There are a few fish compatible with mudskippers, as long as the tankmates are not aggressive, considerably larger or smaller, or require different water conditions. Mudskippers should be kept alone because of their unique living requirements. Finding a home for a mudskipper is not always an easy thing to do, especially when potential adopters hear of the fish’s propensity for climbing out of the tank. They are aggressive, and a bully can seriously harm or kill another mudskipper. My advice to those who have not had mudskippers is to be prudent and only keep one. Mudskippers are territorial, need plenty of land space and are best kept alone, unless a very large (48-inch-long) aquarium is used. As a result, we have an obligation to provide the best possible care and conditions for them in aquaria.
My research indicates that virtually all mudskippers are taken from the wild. Water that has low oxygen levels is no problem because the mudskipper obtains most of its oxygen from the air. While this is not desirable and is certainly no excuse for neglect, they can survive for a while in water containing high concentrations of ammonia.
Because mudskippers are adaptable to an ever-changing environment, they are highly tolerant of various degrees of salt in their aquarium water.Īdditionally, mudskippers are able to live in water that would be totally unsuitable for most fish. Most of the mudskippers sold in pet shops come from water with a specific gravity ranging from 1.003 to 1.015. Brackish water occurs in estuaries, which are dynamic environments with the specific gravity (salt content) affected by tides, evaporation, rainfall and drainage from rivers and streams. Understanding their capabilities is the key to successfully providing good stewardship and enjoying many years with these wonders of nature. In order for the amphibious mudskipper to thrive in captivity, it must have a place to climb out of the brackish water into very warm, humid air.
MUD SKIPPER SKIN
This truly unique fish is capable of extended terrestrial visits because of its strong pectoral fins for mobility, oxygen absorption through the skin and throat lining, and water pockets under the dermal cups to periodically remoisten the eyes. Their fantastic amphibious capabilities are the result of physiological and behavioral adaptations. Personally, I struggled with this problem because it prevented a much-desired open-topped aquarium and kept me from using my tall mangrove trees. The pectoral fin vacuum mode of conveyance also lets them climb out of their fish aquarium, necessitating a very tight lid. Like their totally aquatic cousin, the bumblebee goby ( Brachygobius doriae), which is also in the Gobiidae family, mudskippers are capable of creating a vacuum effect with their pectoral fins that allows them to attach to vertical objects. The amphibious capabilities of mudskippers are the result of adaptations such as strong pectoral fins, oxygen absorption through the skin and throat lining, and water pockets under the dermal cups for remoistening the eyes. It is simply amazing to watch these fish deliberately exit the water, move to a rock or log, and bask in the warm overhead lighting like a turtle would. They also use their muscular pectoral fins in an alternating manner, called “crutching,” to produce a gawky movement resembling a person on crutches. The name “mudskipper” derives from the mudskipper’s ability to use its tail and body for skipping and hopping on land. Mudskippers are Old World fishes and originate in tropical intertidal mudflats and brackish mangrove estuaries, from the Atlantic Coast of Africa east through the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific. Two of the most common genera available to hobbyists are Periophthalmus and Periophthalmodon. Of the 10 mudskipper genera, four species are highly amphibious and spend much of their lives on land. Mudskippers are in the Gobiidae family in the Oxudercinae suborder.
These extraordinary fish are mudskippers. Some of these little fish awkwardly swagger, moving only an inch at a time, while others seemingly spring forward as if propelled by springboards. The receding tide slowly uncovers a vast mudflat and creates a flurry of activity from scurrying crabs, swooping gulls and unusual fishlike animals scampering from newly exposed holes.