Blackline mosquitofish

Gambusia vittata

Also known as Vittata gambusia, Black line mosquito fish

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 7.0–8.2
Adult size: 1.8 in (4.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Easy
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Pánuco basin, Mexico
Family: Poeciliidae

Overview

Keep this active little livebearer as a colony rather than singly, and stock more females than males so no one female is chased constantly. It holds the middle and upper water as a busy, always-moving swimmer, so give it open lanes to cruise. Temperament is peaceful for a gambusia, but it does best with calm, similarly sized community fish or in a colony of its own kind, since very slow or long-finned tankmates can be nipped. Feed a varied omnivore diet: quality flake, micro pellets, and small frozen foods such as daphnia and brine shrimp, with some algae or vegetable matter. A tank of about 54 liters gives a starter colony room to settle.

In the wild

In the wild the blackline mosquitofish lives in the Pánuco basin of eastern Mexico, in both flowing rivers and quieter standing waters, often keeping to the deeper channels. That is hard, mineral-rich water, so aim for the harder, neutral to alkaline end of the range, roughly pH 7.0 to 8.2 at 22 to 27 degrees Celsius. A planted tank with open swimming space above, a fine substrate, and steady, well-filtered flow suits it well.

Good to know

Gambusia vittata belongs to the livebearing family Poeciliidae. Males reach about 4.5 centimeters and females grow a little larger. Like other members of the family it bears live young rather than laying eggs; females drop broods of roughly 15 to 30 fry after a gestation of about six weeks, and breeding is straightforward in a mature tank. The species name vittata means banded or striped, a nod to the dark lateral line that gives the blackline mosquitofish its common name.

Did you know

The mosquitofish reputation for bullying and ecological havoc really belongs to just two widely introduced species, Gambusia affinis and Gambusia holbrooki. This one is a range-restricted Mexican native that never became a global pest, and it keeps the family name without the record.

Tank mates

Blackline mosquitofish is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.