FreshwaterBrackish
Mosquitofish
Gambusia affinis
Poeciliidae, Poeciliinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 5.1 cm
- Body shape
- Streamlined
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 6 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
NativeIntroduced
Lives wild in Mexico and United States.
Introduced to Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, and 66 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Most abundant in lower reaches of streams. Adults inhabit standing to slow-flowing water; most common in vegetated ponds and lakes, backwaters and quiet pools of streams. Found frequently in brackish water. Pelagic and surface predatory fish. Feed on zooplankton, small insects and detritus. Used as live food for carnivorous aquarium fishes. Viviparous. Effective in mosquito control and widely introduced, but found to compete with indigenous fish and to upset the ecological balance.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Fundulus inurus
- Gambusia affinis affinis
- Gambusia affinis katruelis
- Gambusia gracilis
- Gambusia humilis
- Gambusia patruelis
In other languages
- Västlig moskitfisk, Moskitfisk
- Vestlig moskitofisk, Gambusia
- Moskiittokala
- Live-bearing tooth-carp, Mosquito fish, Mosquito-fish, Topminnow, Western mosquitofish
Articles
All articles
How to set up a Central American aquarium5 min read
Hard, alkaline water, sand and rock: an aquarium from the rivers and lakes of Mexico and Central America, with cichlids and livebearers.
How to set up a North American aquarium5 min read
Streams and ponds in North America are often cool. How to set up an aquarium without a heater, with pygmy sunfish, shiners and darters.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.