Can Blackstripe Topminnows live in full Marine water?

[Loganfish]

I know that they can be in Brackish, but what about Marine? I’m currently testing this with one of my 6 Blackstripe Topminnows. Slowly acclimating him to salt. Does anyone have details about this? If the Blackstripe Topminnow shows signs of stress, I’ll acclimate him (or her) back to Freshwater.

 

[Fallen_Leaves16]

They won't like it, certainly, and will probably die prematurely. They're not a marine fundulid by any means, and almost never encounter salt in the vast majority of their native range- perhaps some of the very southern Lousiana/Texas locales might be a bit more salt-tolerant, but I highly doubt those in the north are.

 

[jjohnwm]

I know that they can be in Brackish, but what about Marine? I’m currently testing this...

Why? What is to be gained here?

If an aquarist wants to be innovative, the goal should be to find new and better ways to keep fish alive and healthy, rather than new and better ways to kill them.

 

[Loganfish]

Why? What is to be gained here?

If an aquarist wants to be innovative, the goal should be to find new and better ways to keep fish alive and healthy, rather than new and better ways to kill them.

It’s not killing it. It seems to be better. I’ll spend a long long time acclimating it. Mollies and Mosquitofish I’ve added to saltwater ended up doing way better than in freshwater.

 

[Fishpony]

If the Blackstripe Topminnow shows signs of stress, I’ll acclimate him (or her) back to Freshwater.

Boiling frog experiment

 

[cockroach]

It’s not killing it. It seems to be better. I’ll spend a long long time acclimating it. Mollies and Mosquitofish I’ve added to saltwater ended up doing way better than in freshwater.

These species are non-migratory meaning they move around but not large distances. One study cited 200+ meters ( about 218+ yards) in years when population density was low.

Checking fishbase website alone you can compare your thoughts and observations:

Blackstripe topminnow:


Molly:


Mosquitofish:



I do this not to prove you wrong. Rather I do this to highlight the need for research.
You sound like a bright kid but ask a lot of questions expecting others to "back you up" for lack of a better term.

Come into, or create, a thread showing you have done your own research. It is part of the hobby. It is a fun part of the hobby that also starts you on a journey of critical analysis of what you read. And later critical comparison which further leads you to create novel approaches to husbandry.

Saying one fish did well in a marine setup when it is known to inhabit brackish waters, then asking if a fully freshwater fish could do the same is a silly question. Don't look for confirmation bias in your questions or research.

The folks here have years of experience, pre and post internet. When they say it will kill the fish. They are most often on the mark. I am not talking about the puritans saying a discus pair needs a 75gal specialized setup for a pair to survive. But we are talking simple, easy to research biological facts here. Use the communal knowledge here to hone your own, not give an answer to a quick question. That is what Google is for.

 

[Cal Amari]

All of us were young once, even John believe it or not. I get the excitement of wanting to do something new and experimental, but try to limit those experiments to scaping or aeration or plants or something less torturous to the animal your actually keeping. I go back to John's question of why? There's hundreds of marine species you could keep if you want a marine tank and hundreds of freshwater species you can keep if you want a freshwater tank, and a handful of brackish fish available in the hobby if you want a brackish tank.

Brackish fish have evolved to tolerate differences in salinty over gnerations and centuries, becausse they live in environments that get flooded by seasonal storms, or rivers and estuaries where tidal flows mix salt and freshwater, or marshes where the line between salt and fresh is obscured.
The only reason I can come up with to force these fish to live in an environment they aren't naturally exposed to is to be creative or novel or different. It's just not fair to the fish.

It's great to think outside the traditional framework and ask questions of people with similar interests. But when you post a question and the answer is unanimously no don't do it, then listen to it. Otherwise just kill your fish privately and don't pose it as a discussion.