cider wrote:hey, hx, wonder what the temp has to be kept at for these awesome guys ? How difficult are they to keep ? How do you ensure they don't escape with no cover ? do they need brakish/slightly salt water ? what is the average life span ? what else can you keep with them ? can you use real wood ? sorry about soooo many questions .hope you dont mind. your tank and pics are truly inspiring !!
G
Hey, and thanks, G.
Temperatures around 25° are fine, I think. They come from very shallow waters/living partly on land, which leads me to believe the temperatures must fluctuate during day and night. I would guess that they adapt well to varying/various temps.
I have read that they are considered very hard to keep. But I can't see the hardness, really.
They stress easily, if they are kept in an unsuitable habitat and especially, if they are kept in a dense population without a chance to get a rest from each other.
Also, I bet the many species (theres at least 20) of mudskippers are not the same. These guys are
Periphthalmodon septemradiatus. Not the most aggressive and not the biggest species. They are found in river estuaries exceptionally high up the river, thus fare best in low salities, 1.000-1.003.
Most mudskipper species need a slighly higher salinity.
My tank is covered, they would jump out in no time if it weren't. They climb, using their fins as little feet and they jump very accurately to where they want to go. Both vertically and horizontally. It's fun to watch them actually "run" when they go for food or away from one another.
The life span is unknown to me.
Tankmates can be kept. Brackish fish small enough to not bother the skippers. I've got bumblebee gobies in the tank. The skippers don't eat them, even though the bbgs could easily fit in their mouths. There's also an exchange student trio of
Anableps in their tank, growing a bit before they go into a bigger brackish tank.
Nerites try to help me with algae in there.
People report having kept crabs with skippers. I can see
Ucas being very suitable, habitatwise. But I think skippers will bother them.
I have some real driftwood in the tank, and it is doing well in brackish.
Added that they eat just about anything I offer, I must say they make pretty good "pets".
Thanks again, I'm happy to hear you are inspired!
/Hx