African Mudskipper
Periophthalmus barbarus
Brackish West and central Africa
A fascinating amphibious goby capable of walking on land and breathing air via specialized skin and gill chambers. It requires a dedicated paludarium with gently sloping sand banks and warm, humid air. It is fiercely territorial and best housed singly to avoid lethal combat.
Also called: Atlantic mudskipper, Jumbo fish, Mud-hopper, Mudskipper.
Try it in the planner Opens a tank sized to its minimum with 1 fish added.
What it needs
| Item | Value | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Adult length | 15 cm | Used for the Space check: the tank must be long enough for the fish to turn round. |
| Smallest tank | 150 L, at least 90 cm long estimated | The least water and floor length this species is kept in for good, as a single fish or smallest group. |
| Extra water per added fish | 50 L estimated | What each further fish adds once the minimum is met. |
| Waste load | Class 3 of 5 estimated | How much waste an adult makes against its size. Feeds the Load check. |
| Temperature | 24 to 30 C | Stock sharing a tank need overlapping ranges. |
| pH | 7.5 to 8.5 | Compared with tankmates in the Water check. |
| Hardness | GH 10 to 25, KH 8 to 16 | Degrees of general and carbonate hardness. |
| Flow | Low | Low-flow fish are stressed in a strong current. |
| Light | Moderate | Matched to the lighting class on the needs sheet. |
| Group size | Single fish is fine | Not a schooling species. |
| Temperament | Aggressive | Territorial: strong. |
| Swims in | Near the bottom | Fish that use different levels share a tank more easily. |
| Lifespan | About 5 years | A fish is a long commitment. |
| Experience | Experienced keepers only | A guide to how forgiving the species is of mistakes. |
| Jumps | Yes | Keep the tank covered. |
Tags marked estimated are judged from the size and habits of the species rather than measured, so treat them as a sensible default.
Diet and tank layout
African Mudskipper is an carnivore that swims in the lowest part of the tank. It is safe with plants. Give it plenty of cover. It digs, so anchor plants and keep hard rock off loose sand. It will eat fish small enough to swallow.
Tankmates
Works with
No close matches in the data. Check the pair tool.
Depends
Avoid
- Yucatan Sailfin Molly
- Figure Eight Puffer
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Indian Glassy Fish
- Silver Moony
- Spotted Scat
- African Moony
- Banded Archerfish
- Columbian Shark
- Orange Chromide
- Bumblebee Goby
- Four-Eyed Fish
- Knight Goby
- Spotted Archerfish
- Barred Mudskipper
- Ceylon Puffer
- Green Chromide
- Silver Scat
- Banded Killifish
- Banded Lampeye
- Banded Puffer
- Belly Pipefish
- Blueback Blue-Eye
- Green Panchax
- Javanese Ricefish
- Mummichog
- Queen of Siam Goby
- Shortfin Molly
- Shuttles Mudskipper
Compare any two fish on the compatibility page, or print the equipment for a stock on the needs sheet. How this is worked out: the method.