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Has anyone ever heard of or seen these fish. I am going to research them now.

I have never heard of them till now. Very cool. Thanks for the info. Have you seen them at your LFS?

Heard of them? The only thing keeping me from knowing tons about this fish is not having actually kept them for an extended period of time... Unfortunately, my first trio all died mysteriously, despite having done all the proper research beforehand to take care of these fish.

Sadly, even though the LFS got a tank full of these guys just recently, I can't buy them as I lack the tank space. It's only the third time I've ever seen them in an LFS, so they are not exactly common. Four-eyed fish might not seem like it, but they get rather sizeable, to about a foot in length. I would've loved to have picked up the group of four-eyed fish to go with my mudskipper, but then I remembered that neither my 10 gallon my 'skipper is currently in nor my 20 gallon my 'skipper is going into will be big enough for adults. At the least I'd have to set up a 55 or 75 gallon tank for a trio or the whole group of the six younger fish, as Anableps live in groups. That said, they are certainly not the most peaceful of schoolers; Anableps will be slightly aggressive as far as oddballs I'm usually interested in go in maintaining their social heirarchy.

These fish are often said to be brackish fish, but they are often found in freshwater in their natural habitats. I'd wager they'd do okay in a freshwater tank, but I don't really know for sure. I'd probably not put them in a soft freshwater tank, though.

Anableps species are handed livebearers. This means that the gonopodium turns either right or left depending on the fish, and the female can only accept sperm from either the right or left side. Thus, these fish mate kind of side by side. They are not the easiest fish to breed in captivity, but it's not impossible either.

Preferably, a set-up for Anableps is a paludarium, or at least a tank filled up halfway with water. This way you can see the Anableps from the side as well as from above, which is one of the most fascinating angles to view them. Also, having above-water shade will allow these fish to rest their eyes or duck for cover as the lights come on, as these fish almost never die below the surface of the water.

All in all, a great oddball fish. I'm really disappointed that while the LFS has six great looking specimens that I can't buy the whole batch and keep them due to my lack of tank space. Ah well, Anableps aren't the rarest fish in the world nor the most expensive, so I've got time to wait.

Any further questions you can shoot at me.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Steven, yes they were at my LFS. They had 3 of them. They were quite different.

Shinigami, thanks for the info. They are the oddest fish I have ever seen, with the eyes of which looks like a frog.
Very interesting.


Is this a fish that can be put in a pond?

Any fish can be put in a pond, as long as it's right for them. No, they will not go in a goldfish pond, but a tropical pond would be appropriate.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

if you do put them in a pond make sure you hae enough heat for the tank and disperse the heat to a few heaters as to not overload one and to make sure if one breaks there is a back up to keep the area warm.. also keep the heater in a place of high flow (maybe like 4 made for a 55g in or near the filter in or out) but it all depends on the size of the pond...

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