Mudskippers with tankmates in a 37?

user_name

user_name

Senior_Member
May 23, 2010
3,169
0
36
Mass
Real Name
Cam
Hey guys, I was wondering if I could keep 2-3 mudskippers in my 37 along with other fish. I plan on making the water level 6" from the top, giving me 25 gallons of water. I'll then put a shelf along the back wall, which will take up the whol length of the tank and 1/3 the width. I'll then suppourt the shelf with pvc pipes coated in spray foam and then sillicone to make them appear to be tree branches, and include fake mangrove branches going down into the water.

I'm going to modify my Top Fin 40 so it can pull water up from the bottom, and then fall back into the tank like a river. The substrate will be pool filter sand, and I'll try to plant the aquarium part, probobly with java fern and java moss.

I'm really aiming for a look similar to what the New England Aquarium did for their mudskipper tank, however this one will be A LOT smaller, and obviously brackish.

Could I put an F8 puffer in there with some bumblebee gobies? What about knight gobies? Any brackish bottom dwellers out there?
 
Everything I'm about to say comes from my own experience of owning my indian mudskippers for a month now, and from reading every piece of info on them I could get my hands on over the last couple months...

First of all, I'm not sure how many inches long a 37 gallon is, is that a long or tall tank? How much actual land and actual water space would you have? I'm guessing it'd be very hard to balance enough water volume and enough land. Keep in mind, especially if you put the land so high up, skippers will climb the glass and right out of your tank. You need a REALLY secure lid. I don't think figure 8 puffers would do well at all with any gobies, nor would they have enough water. They're far too nippy and like to eat fish. I've watched them rip goldfish to shreds at the LFS.
It seems like I've read knight gobies can do ok as tank mates, but have no experience with that and can't be sure. Indian mudskippers are pretty shy and they need to be able to dip in the water to get wet, and sometimes they like to walk along the bottom of the tank for a minute or two before resurfacing. I don't think they'd do this with puffers in their tank.
Also, my indian skippers love the beach area where the water meets land and its really shallow. They hang out in that water thats about a 1/2" or so deep. I'd recommend having a slope setup due to that. (nerite snails, ghost shrimp, and possibly red claw crabs will work with them)
If you're really set on your plan to try puffers or other bigger fish, I'd probably go with one african mudskipper. I have no experience with them, but from what I read they're a little more bold and aggressive, larger in size, and it's good to have one alone. Two or more tend to fight with each other.
I think it would be best get a 30 long, and dedicate it to 4 Indian Mudskippers with the slope type setup.
Hope this helps.
 
shaynablizard said:
Everything I'm about to say comes from my own experience of owning my indian mudskippers for a month now, and from reading every piece of info on them I could get my hands on over the last couple months...

First of all, I'm not sure how many inches long a 37 gallon is, is that a long or tall tank? How much actual land and actual water space would you have? I'm guessing it'd be very hard to balance enough water volume and enough land. Keep in mind, especially if you put the land so high up, skippers will climb the glass and right out of your tank. You need a REALLY secure lid. I don't think figure 8 puffers would do well at all with any gobies, nor would they have enough water. They're far too nippy and like to eat fish. I've watched them rip goldfish to shreds at the LFS.
It seems like I've read knight gobies can do ok as tank mates, but have no experience with that and can't be sure. Indian mudskippers are pretty shy and they need to be able to dip in the water to get wet, and sometimes they like to walk along the bottom of the tank for a minute or two before resurfacing. I don't think they'd do this with puffers in their tank.
Also, my indian skippers love the beach area where the water meets land and its really shallow. They hang out in that water thats about a 1/2" or so deep. I'd recommend having a slope setup due to that. (nerite snails, ghost shrimp, and possibly red claw crabs will work with them)
If you're really set on your plan to try puffers or other bigger fish, I'd probably go with one african mudskipper. I have no experience with them, but from what I read they're a little more bold and aggressive, larger in size, and it's good to have one alone. Two or more tend to fight with each other.
I think it would be best get a 30 long, and dedicate it to 4 Indian Mudskippers with the slope type setup.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

The tank is normally 30 long by 12 wide, by 22 high. Because I'm going to use a shelf, the water will still technically be 30 by 12, it'll just be 16" deep. The land section will be 30 by 4-5.

I was figuring to include lots of tangled artifical driftwood near the surface, that way they could hang out semi-submersed, and could climb onto land. The first inch or two of land will slope up from the water, and the remaining 2-3 will be dry. (I'll also elevated some of the shoreline to be dry, but there will be driftwood to help them climb out of the water and onto land there.

As for the puffers, I think you might be talking about GSP's, they look similar to F8's but get A LOT bigger and are more aggressive.

I can just go with knight gobies and some bumble bee gobies too, but I was kinda hoping to get an F8.

What do you feed your skippers?
 
For food, I'm thinking that just frozen bloodworms or some kind of pellet/flake if they'll accept either. I'm not allowed anymore frozen food (bloodworms are for my DP steve) and I can't get a culture ATM. No crickets either....
 
It's possible I'm confused on the puffers, I'm no expert on them, but even my cute little dwarf puffer is very nippy and aggressive for his size. The disposition of the indian mudskippers seems to me that if something nipped at them when they got in the water, they'd freak out and not go back in. They're not exactly what I'd consider brave - just adorable. Plus if they're stressed out, I don't think they'd do their normal behaviors, which make them so interesting. I love the flagging they do with their side and top fins - it's quite a little communication they get going with "fin morse code." African mudskippers seem to be more bold from what I've read, although they're also not too social, but maybe they'd be a better fit. Hopefully someone else that's had more experience with skippers can give more insight.
I've seen that youtube video, and that tank looks awesome! I do wonder about it's longterm success though. I didn't really find anyone else who had or didn't have success with that type of set up. If you decide to try it out, I'd watch them closely and be prepared to have a backup plan if they need to be separated.
For food, I've read they really shouldn't have crickets for digestive reasons, so I stay away from those. I feed primarily live blackworms and frozen bloodworms. They love both. Also, I occassionally give them small piles of wet earthworm flake, which they're also a big fan of. They shouldn't have dry flakes or pellets since that can also cause digestive problems. I did soak little NLS pellets, and try to give them those once. They looked at me like I was crazy and wondered when the real food was coming.
I do hope you are able to get some skippers - they're a lot of fun!
 
Puffers are a no then, I'm thinking about getting 4 indian skippers, because of the large amount of shoreline. Should I knock the number down a bit, and are there any brackish bottom dwellers out there?
 
Four indian mudskippers I think would be fine, as long as you have at least four separate territories. They generally hang out together, but should be able to get some space if they want to. I also suggest giving multiple feeding spots. I have a few big chubby guys that like to eat all the food before anyone else can get any - so I spread the food out more.
Sailfin mollies or guppies would do ok in the water I think, but I don't know about how exciting they'll be. Really - the mudskippers will steal the show and no one will pay attention to what else is in there anyway.
 
Thats kinda what I figured lol, I'm really just going to lightly stock it with some guppys/platys or some BBG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom