All fish / Oxudercidae

Silver-lined Mudskipper

Periophthalmus argentilineatus

Also known as mudskipper, silverlined mudskipper, barred mudskipper, indian mudskipper, common mudskipper, freshwater mudskipper, ปลาตีน, ikan belacak, tembakul, ミナミトビハゼ, トビハゼ, ikan glodok

A small, bug-eyed goby that spends much of its time out of the water on mud and roots, moving about on muscular pectoral fins. It is grey-brown with darker mottling and silvery flecks, and males raise colourful, dark-edged dorsal fins in display. Keepers like it for its comical behaviour and the chance to build a mangrove-style paludarium.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

9 cm

Temperature

24 to 30 °C

pH

7.5 to 8.5

Smallest tank

120 litres

Keep as

One male per tank, or a group in a large setup with plenty of territories

Diet

Carnivore: crickets, mealworms, bloodworms, small shrimp, krill and sinking carnivore pellets

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Brackish

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: East Africa and Red Sea to Southeast Asia, northern Australia and the western Pacific islands

Breeding

In the wild males dig burrows in mudflats where eggs are laid and guarded in an air chamber. Captive breeding is almost never achieved because the burrow conditions and larval rearing in saltwater are very hard to copy.

Good to know

Despite being sold as a freshwater fish it needs brackish water (roughly SG 1.005 to 1.015) and a large land area; kept in pure fresh water it usually declines. Males are territorial with each other, and the tank needs a tight lid and high humidity as it climbs and jumps.