Spotted skiffia
Skiffia multipunctata
Also known as Spotted goodeid, Spotted splitfin
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 68–79°F
- 20–26°C
- pH
- 7.2–8.0
- Adult size
- 2.4 in
- 6 cm
- Minimum tank
- 16 gal
- 60 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Medium
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Goodeidae
- Origin
- Endemic to the Rio Lerma and Rio Grande de Santiago drainages in Jalisco and Michoacan, Mexico, in slow, vegetated waters.
Overview
Keep six or more in 60 liters or larger at 20 to 26 C, pH 7.2 to 8.0, in medium hard to hard water. Offer a vegetable heavy diet of spirulina flake and blanched greens with some frozen daphnia and brine shrimp. They can nip fins, so keep robust tankmates or a species tank. Females reach about 6 cm, males slightly smaller.
In the wild
Spotted skiffias want a planted group tank with hard water and steady, clean filtration. Males are marked with irregular black blotches, and many develop orange or yellow over the body and fins. They spend much of the day grazing plants and surfaces for algae. A mature, well planted tank with some floating cover shows them at their best.
Good to know
Skiffia multipunctata is a goodeid livebearer with the family trademark trophotaeniae feeding the young internally. Males have a notched andropodium rather than the rod like gonopodium of guppies and mollies. Broods are modest, often 10 to 30 fry.
Did you know
The amount of black and orange varies a lot between individuals, so some males turn almost fully orange while others stay heavily spotted.
Common questions
What size tank does a Spotted skiffia need?
A Spotted skiffia needs at least 16 gal (60 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a Spotted skiffia need?
A Spotted skiffia is comfortable at 68–79°F (20–26°C) with a pH of 7.2–8.0.
How big does a Spotted skiffia get?
An adult Spotted skiffia reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).
Related species
2.2 in (5.5 cm)16 gal (60 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)Golden skiffia
Skiffia francesae
2.2 in (5.5 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)
2.4 in (6 cm)15 gal (57 L)61–75°F (16–24°C)Rainbow goodeid
Characodon lateralis
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2.6 in (6.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)Tequila splitfin
Zoogoneticus tequila
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2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–79°F (18–26°C)Bumblebee goodeid
Allotoca dugesii
2.8 in (7 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–81°F (18–27°C)Jeweled splitfin
Xenotoca variata
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2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)Redtail splitfin
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