10 gallon fishes that lack a larval stage

LordJoshaeus

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
461
Reaction score
447
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi everyone! What are some small saltwater fishes (which would do well in a 10 gallon) that do not have a pelagic larval stage? Here's some I have come up with [note that most of these are euryhaline fishes that will also thrive in brackish water or even sufficiently hard freshwater];
- Sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus)
- Pseudomugil cyanodorsalis
- Banggai cardinalfish?
- Desert goby (Chlamydogobius eremius)

Thank you :)
 

Peace River

Thrive Master
View Badges
Joined
Apr 29, 2014
Messages
21,466
Reaction score
164,293
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Most brackish or saltwater killifish match your description. For example, I have bred Lucania parva (Rainwater killifish) in a 10g SW tank and hope to work with Floridichthys carpio soon.
 
OP
OP
LordJoshaeus

LordJoshaeus

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
461
Reaction score
447
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I was thinking of rainwater killies (how colorful are they, by the way? Most of the pictures I've seen look like a very washed out bluefin killifish).
 

Peace River

Thrive Master
View Badges
Joined
Apr 29, 2014
Messages
21,466
Reaction score
164,293
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
When in breeding colors, the rainwater male can be stunning (but not necessarily), however most of the time they are a pleasant gold and more full-bodied than the L. goodei. I have worked a lot with bluefins (habitat observation, keeping, and breeding) and IMO bluefins are far more attractive (especially with the red, blue, and yellow dorsal color variations) than the rainwater, albeit the bluefins are FW.

Here is a link to a photo of a L. parva that was taken by a friend of mine that demonstrates how beautiful they can be:

 

Peace River

Thrive Master
View Badges
Joined
Apr 29, 2014
Messages
21,466
Reaction score
164,293
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
...also if you ever want to work with a comparable fish that is a bit larger then you may want to consider the Gulf Killifish (Fundulus grandis) which I have bred in a 55g with a spawning mop.
 

ThRoewer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 16, 2016
Messages
1,251
Reaction score
1,944
Location
Fremont, CA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
...For example, I have bred Lucania parva (Rainwater killifish) in a 10g SW tank ...
I had a pair of those but never got any offspring.

Not necessarily a fish for a 10 gallon tank but one of the few reef fish (and the only damselfish) without pelagic larvae: Orange Line Chromis (Acanthochromis polyacanthus)
 

Peace River

Thrive Master
View Badges
Joined
Apr 29, 2014
Messages
21,466
Reaction score
164,293
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I had a pair of those but never got any offspring.

Not necessarily a fish for a 10 gallon tank but one of the few reef fish (and the only damselfish) without pelagic larvae: Orange Line Chromis (Acanthochromis polyacanthus)

I always used a spawning mop and then would pick the eggs and treat them like any other FW killifish (other than keeping them in SW).
 

ichthyogeek

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 26, 2020
Messages
2,072
Reaction score
2,056
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Livebearers! Endler's (P. wingeii), guppies (P. reticulata), and mollies (P. sphenops) are all also "saltwater" fish that can work in a 10 gallon tank (although mollies might be a bit too large...)

There's also the dwarf seahorse as well, but you're avoiding that one...

The banggai cardinalfish definitely does not have a pelagic larval stage. The male will mouthbrood the larvae until they've gotten past settlement, then release them. They're then ready for BBS, you don't even have to worry about culturing Parvocalanus for them!
 
OP
OP
LordJoshaeus

LordJoshaeus

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
461
Reaction score
447
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I had a pair of those but never got any offspring.

Not necessarily a fish for a 10 gallon tank but one of the few reef fish (and the only damselfish) without pelagic larvae: Orange Line Chromis (Acanthochromis polyacanthus)

What about Altrichthys? I know they're not available in the hobby, but still...

Livebearers! Endler's (P. wingeii), guppies (P. reticulata), and mollies (P. sphenops) are all also "saltwater" fish that can work in a 10 gallon tank (although mollies might be a bit too large...)

There's also the dwarf seahorse as well, but you're avoiding that one...

The banggai cardinalfish definitely does not have a pelagic larval stage. The male will mouthbrood the larvae until they've gotten past settlement, then release them. They're then ready for BBS, you don't even have to worry about culturing Parvocalanus for them!
Most mollies are much too large for a 10 gallon, but endlers and/or guppies would definitely work. I would try dwarf seahorses if there was some reasonable way for a non hobbyist babysitter to feed them if I had to go on a trip...

Banggai cardinals would definitely work, but I have a bad taste in my mouth from them...our first saltwater fish was a banggai cardinal from a local petco, and all it did was hide and starve to death after a few weeks.
 

ichthyogeek

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 26, 2020
Messages
2,072
Reaction score
2,056
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Most mollies are much too large for a 10 gallon, but endlers and/or guppies would definitely work. I would try dwarf seahorses if there was some reasonable way for a non hobbyist babysitter to feed them if I had to go on a trip...

Banggai cardinals would definitely work, but I have a bad taste in my mouth from them...our first saltwater fish was a banggai cardinal from a local petco, and all it did was hide and starve to death after a few weeks.
Yeah...that just...happens with banggai cardinalfish. My theory is that the temperature is too low (breeders keep them at 80-82 F, but they can really thrive up to 85).
 
OP
OP
LordJoshaeus

LordJoshaeus

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
461
Reaction score
447
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Yeah...that just...happens with banggai cardinalfish. My theory is that the temperature is too low (breeders keep them at 80-82 F, but they can really thrive up to 85).
My tank was at 76-78 (I forget the exact temperature), so that might have done 'him' (I do not know what gender this cardinal was) in.
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 37 52.1%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 37 52.1%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 15 21.1%
  • None.

    Votes: 18 25.4%
  • Other.

    Votes: 6 8.5%
Back
Top