who can live with Gambusia?

[Sgooosh]

Hi! I have this neglected greenhouse pond currently having one gambusia and maybe a few rosy red minnows. I think she may have bullied some of the minnows to their death.
I'm wondering what fish can live with gambusia, if any?
Would it be better to just have a gambusia-only setup?

 

[GaryE]

I'm assuming Gambusia affinis. They're nippy, aggressive little fish compared to some other Gambusia species, but they coexisted with other aggressive, rare in the hobby livebearers here. I'm surprised they would have dominated rosy reds.

Rereading, it isn't they. The fish is alone? I would expect it to be nastier without company. Watching them in the wild, they seemed to live in groups of under ten fish. The first time I saw some, they were swimming with an alligator.

I would keep them alone. I caught them with mollies and blue fin killies, but technically, you could catch hyenas with meerkats. It doesn't mean you'd keep them together.

 

[Innesfan]

The fish is alone? I would expect it to be nastier without company.

I'd put money on it.

 

[Sgooosh]

I'm assuming Gambusia affinis. They're nippy, aggressive little fish compared to some other Gambusia species, but they coexisted with other aggressive, rare in the hobby livebearers here. I'm surprised they would have dominated rosy reds.

Rereading, it isn't they. The fish is alone? I would expect it to be nastier without company. Watching them in the wild, they seemed to live in groups of under ten fish. The first time I saw some, they were swimming with an alligator.

I would keep them alone. I caught them with mollies and blue fin killies, but technically, you could catch hyenas with meerkats. It doesn't mean you'd keep them together.

hmm, that's interesting. Gambusia affinis here lives in huge schools even up to 100 in the shallows with a ton of plants.
Would you say Rosy reds are also aggressive?
The story of why it's only one fish is because she was caught up accidentally with rosy reds. I requested from the aquarium worker that I wanted grey wild-type rosy reds and she accidentally scooped up my little gambusia.

I'd put money on it.

totally makes sense haha

I'll put her in a plant tub outdoors then. Should I get more for her company?

 

[GaryE]

The smaller groups may have been seasonal. I was in Florida years ago, and it was hovering around freezing. Go figure - it was warmer in Canada when I left to visit.

Maybe they form larger groups in better conditions.

I actually liked them, if they were with the right company. They're interesting little fish with a few bad habits, one of which is their colonization of new habitats and destruction of the species there. They are the fish version of rats, along with tilapia. They travel with humans.

Rosy Reds hold their own. I've only kept much larger close relatives though.

 

[Innesfan]

I actually liked them, if they were with the right company. They're interesting little fish with a few bad habits, ...

I like them too. Which is why I'm giving Phalloceros caudimaculatus 'var. reticulatus' a try. Spotted Gambusia look-alikes, plus the females are spotted too (a rarity in Gambusia). And fewer of the bad habits. Actually, so far, none at all.

 

[GaryE]

I had Gambusia nicaraguensis, which my daughter and I caught at Roatan, Honduras. They were nice fish, not even nippy. G affinis has the justified bad rep, but I'd bet the OP would see something f]different if he had 10. If I lost that bet though, I can run away.