mosquito fish / guppies???

[Magnum Man]

so I just got some mosquito fish to tame some of the mosquito larvae growing in my Tilapia aquaculture set up... one tank grows Duckweed & Hydroponic vegies as part of the system ( any larvae in the actual tanks that have tilapia in them will already taken be taken care of )

these Mosquito fish look just like common guppies... curious if one came from the other, or if they are related??? would they cross breed???

 

[connorlindeman]

@emeraldking

 

[Colin_T]

pictures ?

mosquitoe fish are usually gambusia species and are crap at eating mozzie larvae. aany other common livebearer (guppy, platy, swordtail or molly) will eat 10 times the amount of mozzie larvae a gambusia eats.

take them back and get some swordtails or platies or mollies. even the tilapia will eat more.

 

[Magnum Man]

They were mail order, and my real motive was that they eat the mosquito larvae, and feed my bichirs that also live in the tank

 

[emeraldking]

these Mosquito fish look just like common guppies... curious if one came from the other, or if they are related??? would they cross breed???

There is phenotypically a difference between mosquito fish and wild guppies. If you just take a quick look at the female, it may look a bit like a female guppy but there are differences.
Guppies and mosquito fish are not related to another. While a male guppy has got a gonopodium with hooks at the tip, the gonopodium of a male mosquito fish is long and smooth. Also the head of wild guppies and mosquito fish are different.

Both species can not crossbreed because their sexual organs are not compatible. A hybrid is only possible by artificial insemination. And yes, in labs artificial insemination in livebearers does happen for already a number of years. Some have claimed that it's possible by a natural mating, because they put a guppy and a mosquito fish together. But didn't realize that the female was already storing sperm from a former mating with another guppy. And so, the offspring looked just like guppies for they were guppies.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Am I right in thinking that mosquitofish are not community fish? You have to keep them as species only...are they aggressive then?

 

[Colin_T]

Am I right in thinking that mosquitofish are not community fish? You have to keep them as species only...are they aggressive then?

yes they are fin nippers

 

[GaryE]

In smaller tanks, mine nipped. In large tanks, they didn't as much. But they are best on their own.

Their height of popularity was early in the hobby, because they are so hardy. Before silicone, 40 ltr was a huge tank, and in small tanks, they earned the reputation as ferocious fin destroyers. Now, not many people would even consider keeping them in the size of tanks popular back then. Their reputation is only sometimes deserved.

 

[ClownLurch]

They were mail order, and my real motive was that they eat the mosquito larvae, and feed my bichirs that also live in the tank

I think there’s possibly a confusion on this thread between yer big US mosquito fish (gambusia) and yer little US mosquito fish (Heterandria Formosa).
My HFs are far too timid to nip anything but RCS or floating insects but are certainly snack sized for any decent sized fish. Gambusias when fully grown would need a big mouth to be used as food.

 

[GaryE]

Interesting. I have never heard 'mosquito fish' used for Heterandria formosa, the sweetest gentlest fish out there. In North America, they have the terribly confusing name of 'least killifish'. A "kill" is old Dutch for a small stream, so technically, it's a good name, but then we decided the English name for a huge group of not too closely related, egg laying fish was going to be 'killifish'. We do tie ourselves in knots.

I love the 'parrot Cichlid' misunderstanding debates, as the fish given that common name are really different creatures.

Gambusia affinis have been introduced as mosquito eaters in many countries, and have proven to be less efficient at mosquito eating than many of the native species they destroyed.

 

[Magnum Man]

Mine we’re supposed to be Gambusia Affinis… advertised as great at eating mosquitoe larvae… they were cheap, and sold in bulk ( groups of 20 ) so if they ate some larvae, and my group of little Bichirs eats them… perfect circle of life… I actually added the baby Bichirs hoping they would eat some of the mosquito larvae, and I think they did… they are just slower hunters, and couldn’t keep up with the mosquitoes

BTW… the 1st day, after adding the mosquitoe fish, the larvae I had been seeing in the open areas were all gone, so assuming they do eat larvae…

As far as nipping fins go, these are the only fish in a 250 gallon tank, except for a few baby banded Bichirs

The largest of the mosquito fish ( assume a couple females ) were 2 to 2.25 inches long, and looked very similar in the bag, to common female guppies, only slightly larger

 

[emeraldking]

I think there’s possibly a confusion on this thread between yer big US mosquito fish (gambusia) and yer little US mosquito fish (Heterandria Formosa)

I have never heard 'mosquito fish' used for Heterandria formosa, the sweetest gentlest fish out there.

As far as I know, the name mosquito fish for Heterandria formosa is only used in the UK. And not in other parts of the world. So, if someone outside the UK is mentioning "mosquito fish", they're talking about the Gambusia affinis or Gambusia holbrooki.

Gambusia affinis have been introduced as mosquito eaters in many countries

Not only because they are good mosquito larvae eaters but also because they can withstand very low temperatures. Which makes them also good contenders in colder areas on this globe. But they are an invasive species.

 

[ClownLurch]

Aaaaah. I thought Mosquito Fish for HFS was used in the US as well. My apologies to all.

 

[GaryE]

Aaaaah. I thought Mosquito Fish for HFS was used in the US as well. My apologies to all.

No apology needed. I learned something cool there. I have my evil mental list of failed common names for fish (failed as in causing confusion) and that's one I'll store away.