Care
In the wild, Spotted Skiffia are found inhabiting ditches, quiet river channels, small lakes, and spring-fed ponds. The substrate is usually composed of a mixture of mud, sand, silt, and rocks. These fish typically prefer relatively shallow depths of up to 1 metre. The vegetation comprises Lemna (duckweed) spp., Typha (bulrush) spp., and water hyacinths, along with plenty of green algae. Some habitats are abundant with roots of Taxodium (flood-tolerant conifers) sp., which provide excellent hiding places and opportunities to graze aufwuchs. The aquarium should be mature and well-filtered, with plenty of shady areas provided amongst aquatic vegetation and decor such as small driftwood pieces or spindly Sumatra wood, both of which could be used to good effect to simulate the maze of tree roots found in the natural environment. S. multipunctata is a fairly peaceful species, but will nip at the fins of long-finned species. They are best kept in a species tank environment, with 2 or more females to every male; this will reduce the amount of attention that any one female receives from the amorous males and will also further your chances of raising more fry. Wild populations of S. multipunctata have apparently been in some decline since the year 2000. Ichthyologist J. Lyons considers them to be endangered in the wild, now being found at only 6 of a previous 14 historical known sites; however, they have not been evaluated for IUCN red list status as yet. The fish pictured here have been commercially bred in the Czech Republic.
Feeding
In nature, these fish graze mainly on aufwuchs that is growing on submerged plant stems, and also on some types of algae. They are also attracted by small insects at the water"™s surface. Try to provide a varied diet consisting of both vegetable and meaty fare, including frozen mosquito larvae, daphnia etc and blanched spinach. Over time, these fish usually accept dried foods such as flake and green/vegetable flake.
Breeding
Breeding is straightforward. When spawning, the male will line up his genital opening with that of the female in order to inseminate her (the males do not possess a gonopodium, as is seen with guppies, for example). The gestation period is between 6 and 8 weeks, depending on water temperature. Sizeable, mature females may give birth to up to 20 fry, but the brood size is normally smaller than this (10-15), as the fry emerge particularly large and well developed. It is not usual for the adults to pursue the young, especially in tanks with plenty of plant cover, so it is not normally necessary to separate them. The fry are easy to feed and will take crushed flake plus small frozen foods such as baby brineshrimp, daphnia, and cyclops. Do not keep different species of Skiffia together, as hybridisation will occur.
