Does anyone enjoy Mosquito fish?

They are colorless and might not be as exciting to the eye as a guppy with their flamboyant tails, but I have always found them to be very interesting. I'm actually enticed by their bland appearance, and It's cool that it is a native fish to many parts of the US. I was initially attracted to them because of their price tag. A trio of guppies are 9.99, pet-grade mosquito fish are 2.49 for a trio, and the feeder mosquitos are literally cents each. After thinking about it, I would probably even pay the guppy price for the pet-grade mosquito fish if I had to.

Speaking of the feeder fish, I believe my LFS throws the guppy fry from the females and bad guppy stock into the feeders tank. I have certainly seen weird mosquito guppy hybrids. Are they actually able to cross-breed or were they just really bland looking guppies and that's why they ended up in the feeder tank? If they can cross breed has anyone able to produce any really interesting looking hybrids?

Anyways does anyone else also enjoy the mosquito fish just as much as I do?

 

never seen these guys before... they are super cute though!

 

Honestly I don’t mind having bland coloured fish as long as the bland coloured fish in question have good personalities and are suitable for me to keep. I’ve never had mosquito fish but I’m sure their care is no different to guppies, which I’ve had in the past.

 

never seen these guys before... they are super cute though!

I've never had a beta fish before. I have not added fish to my aquarium yet and a betta is certainly on the option board. Do you think Betta's have a varied personality? I imagine that you can have a closer relationship with a betta fish then you could with a mosquito fish and thats why I would consider them. I think bettas are certainly pretty but something about their tails turns me off. If I ever got a betta I would probably look for the wild varieties which fins are more suited for swimming.

 

I also want to add that mosquito fish aren’t as long-finned and flappy as guppies, so that’s a plus.

 

I've never had a beta fish before. I have not added fish to my aquarium yet and a betta is certainly on the option board. Do you think Betta's have a varied personality? I imagine that you can have a closer relationship with a betta fish then you could with a mosquito fish and thats why I would consider them. I think bettas are certainly pretty but something about their tails turns me off. If I ever got a betta I would probably look for the wild varieties which fins are more suited for swimming.

Get a Female Betta then. They have shorter tails and personality like the males.

 

I've never had a beta fish before. I have not added fish to my aquarium yet and a betta is certainly on the option board. Do you think Betta's have a varied personality? I imagine that you can have a closer relationship with a betta fish then you could with a mosquito fish and thats why I would consider them. I think bettas are certainly pretty but something about their tails turns me off. If I ever got a betta I would probably look for the wild varieties which fins are more suited for swimming.

you should definitely try a betta! if you don't like the long fins get a plakat, wild type, or female they have such amazing personalities you should have at least one!

 

They are colorless and might not be as exciting to the eye as a guppy with their flamboyant tails, but I have always found them to be very interesting. I'm actually enticed by their bland appearance, and It's cool that it is a native fish to many parts of the US. I was initially attracted to them because of their price tag. A trio of guppies are 9.99, pet-grade mosquito fish are 2.49 for a trio, and the feeder mosquitos are literally cents each. After thinking about it, I would probably even pay the guppy price for the pet-grade mosquito fish if I had to.

Speaking of the feeder fish, I believe my LFS throws the guppy fry from the females and bad guppy stock into the feeders tank. I have certainly seen weird mosquito guppy hybrids. Are they actually able to cross-breed or were they just really bland looking guppies and that's why they ended up in the feeder tank? If they can cross breed has anyone able to produce any really interesting looking hybrids?

Anyways does anyone else also enjoy the mosquito fish just as much as I do?

I've kept mosquito fish. But I do have mention that there are blend looking ones and speckled ones. So, not just blend ones.
Do they crossbreed with guppies? Not in a natural way. The shape of the gonopodium of both species are different. The female's vent is shaped in a way that it's compatible with a gonopodium of a male of her own species or close related. At the tip of a guppy's gonopodium there are a number of tiny hooks. The tip of the gonopodium of the mosquito fish is smooth and longer. But artificial insemination is possible. This may sound weird but certain livebearer species are a result of artificial insemination. This really happens nowadays.
But yes, besides blend looking mosquito fish, there are also blend looking guppies.

I wouldn't put mosquito fish together with large finned guppies. For those mosquito fish tend to nip the fins of other fish species. Unless, the other fish are semi aggressive or worse. I used to combine them with my Chapalichtys pardalis (a goodeid species).

I've never had a beta fish before. I have not added fish to my aquarium yet and a betta is certainly on the option board. Do you think Betta's have a varied personality? I imagine that you can have a closer relationship with a betta fish then you could with a mosquito fish and thats why I would consider them. I think bettas are certainly pretty but something about their tails turns me off. If I ever got a betta I would probably look for the wild varieties which fins are more suited for swimming.

The personality of bettas can differ a lot per individual specimen. But if you'd choose betta splendens with large finnage in combination with mosquito fish, wouldn't be the best idea. At some point the mosquito fish can make a design betta out of it.
Overhere a video of my wild betta splendens (short finned). There are multiple males & females in there. and these wilds won't bother eachother. So, no fighting at all.

 

WOW you certainly know a lot about fish "sticks"! Your informative post was very much appreciated, thank you for taking time to share your knowledge. Mosquito fish just got a whole lot cooler now that I know they have smooth and longer gonopodiums compared to their guppy brethren

Those wild betta splendens are certainly more appealing to me. I never knew these existed. Don't worry I would never attempt to house a fancy Betta with a mosquito. I know some certain species are compatible with bettas, but many are not. If I ever have a betta tank I would like the betta to be the highlight of the aquarium and keep it as the only specimen other then shrimp and a few netrite snails.

 

I've kept mosquito fish for a nature center once upon a time. I liked them fine, but they are surprisingly aggressive.

They are not all blandly colored. When collecting fish, I've occasionally caught black and white ones. They are sort of dairy cow colored. It would be interesting to start a breeding project with just these color variant ones.

 

I would like to get some .
that is, if I ever get around to building this outdoor pond I've been wanting.

 

In Australia we have the mosquito fish in most wild streams , ponds , lakes and rivers thanks to the US army in ww2 thinking they could solve the problem of malaria in tropical countries.

Now it today’s world it’s illegal to have these fish in your possession. It’s illegal to sell them or have them in an aquarium. So for me I just watch them in my local pond each summer as the numbers explode with the warm weather. Much as I might like to keep these fish I risk losing all pets for 2 years, having my fishing gear including boat taken and a heavy fine by netting any out even to have a closer look.

To answer your question.
Yes I enjoy looking at them from a distance.