Pseudomugil cyanodorsalis!!!!!!!

[LordJoshaeus]

I finally - FINALLY!!! - got my hands on this gem of a fish. Let me explain...I found an aquabid seller who was offering a group of these rare euryhaline rainbowfish, so I soon got in a bidding war trying to acquire them. Then, about an hour ago, the Wet Spot Tropical Fish updated their stock list - and they had them too! I ultimately canceled my bid on aquabid and ordered ten of them from the Wet Spot. Tomorrow they should email me with the shipping date...

ANYHOW! I will be starting them at relatively low salinity in a modified, cycled 5 gallon freshwater tank (with 1 tablespoon instant ocean added per gallon, likely enough to keep the pseudomugils happy without crashing the filter). I'm hoping they will breed like that, but if not I will set up a higher salinity (perhaps even full seawater strength) 10 gallon to house these magnificent rainbowfish I have coveted for so long. I will document the process on this thread...this shouldn't be very hard, as P. cyanodorsalis fry are large enough to take baby brine shrimp from birth and the species seems to be quite resilient so long as you don't try keeping them in straight freshwater. (Side note...what is the consensus on instant beneficial bacteria products for saltwater? I stumbled across one fellow who found that none of the freshwater products worked, but he did not test the saltwater products).

 

[LordJoshaeus]

Hi everyone! I set the 5 gallon up today with a cycled filter and 1 tablespoon instant ocean per gallon...however, that will not be their final home. I did some research and found (from rainbow fish legend Gary Lange) that this species looks and spawns far better at a salinity of 20 ppt or higher...so I will be setting up a 10 gallon as a full strength seawater tank! I'm a little nervous about it, as I've had poor luck with saltwater setups in the past, so general setup advice would be lovely.

 

[LordJoshaeus]

They have arrived!!!

They are juveniles, about half an inch long, and cannot be sexed yet. They went straight into the 5 gallon, plop and drop style...didn't bother them in the slightest. They are now exploring their qt tank...meanwhile I need to keep gathering supplies for their main setup.

 

[LordJoshaeus]

The Pseudomugils are still doing well today in their Qt...they are eating prepared foods, but I am nonetheless restarting my brine shrimp hatchery to provide a live food source for them and their future fry. Here it is;

The air pump I am using for now is not very strong, so I am running a test hatch today to see if it will work for hatching brine shrimp. If not, I will need another air pump. Eventually I plan to hatch up to 1 tsp of brine shrimp twice a day for all my fish, not just the Pseudomugils...

 

[Ocypode sinensis]

how’s it going

 

[Mr_Knightley]

I'm also hoping for an update!

 

[DaJMasta]

These are the ones Marc Levenson have been raising and now selling too, right?

I think they are in Coral magazine this issue too.

 

[Cael Gallery]

I finally - FINALLY!!! - got my hands on this gem of a fish. Let me explain...I found an aquabid seller who was offering a group of these rare euryhaline rainbowfish, so I soon got in a bidding war trying to acquire them. Then, about an hour ago, the Wet Spot Tropical Fish updated their stock list - and they had them too! I ultimately canceled my bid on aquabid and ordered ten of them from the Wet Spot. Tomorrow they should email me with the shipping date...

ANYHOW! I will be starting them at relatively low salinity in a modified, cycled 5 gallon freshwater tank (with 1 tablespoon instant ocean added per gallon, likely enough to keep the pseudomugils happy without crashing the filter). I'm hoping they will breed like that, but if not I will set up a higher salinity (perhaps even full seawater strength) 10 gallon to house these magnificent rainbowfish I have coveted for so long. I will document the process on this thread...this shouldn't be very hard, as P. cyanodorsalis fry are large enough to take baby brine shrimp from birth and the species seems to be quite resilient so long as you don't try keeping them in straight freshwater. (Side note...what is the consensus on instant beneficial bacteria products for saltwater? I stumbled across one fellow who found that none of the freshwater products worked, but he did not test the saltwater products).

Small correction - blue eyes are not rainbowfish. They're in a separate family.

 

[Baldyreef]

Exciting to see you finally got some!!! Definitely make sure to update us!

 

[LordJoshaeus]

To answer all of your questions...they are doing great! I put them in a 10 gallon saltwater tank and they are thriving. I even have seven new fry (and a number of eggs that haven't hatched yet) from them in a separate setup, and I put a spawning mop into the ten gallon in the hopes of getting more. I really need to get a picture of them on here...both genders, but especially the males, have an etheral blue glow under the lights that is incredibly pretty.

As for whether these blue eyes are also rainbowfish...they are (currently...this has not always been the case!) placed in a separate family than the related Melanotaeniid rainbows, but I've always heard of them being called rainbowfish regardless, as are the Madagascar rainbows and the Telmatherinid rainbows (also currently in separate "families").

 

[Cael Gallery]

To answer all of your questions...they are doing great! I put them in a 10 gallon saltwater tank and they are thriving. I even have seven new fry (and a number of eggs that haven't hatched yet) from them in a separate setup, and I put a spawning mop into the ten gallon in the hopes of getting more. I really need to get a picture of them on here...both genders, but especially the males, have an etheral blue glow under the lights that is incredibly pretty.

As for whether these blue eyes are also rainbowfish...they are (currently...this has not always been the case!) placed in a separate family than the related Melanotaeniid rainbows, but I've always heard of them being called rainbowfish regardless, as are the Madagascar rainbows and the Telmatherinid rainbows (also currently in separate "families").

They are commonly kept here in Australia, sometimes even in reef tanks, and i've never heard them called rainbowfish. Just blue-eyes.

 

[LordJoshaeus]

They are commonly kept here in Australia, sometimes even in reef tanks, and i've never heard them called rainbowfish. Just blue-eyes.

I thought that entire assemblage of families was referred to as rainbowfish in North America...must be a simple nomiculture difference. Oh well...point is my Pseudomugils are doing well. Going to be adding some macroalgae this week (Gracilaria and Chaetomorpha...to all my tanks, not just this one) and eventually some soft corals.

 

[LordJoshaeus]

Hi again! I have made an interesting observation on the Pseudomugils...I am currently raising about two dozen fry whose eggs were laid in relatively low salinity water (I.E 1 tablespoon instant ocean per gallon of water), but the eleven adults do not currently appear to be spawning (I have repeatedly failed to find eggs in their spawning mop). My best guess is this...perhaps high salinity indicates a dry season for these fish? In that case I imagine they would stop spawning because food would be scarce. When the rains come the salinity would also drop and the fish would spawn in response to that indirect indication that more food is coming....that's just my hypothesis. Once the fry are bigger I am going to test it by moving some of the adults to brackish water temporarily and checking the mop regularly for eggs...not a scientific test by any means, but it should quickly yield results.