Pipefish q.

[Clearblue303]

I've seen a pair (I belive), of red/white striped ones at lfs.Can you guys tell me anything about them,especially about breeding?
All I know is that they're same family with seahorses and are very shy,slow eaters.
Thanks
FM



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My zodiac is Piesces,I can't help it :!: ...

 

[danmhippo]

Red/White? Wow, I've only seen the black/white banded pipefish. Assuming its about same size, pipefish are indeed very shy, and most are wild caught and require live foods such as ample supplies of amphipods and copepods. Slow mover as they are, even the guppy fries may be too quick a swimmer for them. They are best suited for a tank to themselves, no fast swimmers and no fast eaters to compete with them. They love a tank with plenty of hideouts in forms of gorgonians, sea grass and sargasum.

It is only they are happy with their tank that breeding would be possible. Like seahorses, male of the pipefish would carry the eggsacs below their belly until they hatch, like a row of white pearls they are wearing. Rearing the fry to adulthood is difficult and probably require rotifers for the first couple of weeks.

 

[liquid]

Check over at http://www.seahorse.org/ as they deal with Syngnathiformes over there in more depth than here.

Shane

 

[Clearblue303]

Thanks guys for the info!
I have where to keep them,but providing the right food would be probably a problem.I'm not even sure if they still have them(lfs).
I'll check and rethink again next week(ask what they fed them).

And yes ; WOW they look SPECTACULARE !!!

Take care.
FM

 

[Anonymous]

By the way, the big Scott Michaels book has extensive coverage of these guys.

 

[MFisher]

Are these brackish pipefish? I know there is a brackish-freshwater pipefish that I believe might have red on it.

Boy I'd like to get my hands on a pair of them!

 

[Clearblue303]

Not brackish,they had them in their feather duster tank (more quiet).
At mid next week I'll check them out again.
They are SPECTACULARE ,but if I'll get them,I want to assure good conditions.
I'll keep informed.
FM

 

[JennM]

I have had pygmy pipefish (Atlantic) breed in my tank, and reared a few babies on newly hatched BBS. Gave 2 of the babies away. I've since lost the parents (unknown causes, at different times...old age?) but the babies live on.

YES to live foods, but my pygmies adapted to frozen PE Mysis shrimp. I also have a live brine culture on my back step that survived an Atlanta winter (froze over a few times!) and is still going strong today I hatch the brine in old tank water and grow them out in old tank water that I've left in the sunshine to turn nice and GREEN. For the most part the rain tops it off, and the nice thick green water enriches the brine. You can gut-load it with Selcon or whatever, before you offer it to your pipes, take out a portion and put it in to an enriched seawater for 12 hours or so. The gut-loaded brine is much more nutritious than unenriched.

If they are large enough, the pipes can eat live ghost shrimp (FW or SW..FW are more readily available) and you can gut load them with spirulina flakes or whatever you like.

HTH

Jenn

 

[MFisher]

THe banded pipefish that I used to have did really well until my coral banded shrimp snipped its tail off. A well established tank with lots of pods is essential, as is slow water movement. IMO they are a lot easier than their reputation implies, but like everything, they need certain conditions met.

 

[Clearblue303]

Thanks guys!
What would you suggest for minimum tank size for a pair?
(Most likely they'll be sold by Tuesday,but let's see ...)
FM
:?:

 

[Clearblue303]

Jenn !
Can you tell me please about the BR.SHR tank,do you have any substrate,rocks,plants or aeration in it ?
Eventually feeding (just for the culture itself).
Thanks FM

 

[kipreefer]

I have seen sea horse tanks where it is like a 55 gallon long. Were in the middle of the tank there is a wall of live rock and on one side of the aquarium there is a refegium and on the other side the horses live. Then you can have some forms of live foods coming over but not being totally cleaned out by the pipe fish. Since tehy cant swim through teh life rock.

 

[Clearblue303]

Thanks Randy,that's a great idea.Even if I'll not use it this time,I'll keep in mind.

FM

 

[Greg Hiller]

It sounds like the pipefish you are refering to is the commonly available white and red banded pipefish. I've had two of these for about a year now. I had to seperate them (probably were the same sex). I but the more agressive one in with my Janus's pipefish in another tank. These pipefish can sometimes be trained to eat frozen food(s), but it is not a trivial undertaking. For one of my banded's it took several months before it learned. Now the thing will eat frozen enriched brine shrimp, marine mysis shrimp, and the freshwater Pycine Energetics mysis shrimp, in addition to the wild, live mysis that live in its tank, and sometime copepods from the glass. Good luck.

 

[Clearblue303]

The conclusion.

I didn't buy them for two reasons:- they were sold and -I probably couldn't assure proper conditions for them.
Lfs had them for about 2 weeks.That time I was searching for info,I've set up a tank,but the food would be a problem.At lfs they told me that they eat live food ONLY !
Thanks guys for your contribution,was very helpful!
FM