Getting mudskippers, looking for info

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Rollis

Registered Member
Sep 3, 2010
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Hello all, I am new to these forums. I've been keeping various reptiles for years, and have always been fascinated with Mudskippers. I have recently decided on turning my currently empty 55 gallon aquarium into a mudskipper habitat. However, I want to gather as much information as possible before I undergo this task.

I plan to have a beach area on both sides of the tank, with a small island potentially in the middle area. I dont really like the plastic floating docks and stuff. I will likely supplement this with a few pieces of driftwood here and there. The water will be brackish.

Substrate, I've read play sand works fine when it's washed. I know Ive used it for my aquatic turtles for a long time and had no real issues. Is this what is generally recommended, or are there better/more ideal things that can be used? Will this substrate support burrows? Are they necessary? Could I create faux burrows by sinking pieces of pvc pipe or something similar into the beaches?

I know I am going with Dwarf Indian Mudskippers, because I like the idea of having a few so they can interact and such. Ive read conflicting reports of different possible tankmates...fiddler crabs, nerite snails, etc. Does anyone have any experience keeping these together? Is it generally not recommended or should it work fine?

Filtration...I was considering using one of the filters made for turtle tanks...the ones with the filter inside a rock like thing that creates a small waterfall. Ive heard mudskippers are very messy, but then again so are turtles. Would this be sufficient, or what is the best choice?

Live plants, I am very into naturalistic setups. Mangroves would work, but Im having trouble locating any. Are there other plants that can be used, and if so which?

What should I be shooting for, water and air temperature wise? What about humidity? Is there any need for specific lighting, or does it have any benefits aside from plant growth?

Will adding a few shells here and there cause any problem for the mudskippers, water chemistry-wise? Obviously there are shells on the beaches they live on naturally, but in an enclosed habitat the levels may not be spread as they would be in the wild, etc.

Sorry for such a ridiculously long post, I just want to make sure I do everything absolutely right before I get my new little friends.

Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
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