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natives for brackish Paladarium


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#1 Leo1234

Leo1234
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  • san clemente, california

Posted 26 October 2015 - 08:12 AM

I am setting up a mudskipper paladarium and want to keep something in the water. The mudskippers I'm getting are the dwarf indian because they are the most peaceful mudskipper I know of.

The set up is:
33 gallon long
25% land, 75% water
The water is at most 3in deep
Salinity is 1.010
PH is above 7 (I need to test it)
sand substrate
Will be in the 70 degree range.

What fish do you reccomend? I was thinking about killifish, but I don't want the fish to jump onto the land.
What plants would you recommend?

Thanks for the help!



#2 swampfish

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Posted 26 October 2015 - 11:03 AM

To coexist with mudskippers, it would be best to select some of the less-slender, more pugnacious killifish that commonly live in shallow water. The one that immediately comes to mind is the sheepshead minnow. The diamond killifish should also do well in the tank. These live deeper in the water column and are probably less likely to jump. Another possibility is the striped killifish, Fundulus majalis, but it is well-known for jumping up onto shore. However, assuming that you have a gentle slope to the water for the mudskippers, they would probably flop back into the water. Young ones would become mudskipper food, but larger ones should survive. Hogchokers would also work in that tank if you like that kind of fish. Many gobies live in brackish water, but select ones large enough to not be mudskipper food.

 

Java ferns should work well in that tank. They are brackish plants in nature that adapt to freshwater. They are even from the same part of the world as the mudskippers. Java moss, Vallisneria, elodea, and najas are likely to survive, but the salinity may be too high for them. Various branched marine algae will thrive including several species of Caulerpa.

 

Phil Nixon



#3 loopsnj64

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Posted 26 October 2015 - 03:53 PM

I agree with swampfish about the sheepshead minnows and the diamond killifish, but would suggest leaning the side of diamond killifish (even if they are trickier to obtain), sheepsheads can be pugnacious and mudskippers have rather delicate skin, and that is not a good combination.

 

 

 

Java ferns should work well in that tank. They are brackish plants in nature that adapt to freshwater. They are even from the same part of the world as the mudskippers. Java moss, Vallisneria, elodea, and najas are likely to survive, but the salinity may be too high for them. Various branched marine algae will thrive including several species of Caulerpa.

 

What macroalgae will thrive in brackish, i keep Chaeto algae in my saltwater tank, but is only the hardiest few species (chaeto, calerpra) that will survive? (with gradual acclimation),


"All good things must come to an end, but bad things think thats rather dull, so they stick around long after their natural end has come"

-From an art book I read


#4 Chasmodes

Chasmodes
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  • Central Maryland

Posted 27 October 2015 - 08:32 AM

I agree with the posts above.  Blennies and clingfish might be cool additions too.  


Kevin Wilson


#5 Betta132

Betta132
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  • San Gabriel drainage area

Posted 27 October 2015 - 11:37 PM

Sailfin mollies could work. I doubt they'll jump out, and even if they do, they'll flop back in. 



#6 loopsnj64

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Posted 28 October 2015 - 04:41 PM

Originally i was considering a native frog/fish paladarium, but now i want to do something like this and now i am faced with an extremely difficult decision


"All good things must come to an end, but bad things think thats rather dull, so they stick around long after their natural end has come"

-From an art book I read


#7 Leo1234

Leo1234
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  • san clemente, california

Posted 19 November 2016 - 10:53 AM

Can this be moved to brackish/salt?

New setup info:
"it is a 33 gallon Long paludarium (4ft Long, 1ft wide). By footprint it is 50% deep water, 25% land and 25% shallow water slope. it's a sand substrate and a pile of rocks in the deeper water. The water is 4in deep. salinity is probably less than 1.010"

Same question as before. Which blenny and gobies would be best? is there one in the trade that works? Should I add current? This is the same tank as the invertebrate topic I posted

Thanks



#8 Chasmodes

Chasmodes
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  • Central Maryland

Posted 21 November 2016 - 04:34 PM

Three species on the market come to mind, the Brachiosaurus Blenny (Omobranchus anolius) and the Vietnamese Freshwater or Zebra Blenny (Omobranchus zebra) .  They both prefer a specific gravity reading of 1.010 or above.

 

Liveaquaria has the Brachiosaurus Blenny in stock.  ThatFishPlace used to have the latter, but I don't see it for sale anywhere at the moment.  

 

As far as collecting your own, on the East Coast, there are two that frequent estuaries, the Striped Blenny (i) and the Feather Blenny (Hypsoblennius hentz), both prefer a little higher specific gravity than the ones mentioned above, about 1.015 or higher.  I'm not aware of ones on the West Coast.  

 

There are a few brackish gobies for sale commercially.  Check the websites mentioned above in their brackish section.  Some prefer the lower specific gravity while others prefer the saltier side.  If you collect along the East Coast estuaries, the most common is the Naked Goby (Gobiosoma bosc), but there are a couple more in our area.  As you move further South, there are more species available.


Kevin Wilson


#9 Leo1234

Leo1234
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Posted 22 November 2016 - 09:47 AM

What state is best to collect native blennies and gobies? I have relatives in Florida and might be able to go collect some sometime.



#10 Leo1234

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  • san clemente, california

Posted 22 November 2016 - 12:19 PM

How would marsh killifish do?

#11 Chasmodes

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  • Central Maryland

Posted 22 November 2016 - 04:50 PM

What state is best to collect native blennies and gobies? I have relatives in Florida and might be able to go collect some sometime.

 

That's a great state to collect in.  Several species of blennies and gobies to choose from, I would think.  The two that I mentioned live along the Atlantic side along with a couple others, and the Striped Blenny can be found on the gulf side too.  In between, you may find the Florida Blenny (Chasmodes saburrae) or Stretchjaw blenny (Chasmodes longimaxilla) also, both close relatives in the same Genera.  

 

I don't know the collecting laws there, but you may need a permit.  Maybe someone that collects there can chime in.

 

Here's a link that will help you find what species are there.  You can probably find all of the goby species too.  If you click on an individual species, it will tell you what environment you can find them in (salinity tolerances, etc.).

 

http://biogeodb.stri...shes/taxon/1882


Kevin Wilson


#12 Chasmodes

Chasmodes
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  • Central Maryland

Posted 22 November 2016 - 04:54 PM

Here's one that goes into freshwater too!

 

Hypleurochilus pseudoaequipinnis

http://biogeodb.stri...es/species/2575


Kevin Wilson


#13 Leo1234

Leo1234
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  • san clemente, california

Posted 21 December 2016 - 11:09 AM

Well I changed a lot of things with the aquarium. First, the salinity is about 1.002 and I might slowly increase it (still debating), I got rid of the land and replaced it with a large rock so I don't have to deal with algae on the land. The water level is 4in deep in the shallow area near the rock and the deep end is 7-8in deep. the rest is the same.

I want to try keeping a flounder again. Mine died a week after introduction to the 33 and I'm not sure why. I had it in 2 other aquariums within 3 months and it was still eating the whole time. (I had to take down these aquariums. I felt bad about how many times it was moved)

Should I increase the salinity back up? Is there any natives that like this salinity compared to what I had before? what salinity do you recommend?

Right now I have Natives: Cuban limia (is this native?)
                            Nonnatives: eel-tailed banjo catfish, and 3 different goby species.  


Edited by Leo1234, 21 December 2016 - 11:10 AM.




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