spare tank. They seem cute enough and will actually jump all over for food. Highly entertaining.

Anyone knows what species they are?


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[taizi]

if i'm not wrong they are giant mud skippers ?

[vannel]

Hmm. Don't think they are the giant ones. These are currently housed in a nano 20cm cube and are about 6cm or so at what seems to be like their full adult size (given they have not grown any larger than whence they were bought). Not alot of people seem to be interested in keeping them, apparently. Such lukewarm response. These mudskippers have been super entertaining and quite easy to keep. They have learnt to come dashing for food once I lift up the cover. In fact, they practically jump from the highest point of the driftwood to grab the food before I have a chance to drop it onto their sand-bed.

[stormhawk]

The fish you have is probably the Indian Dwarf Mudskipper Periophthalmus novemradiatus.

Not many people keep such fishes because they need specific conditions to thrive. They make interesting pets but brackish water fish or anything similar are not exactly the most popular fish to be kept. Are you keeping them in pure freshwater?

[vannel]

The topic of fresh/brackish water for mudskippers has been debated on quite comprehensively. My opinion on this matter is that I try to add a bit of salt into their water, not so much as to make it brackish, but more as a rule-of-thumb for most fishes as a form of disease prevention. Personally, I don't have a device to measure salinity. Hence, the amount of aquarium salt added into their tank is purely based on gut feel. In any case, they seem to be of good health and are even starting to show off some colouration on their skin and fins (especially the alpha, which has a significantly more pronounced dorsal fin).

I agree on the species identification as well. The ones I have seem to be pretty small for a mudskipper and would fit quite nicely into the categorisation. These fishes are not hard to keep at all..!

[taizi]

so what's your setup ? 50 50 ? or 30 70 ?

[vannel]

I would say its about 30 70. The water takes up about half the tank but the driftwood gives them additional floor area. Also, the tank glass means alot more area for them to cling on.

[stormhawk]

Debated yes, but for the majority of aquarists they rather just keep something simple. It's a niche part of the hobby, but one that gives a lot of satisfaction if the fish survive.

I don't think salinity is a problem, since these fish are estuarine in nature and salinity levels will change with the tides so they are probably tough enough to handle such changes in an aquarium. Have you considered keeping some fiddler crabs as tank mates? Or perhaps other brackish water fish.

[vannel]

I dont really have the space for any other livestock in my mudskipper tank. As it is now, I am already pushing it with 4 mudskippers in a 20cm cube. Not enough length or depth to the tank to allow for more water (for gobies) / land (for crabs). Too bad mudskippers don't breed in captivity, else, I might just get them an upgrade to a 1-2ft tank, which allows for alot more play in terms of scaping.

[stormhawk]

20 cm cube? You're pushing it alright.

I can understand the space constraint but I really think a 2ft tank would be perfect for them. That way you can give a deeper water zone and work out "ramps" by using the DIY methods that paludarium keepers do. While I was at Tanjung Chek Jawa, I was observing the little mudskippers during low tide. The males created a pit with a burrow that was water logged. They would defend their pit against other rival males and do a vigorous display dance whenever the females are close.

Not too long ago, there was a documentary on these fishes sometime back on Okto and apparently they spawn in the pit, and the male or the female deposits the eggs in an isolated pool within the burrow which never gets flooded because of the male's constant digging. When the fry hatch they go up the burrow during high tide and into the pit and disperse from there. Might be difficult to replicate this in an aquarium but you can always DIY with pipes. Perhaps hamster tunnels might be a start, or PVC pipes.

[vannel]

Yes. I have read that some owners do try replicating the whole biotope, even going so far as to use mangrove plants and a small wavemaker to simulate the waves breaking on the sand bank. Some have also tried breeding them with pipes, as per what you described. However, to my knowledge, there has been no successful breeding of the mudskippers. I remember reading that it was likely attributed to the very complex biotope of a mangrove which is far too hard to recreate in a confined tank, unless, someone was willing to really go overboard and commit a 6ft+ tank to it.

With respect to the water/land ratio, I would say 20% water, 50% waterlogged area, 30% climbing surface. They like the half-half areas alot more than the water or the dry land. The only time the jump in is when I throw food into the water or when they need to re-wet themselves (which is very seldom).

[stormhawk]

I believe the complexities of such a habitat is due to the changing tides and salinity levels, along with diet. We cannot replicate much of what they might be eating in the wild, since I've seen them sift through mud for food particles. However, it's still a good project for observing their behaviour, especially with clear pipes along the side of the glass, buried in the land zone.

[vannel]

Indeed it will be. In fact, I might try to squeeze in a clear pipe and see how that goes. For the moment, here's a few more pics..

1. FTS (Front)
Attachment 27305

2. Two of four inhabitants on the glass wall, just as they like it
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3. Almost FTS (Side)
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4. FTS (Top)
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I have a few holes drilled on the acrylic sheet where the wire mesh is situated to provide ventilation whilst maintaining a certain degree of humidity and moisture. I didnt want them squeezing out of the hole or anything, hence, the wire mesh.

Hope this gives you an idea of what I have setup in my room for the mudskippers. Anyone else care to show their setups? I'm sure -someone- has a mudskipper tank as well..

[delhezi]

You should go for a 3ft minimum for skippers. Anything under a foot is hardly a tank.

[vannel]

Actually, 3ft for just 4 mudskippers is probably a little too overkill. Just as long as they have enough space to "perch", they should do fine. I would probably do a 1ft cube or a 1.5ft standard tank for 4 of those mudskippers, but, space is a major constraint. Anyway, they are now with another bro who will be keeping them in an exo-terra tank. I'm sure they will be more than happy there, given the amount of climbing space they will have. From experience, they don't really require alot of water (in fact, they are a fish which will actually drown). Just a shallow pool where they can "dip" and re-wet themselves will be sufficient. Most of the time, they'll be hanging on the glass walls/sitting on a piece of driftwood. Importantly, the humidity needs to be maintained at a very high level so their skins don't dry up too fast, causing them to have to constantly re-wet themselves.

That said, I agree that my tank is insanely small. It was meant for another purpose initially.

Anyway, alot of people have questioned me about where I bought the mudskippers. So here goes.. I bought them from Y618 some months back and quite a few other LFSes brought them in as well. I have not seen them on sale for the past month. Probably out of season or something. The 4 mudskippers costs, in total, a red note. Quite afforable. Pretty sure alot of other people have them as well. Just might not be posting their pictures.

[delhezi]

These are active fish if the given the space, furthermore, upon maturity, males do get territorial, based on my prior research when I was interested, a 3FT tank was suitable for 2 mudskippers, not four.

[johnlim]

Hi Bros,

Just wondering if anyone is keeping mudskippers. Recently, there has been quite a few LFS selling these oddballs and I decided to keep a few as well in my spare tank. They seem cute enough and will actually jump all over for food. Highly entertaining.

Anyone knows what species they are?


Attachment 26927

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hi where got sell mudskipper ,i manage to get two from Y618 ,any other place got sell please whatsapp me 85333982. i want to keep few more

[stormhawk]

Seen them at C328, in bags near the cashier desk.

[vannel]

Yup! Saw some mudskippers at C328 last week. Grab them while they are still there. Quite fast-selling..!

[mincedmeat]

in case you are still wondering, i saw a couple of them just yesterday at Y618.