Successful Mudskipper spawn!!!!

[Alicia Marie]

So last night, after being away for a few days, I came home to find a baby mudskipper in my tank. I am 100% certain it's a baby mudskipper. I just wish I was around to watch the actual spawn. I'm getting new batteries for my camera tonight, and will take and post pics asap!! As far as I know, this is the first time they have ever successfully spawned in captivity. I'm super pumped. The little guy looks kinda like a stickleback, but he has a very blunt face, and a longer body. He also swims very uniquely. He hovers like a peacock gudgeon does. I'm super pumped to see him morph. I'm pretty sure my male and female will spawn again too. They have their tubes out. ::D

[SalmonAfrica]

Please, full details! Setup, water conditions etc. Every last bit of info should be recorded!

Stoked for photos!

[dhgyello04]

pics please:headbang2

[ceeej31]

we need pics:eek:

[Mudfrog]

Very awesome! I've been thinking about doing some mudskippers.. what is the tank setup?

[Bllib]

Awesome!!! We need more info as listed above!

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

Oh wow. Please give us all the tank info (substrate, water depth, is there a tide, size of tubes, salinity, other water conditions, tank size...).
What species is it? Please spare us no iota of information.

[Alicia Marie]

Whoa!!! K, so I have some more info, and the batteries are charging for the camera. Officially, as of yet, there are now two fry. They are free swimming. The tank is a 20 gallon. It contains 2 inches of horticulture sand for substrate. The depth of the water is 3 and a half inches. The temperature is 79 F. The salinity is nil. . . 3 tsp of marine salt in total. Anubias and Myriophyllum are all the plants I have. I have freshwater snail and clam shells scattered about the bottom. There is one small piece of driftwood in the tank, as well as slate. Pics will show the setup better. I do not have any of the chemical parameters. The eggs were hatched under a shallow lying piece of slate. The residue was similar to that of snails eggs. Both parents seem to be very protective and alert. The eggs themselves must have been hatched under the males care due to the fact that it was on his side of the tank. I will post pics and more details as soon as I can. Thanks for the support everyone. This is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me. I named the two babies Sprit and Sprat (for those of you who like Marley).
Alicia

[Alicia Marie]

Correction! That's Three babies!! :D

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

Again, what species? If you don't know the species or even common name, could you at least describe what they look like, and how large they are (the adults, not fry)?

[LBathory]

wow congratulations :)

[laura77]

o,o,o pics please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alicia Marie]

Again, what species? If you don't know the species or even common name, could you at least describe what they look like, and how large they are (the adults, not fry)?

Srroy! I think they are P. barbarus. I have pics and I am uploading them as we speak. Please verify the species for me. Thanks!!

[parasite paradise]

that's like never happened ever before.

[Alicia Marie]

Alright guys!! Here are the pics. The little guys are still small and they are hard to get pics of. I had to catch one and put him in a glass for the pics. Please keep in mind that these pictures belong to me and I request that they not be taken from this site.
Alicia :D

[rallysb1tch]

that's cool!

[cnoel08]

we really need pix!!

[moto110]

That has got to be crazy for you to think that you may have just made fish keeping history for first mudskipper spawn in home aquaria.

[frogman5]

pics pics pics

[KMKN]

congrats

[Abhirup]

:WHOA:now that should make jaws drop...and you achieved so with what seems to be like minimalistic effort...awesome.....

[Alicia Marie]

So I just talked to Matt Clarke of Practical Fishkeeping Magazine in the UK and he wants to do a news story on the spawn!!!

[Cichlaholics Anonymous]

that is great news, congratulations. didn't know it could be done

[cockroach]

Shmowzers, I can only start to imagine how exstatic you must be.

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! Woot Woot

[ageingone]

Well done to you. This must make you feel so proud

[Alicia Marie]

Thanks for all the support everyone. It feels so awesome. I'm especially excited because I know I will be the first person in the world to watch and document the development of a mudskipper from free swimming fry to adulthood (I hope). I can't wait to share it all with you guys. I intend to take daily photographs of them and make notes and observations on their development. I have made one difinitive observation. . . the parents are maternal and highly protective of the babies. They behave similar to chichlids, but with reverse roles. The male guards the fry while the female defends the territory. When I removed the one baby for pictures, the female attacked the net and the sand around it with extreme aggresion. . . needless to say, my hands stay out of the tank. Them buggers have nasty little teeth.

[haynchinook334]

good looking fish and a good looking camera

[Alicia Marie]

good looking fish and a good looking camera

Thanks! Now if only I knew how to use it better. :nilly: LOL
My girlfriend is coming over tomorrow and she's going to take pics with her camera, and then maybe you'll see more than just blur.

[meghanashley]

Congrats. How long have you had the mudskippers, (parents)?

[Alicia Marie]

Congrats. How long have you had the mudskippers, (parents)?

I've had the parents for nine months. I recieved them both from a friend of mine for christmas (he's actually my fish distributer at work). I recently moved (about a month ago) so they've only been setup in the current tank for about a month. Fairly quick to get a spawn out of them.

[meghanashley]

The tank looks great, and they obvoisly felt comfortable enough to start a family. Completely awesome, can't wait for the updates.

[fugupuff]

awesome accomplishment! keep us updated. they've always been one of my favorites!

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

I'm pretty sure that they're African mudskippers (Periophthalmus barbarus) It's a shame that it had to be one of the larger species. I would love to breed dwarf mudskippers if I ever get them.
I read that mudskipper spawning only occurred if there was a tide and enough of the right substrate to make a burrow (which can be meters deep). I also read that either the dwarves or larger species wasn't so dependent on the tide. From this (and something that a friend of mine is observing with some Vietnamese mudskippers) I'm guessing that the larger species don't require a tide.
What are you going to feed the fry?

[Alicia Marie]

Currently I am feeding the fry frozen Hikari rotifers, but today my baby brine will be hatched so I will start feeding them that. I plan to raise and feed the artemia after the instar 2 phase to ensure proper gut loading. I plan to pick up some selcon today for enriching the nauplii. I also plan to get some cyclops (frozen) to further enrich their diet.

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

That sounds great. I can't wait to see where this goes.

[Stab]

Wow! Congrads! This certainly is some history-making event! I can't wait to read more details about the set up, temperature, water quality, types of food used, or anything else that might have contributed to a successful spawn :headbang2


That baby mudskipper sure looks nothing like an adult. It does not resemble a goby or a tadpole at all. In fact, it looks like something from the carp family. Is it me or does the fry almost resemble a guppy or a small tetra of some sort? I'm guessing that just like some of the marine gobies it will go through quite a transformation before changing from fry into adult form.

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

I'm breeding bumblebee gobies (another brackish goby) and when the fry hatch, they look like guppies, except tinier than any guppy. They're free-swimming for awhile, but eventually become bottom dwellers and gain adult colors. I suspect that the case is similar for mudskippers. Once I read that the fry hatch and do not come out of the burrow for 50 days. In the meantime the male guards and provides them with oxygen taken from air.

[Horiyoshi III]

Looks like a feeder guppy.

[js302]

this is all very cool.
well done!
:woot:

[jojo_nature]

Congrat's mudskipper daddy.

[Stab]

I'm breeding bumblebee gobies (another brackish goby) and when the fry hatch, they look like guppies, except tinier than any guppy.

This explains my confusion. I did not know that gobies are born looking like "normal" fish

[Gage]

i finally found your post, lol, again, congrats on the spawn, its crazy they actually bred for you! now i gotta go get a female for my male...

though this has inspired me to try and breed something other then cichlids, something that probably no one has ever bred, like elephant nose or baby whales or something

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

I have a question or two for you, Alicia Marie.
How long were you away from your aquarium, and did you observe anything even slightly out of the ordinary before you left? Out of the ordinary things could include the male selecting and viciously protecting the area under the rock as his own.

I know somebody that owns a store. He has two Vietnamese mudskippers in one of his tanks (no other fish in the tank). Recently (sort of) the male began guarding the space beneath a large rock. He has said that when he comes in in the morning, he often sees the male displaying his fins. I myself have seen the male attack my finger when I put it up the the glass by the rock. The female seems to spend her time elsewhere. She isn't aggressive like the male.

[wolfsburgfanatic]

Wow, I don't check this section for a few weeks and I miss all of the excitment lol. Congratulations!! :thumbsup:

definately check or have your water checked to find out the ph, hardness, etc. This is awesome... Can't wait to watch them grow

subscribed :D

[Pyramid_Party]

Looking at her tank, it looks like a really good environment for them. Tank isnt overstocked, like most people do, so therefore it made it alot more possible for a spawn. Condtions in the tank were probably good, and maybe when she left those few days, they were undisturbed and were able to mate. Thats another thing that happens too mcuh is people cant leave their hands out of the tank. So its possible that undisturbed time made it more possible.


Good Job by the way Alicia.

[Lupin]

Congrats!:thumbsup:

[Alicia Marie]

i finally found your post, lol, again, congrats on the spawn, its crazy they actually bred for you! now i gotta go get a female for my male...

though this has inspired me to try and breed something other then cichlids, something that probably no one has ever bred, like elephant nose or baby whales or something

Thanks Gage!!! I'm super pumped that I get to share the experience with you. You should see the fat bellies on the lil' buggers LOL. They really like the artemia.

[Alicia Marie]

I have a question or two for you, Alicia Marie.
How long were you away from your aquarium, and did you observe anything even slightly out of the ordinary before you left? Out of the ordinary things could include the male selecting and viciously protecting the area under the rock as his own.

I know somebody that owns a store. He has two Vietnamese mudskippers in one of his tanks (no other fish in the tank). Recently (sort of) the male began guarding the space beneath a large rock. He has said that when he comes in in the morning, he often sees the male displaying his fins. I myself have seen the male attack my finger when I put it up the the glass by the rock. The female seems to spend her time elsewhere. She isn't aggressive like the male.


I was away for the weekend (three days). I never noticed any change in their behavior prior to going away. Tha male always had his side of the tank, and she always stayed on hers. Neither of them show any aggresion to me (until the babies).

[Alicia Marie]

Thanks again everyone for all the support. I will be posting update pictures of the fry so you can watch them grow too. I am taking a sample of water to work today, however I will only measure the pH. I don't have a kit for the hardness. I will point out that I used true marine salt, and not just aquarium salt. I am a strong believer that fish from marine and brackish environments need the trace elements in marine salt. Will post another update soon! :D
Alicia

[Alicia Marie]

I have a video of one of the little guys feeding. Is there any way to post it on here? :confused:

[umpbump]

wow congrats! thread added to my favorites. i wish for the best.

your setup looks really nice btw

[umpbump]

I have a video of one of the little guys feeding. Is there any way to post it on here? :confused:

you can upload it on youtube.com and then add the video link :naughty:

[wolfsburgfanatic]

you can upload it on youtube.com and then add the video link :naughty:

yeah, or photobucket.com :thumbsup:

[Alicia Marie]

yeah, or photobucket.com :thumbsup:
The video was too big to post on photobucket, so I'm uploading it onto youtube right now. I will post the link as soon as I can.
Alicia

[Alicia Marie]

Doh. . . it's not uploading on youtube either. :( I'll keep trying though.

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

Did you upload the video to Windows Moviemaker or something? I remember I had to publish my video to my computer before I could post it on YouTube. That copies it, and the copy can be uploaded.

[Sandman334]

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!

[Alicia Marie]

Sorry for the lack of updates everyone. I am currently discussing the spawn with Matt Clarke of PFK. Will post updates as soon as I can. In the meantime, keep your eyes on PFK. Thanks again for all the support everyone!!! I really greatly appreciate it. :D

[SalmonAfrica]

Glad to see you on that side too - but don't forsake the members here on MFK! :)

[Bogwoodbruce]

Congrats! Im keeping mudskippers and they are awesome!

[hybridtheoryd16]

congrats-------this being the first time that this has happened. I think you should take daily pictures and post them. And make a liabrary of the pictures for all to see and learn from.

[Bogwoodbruce]

I hope for lots of updates :)

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

Bump.
Updates?

[Bottomfeeder]

subscribe/
btw...any chance you could post the actual video screen? I gotta see the Mudskippers and i'm not allowed on youtube :( but if it's actually here I can

[cnoel08]

update??

[Gage]

hey guys, im one of her friends, only live a couple blocks away, the damn parents ate the damn babies, and she didnt post cause she didnt think that you would believe that they bred... they did, the day before they ate them the fins were starting to morph, they are weird looking at this stage.

good news though, they appear to be having a bit of spawning behavior again, and if they do decide to breed again, which it really appears they will as they have some pretty screwed up behaviors ive never seen before, like putting his head up like a howling wolf with his gills puffed out like crazy and slapping his tail on the rock, funniest looking thing in the world, but its pretty obvious it is spawning behavior trying to attract the female. and let alone the complete change in color, which is 99% of the time a spawning sign.

she will be moving the fry next time they breed.

good luck on the next spawn Alicia!

[Bottomfeeder]

hey guys, im one of her friends, only live a couple blocks away, the damn parents ate the damn babies, and she didnt post cause she didnt think that you would believe that they bred... they did, the day before they ate them the fins were starting to morph, they are weird looking at this stage.

good news though, they appear to be having a bit of spawning behavior again, and if they do decide to breed again, which it really appears they will as they have some pretty screwed up behaviors ive never seen before, like putting his head up like a howling wolf with his gills puffed out like crazy and slapping his tail on the rock, funniest looking thing in the world, but its pretty obvious it is spawning behavior trying to attract the female. and let alone the complete change in color, which is 99% of the time a spawning sign.

she will be moving the fry next time they breed.

good luck on the next spawn Alicia!
i belive her but that SOOOOOOOOOOO sucks! tell her she should record how old they were when the parents took them so that future Mudskipper breeders (and her) knows when to separate them...

[egk502]

very impressive good luck

[bobo819]

nice nice~! congrat ^^"

[Lupin]

I see PFK has published Alicia's mudskipper spawn.:) Sorry about your fry loss.:( Good luck with the next batch.:thumbsup:
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/blog.php?blogid=211

[Dragon cqzzzzz<]

I hope it works this time. The more we learn about their breeding, the more we can breed them in captivity, and the less need there is to collect wild (possibly disease-ridden or parasite carrying) specimens.

[Gage]

it really does suck, especially because she doesnt have a pic of them when they started to morph.

[Bottomfeeder]

i belive her but that SOOOOOOOOOOO sucks! tell her she should record how old they were when the parents took them so that future Mudskipper breeders (and her) knows when to separate them...
No seriously, do that