The Gobiesox Clingfish larvae I’ve been raising are 24 days old today. I only have 13 left, and some of those are very stunted. There are about five really healthy, large ones that are doing great. They have been eating enriched 2 day old brine shrimp since they were 7 days old, but I am still putting rotifers in for the smaller fry. The majority of this batch was lost in the beginning when my rotifer culture crashed and I was forced to give them baby brine shrimp. My rotifer culture is doing great now, but I’m afraid it’s too little too late.

They’ve had noticeable pectoral and tail fins since at least day 7, but dorsal and anal fins didn’t show up until around day 15. All the fins are now clearly visible, and these larvae are starting to look more like fish. I believe this species is Gobiesox punctulatus, which starts going through metamorphosis around 20 – 25 days. The larger larvae are spending more time being horizontal to the sides of their container; it’s only a matter of time before they start clinging and stop being larvae!

development pictures:

4 and 7 days old

10 and 15 days old

Felicia has been keeping aquariums since the early 90s and has a keen interest in taxonomy, aquaculture, and seahorses. she is the former Liveaquaria Diver's Den photographer and now works for Philadelphia area's largest aquarium specialty store The Hidden Reef.