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Photo by Richard Mleczko

Overview:

Mudskippers, like most gobies are a very hardy fish to keep. They love live foods but will take dry fish food as well. Their behavior ranges from docile to active to very aggressive. They are very territorial and this behavior is exciting to watch as they raise and lower their dorsal fins in acts of aggression. It is better to keep more than one as a loner will rarely raise its dorsal fin. However keeping too many results in fighting which can lead to maiming and death. Loosing an eye or fin in not uncommon. They a very comical to watch as they leap around the aquarium. A quote from a scientific journal states: "It is doubtful if there is any other group of fishes in which so much general interest is based on so little scientific knowledge."

Listed tank sizes are the minimum
Size:	Up to 7 inches (18cm)
Tank:	4 foot
Strata:	Amphibious
PH:	7 to 8.5
Hardness:	Hard
Temperature:	79° to 88°F (26° to 32°C)

Classification:

Phylum :	Chordata
Class :	Osteichthyes
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Gobiidae
Genera:	Periophthalmus
Species :	argentilineatus (the most widespread species)

Mudskipper

Additional species photographs

Discuss:

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Distribution

West Africa, East Africa, Madagascar, Arabian Gulf to India, SE Asia, China, Japan, Australia to Tonga.

Photo by Richard Mleczko

General Body Form:

Generally long and thin. The head is very large with a protruding snout and the eyes project above the top of the head. The pectoral fins are very muscular and almost resemble arms which allow the Mudskipper to raise its body off the bottom and onto the land. The ventral fins are also partially fused and they form a suction disc The Dorsal fins tall and shaped like a sail.

Species dependent but can be grayish, brownish, with blue, purple or orange spots. Usually with some coloration in the dorsal fins like spots or stripes.

They are not too difficult to maintain if you are prepared to provide a terraquarium setup with brackish water. Mudskippers are able to drag themselves out of the water and onto the land using their strong pectoral fins and they can jump long distances when disturbed. When out of the water they need very humid air. The terraquarium setup should be a large shallow tank with very soft sand with Mangrove roots and flat stones.

Muddy banks of Mangrove swamps in their home regions.

Photo by Richard Mleczko

Breeding:

(see comments below)
None recorded in captivity. mudskippers are egg layers. Eggs are laid and fertilized in the burrows. Oxygen in the burrows is provided by the mudskipper who gulps air at the surface which he then releases deep inside the burrow. Eggs hatch after about 5 days and the young mudskipper becomes amphibious after about 50 days.

Your comments:

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From: Lester Date:08/31/2008 I have a mudskipper in a 20 long with 2 tadpoles and 2 what I believe to be rocket frogs. This seems to work as he doesn't seem to notice the tadpoles and sometimes flares his fins at the frogs but knows they're not a threat. Feeding live earthworms & crickets is fun to watch. I ball up freeze dried blood worms, baby shrimp and spirulina for a regular diet. From: Susan Date:01/29/2007 I have a single mudskipper in a 20 gallon tank. He has been housed with mollies and generally be fine with them. He has become quite tame. When his can of shrimp is shook he'll leap against the glass and leap out of the water to take a shrimp or treat from my fingers. They're intelligent and great pets- as close to a dog as you can get! From: Travis Date:08/21/2004 I just recently purchased a single mudskipper for my aquaterrarium 10 gallon tank. He is only around an inch and a half. My tank has a divider going only around 5 inches up front he bottom siliconed in place. The one half contains 4-5 inches of water with sand as a substrate. The other half is all sand with maybe 2 mm of water to keep the fish wet when on land. Also there is a descending water fall I built from stable flat rocks. I also have a piece of grapevine driftwood which extends from the water area to the land for easy access. There is also a flower pot on its side on the land for hiding. This is a very interesting and active fish. It has already clamed the waterfall as his territory. I will be soon purchasing a second one for interest. Mine seems to really enjoy pinhead crickets and fish pebbles. The water is brackish (one tablespoon to each gallon of water) and also has a bumble bee goby. This fish prefers land and rarely goes under the water to swim. This fish of the few days I have had it is fairly hardy and definitely a fish for the species aquarium. From: Brea Date:05/16/2002 I really want to set up a species tank for this fish. I always spend time watching them when I am at the aquarium store. They seem to be very interesting. I just need to convince my b/f. He says thinks they are ugly. From: Olie Date:05/07/2002 I have 6 of these fish but incredibly I have noticed 34 babies that emerged from the mud and I feel so proud. They have been so simple for me to breed and I don't know why people say they don't breed. If you want any information contact me on ollietim@tpg.com.au

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