Who has kept pipefish successfully?

[ninjamyst]

I know someone has a build thread with pipefish but can't seem to find it / search for it. Has anyone kept pipefish successfully? My LFS has two yellow multibanded pipefish that I want to pick up. In my research, they are expert only but want to hear from other's opinions.

 

1. They feed on pods and hard to train on frozen. Nutramar ova is no longer available making this even tougher.

2. They like low flow and non aggressive fish mates.

 

Would you say they are harder than mandarins?

 

 

 

[ReefWeeds]

vlangel's build has pipefish!!! Hang on, let me find the link.

Here it is!

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/350298-dawns-36g-seahorse-garden-i-am-thinking-sump-upgrade/page-51

[ninjamyst]

vlangel's build has pipefish!!! Hang on, let me find the link.

Here it is!

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/350298-dawns-36g-seahorse-garden-i-am-thinking-sump-upgrade/page-51

 

thanks!

[kimberbee]

Let me know if you get them!! I've considered pipefish, but my ex had two that died within a few weeks (not sure why) so I'm very hesitant.

[TheKleinReef]

I really want to keep dragon face pipefish down the road. Such fascinating creatures.

[ninjamyst]

Let me know if you get them!! I've considered pipefish, but my ex had two that died within a few weeks (not sure why) so I'm very hesitant.

 

Have you been to Seven Stars in Mt. Prospect? They have a pair of yellow banded pipefish right now. I am considering them for my new tank but probably wont get them because:

 

1). I will have SPS so flow will be high

2). I plan to keep jerk fish like clowns and dwarf angels and wrasse

 

Next time I go in, I am gonna ask them what they feed them cuz they had it for a few weeks so they must be eating something....

I really want to keep dragon face pipefish down the road. Such fascinating creatures.

yea, they are really cool and unique. I would build a tank around them if I don't already have 3...hahah

[Nanofreak79]

I had the smaller blue and orange ones, sorry don't have names. Mine devoured nutramar, and constantly hunted for pods. they only lasted about 8 months in my mixed reef. They had trouble competing for ova. good luck, the different varieties are all cool.

[kimberbee]

 

Have you been to Seven Stars in Mt. Prospect? They have a pair of yellow banded pipefish right now. I am considering them for my new tank but probably wont get them because:

 

1). I will have SPS so flow will be high

2). I plan to keep jerk fish like clowns and dwarf angels and wrasse

 

Next time I go in, I am gonna ask them what they feed them cuz they had it for a few weeks so they must be eating something....

yea, they are really cool and unique. I would build a tank around them if I don't already have 3...hahah

I haven't been there. That's way for north for me!

 

I really want to keep dragon face pipefish down the road. Such fascinating creatures.

That's what my ex had. Was a pair and they were really cute. No idea why they died. The first within a few days, the second a few weeks later. There were TONS of pods so I don't think it was food.

 

Maybe it was too high of flow (lots of SPS in the tank) or killed by the wrass-hole or clownfish mama. Also was a mini-maxi anemone in there that wasn't so mini. They would slink around on the sand or rocks so maybe they got too close?

[TheKleinReef]

I remember someone here had an sps dominated nano and had a pair of dragon face pipefish, it was the coolest thing ever. I need to find that thread again.

[Tamberav]

They sell captive bred pipefish that eat mysis. I am thinking of adding a pair to my macro tank.

 

http://seahorse.com/shop/Banded-Pipe-Fish.html

 

Even though they eat mysis, I would think they need proper tank mates that do not out-compete them for food or bully them.

[ninjamyst]

How quickly can a pair of pipefish decimate pods in a 75 gallons tank? Do they eat 100 pods a day? 1,000 pods a day? You can get 5,000 pods for $15-$20. Assuming the pods breed on their own in the tank, how often would you have to reseed the tank with pods to keep the pipefish well fed?

[Lawnman]

I remember someone here had an sps dominated nano and had a pair of dragon face pipefish, it was the coolest thing ever. I need to find that thread again.

Pinoy had some for awhile

http://www.nano-reef.com/featured/_/2009/makoypinoy-r27

[xiaoxiy]

I know someone has a build thread with pipefish but can't seem to find it / search for it. Has anyone kept pipefish successfully? My LFS has two yellow multibanded pipefish that I want to pick up. In my research, they are expert only but want to hear from other's opinions.

 

1. They feed on pods and hard to train on frozen. Nutramar ova is no longer available making this even tougher.

2. They like low flow and non aggressive fish mates.

 

Would you say they are harder than mandarins?

 

 

 

Pipefish aren't that hard to keep, or maybe I just got lucky. My former pipefish readily accepted frozen (cyclops or the eyes of mysis shrimps, they would only eat the eyes) the moment I got them.

 

Unfortunately they perished after predation from a Hawkfish I added.

 

The only issue I ran into with pipefish was that one would occassionally take a vacation into my filter sock through my overflow.

 

EDIT: They were also perfectly fine with my flow. Initially they blew around for a bit, but within 2 days, they were cruising in my tank just fine. At the time I was running a MP10 @50% in reef crest and had a 100GPH return flow.

[ninjamyst]

Pipefish aren't that hard to keep, or maybe I just got lucky. My former pipefish readily accepted frozen (cyclops or the eyes of mysis shrimps, they would only eat the eyes) the moment I got them.

 

Unfortunately they perished after predation from a Hawkfish I added.

 

The only issue I ran into with pipefish was that one would occassionally take a vacation into my filter sock through my overflow.

 

EDIT: They were also perfectly fine with my flow. Initially they blew around for a bit, but within 2 days, they were cruising in my tank just fine. At the time I was running a MP10 @50% in reef crest and had a 100GPH return flow.

how big was the tank you had them in??

[Tamberav]

How quickly can a pair of pipefish decimate pods in a 75 gallons tank? Do they eat 100 pods a day? 1,000 pods a day? You can get 5,000 pods for $15-$20. Assuming the pods breed on their own in the tank, how often would you have to reseed the tank with pods to keep the pipefish well fed?

 

Like mandarins, they eat too many to make buying pods or reseeding feasible/worth it. So either I would rely on a tank that can sustain a breeding colony without adding any, or get ones that eat frozen.

 

Reason I say adding pods doesn't work is most end up in the overflow or hide under rocks, get ate by other fish, ect. So even if you add 1000, they will only find so many of those 1000 to eat. Plus a 75 is a large space that 1000 pods isn't really that many, you would almost be better with a pair in a small tank where they could find pods quicker if you were constantly seeding it. You also never get 1000 like they say.

 

I would think an established 75g could breed enough pods if there wasn't superior pod hunters like wrasses decimating them and if the tank was well fed (more food = more pods).

 

I don't think flow is a huge issue btw and it seems like there are many cases where pipefish over time... start taking frozen. I guess the challenge is keeping them alive long enough to where they decide to eat mysis.

[xiaoxiy]

how big was the tank you had them in??

My good o'l 11 Gallon.

[ninjamyst]

My good o'l 11 Gallon.

 

 

Like mandarins, they eat too many to make buying pods or reseeding feasible/worth it. So either I would rely on a tank that can sustain a breeding colony without adding any, or get ones that eat frozen.

 

Reason I say adding pods doesn't work is most end up in the overflow or hide under rocks, get ate by other fish, ect. So even if you add 1000, they will only find so many of those 1000 to eat. Plus a 75 is a large space that 1000 pods isn't really that many, you would almost be better with a pair in a small tank where they could find pods quicker if you were constantly seeding it. You also never get 1000 like they say.

 

I would think an established 75g could breed enough pods if there wasn't superior pod hunters like wrasses decimating them and if the tank was well fed (more food = more pods).

 

I don't think flow is a huge issue btw and it seems like there are many cases where pipefish over time... start taking frozen. I guess the challenge is keeping them alive long enough to where they decide to eat mysis.

 

thanks for all the info!

[TJ_Burton]

I kept dragonface pipefish (Corythoichthys sp) in a display refugium for a couple years back in 2006. They were paired and produced a few times before I sold them. Pretty easy as far as pipes go IME. I managed to get them feeding on frozen cyclopeeze and daphnia by the 2nd year.

[printerdown01]

I can tell you that a lot of peeps have had success with blue striped pipes when feeding T. Californicus. When I actually lived in Cali they were REALLY easy to raise. All you needed was a bucket, live nannochloropsis algae (green water), and some water from your last water change. You just put them outside and they would breed by the thousands (literally by the thousands).

 

Here in CO (and probably in IL) they are very easy to raise in the spring and summer, but nearly impossible in Fall and Winter. I tried keeping them inside last winter and the population was big enough to restart itself in the summer... but it was NOT enough to keep pipes. Might at least get you through 1/2 the year or help with feedings in the summer.

[Boggers]

I have 2 orange stipes and a Clown fish in my 75G. My MP10 is on 75-80% Reef creast and no issues with flow but they do not hang out on that side a great deal but do swim over some. They want free swimming pods so training frozen can be more of a pain than draggonettes that I have had. Slow feeders as well, so most will starve out. First 2 weeks are that hardest to overcome IMO

[Outofstock]

I had a pair of dragon faced pipes in my 70 gallon cube mixed reef, with an Mp10 running around 70% or so, a 1100 gph koralia and a 850. I lost one of the pipes early on for an unknown reason but it was smaller. The larger lived 6+ months in the tank no issues until I lost power and the entire tank.

Awesome fish, no issues with mine, also had a red scooter blenny with it. Just did its thing picking at the rocks all day. 100% would recommend one in a reef, I had rock flower, and bubble tip anemones too and no issues there.

[ninjamyst]

I had a pair of dragon faced pipes in my 70 gallon cube mixed reef, with an Mp10 running around 70% or so, a 1100 gph koralia and a 850. I lost one of the pipes early on for an unknown reason but it was smaller. The larger lived 6+ months in the tank no issues until I lost power and the entire tank.

Awesome fish, no issues with mine, also had a red scooter blenny with it. Just did its thing picking at the rocks all day. 100% would recommend one in a reef, I had rock flower, and bubble tip anemones too and no issues there.

what other fish did you have with it??

[Outofstock]

what other fish did you have with it??

 

Black Phantom Clownfish

Divinci Clownfish

Tomini Tang

Mollie Miller Blenny

Ruby Red Scooter Blenny

Yellow Watchman Goby

3 Bangaii Cardinals

 

Nothing in the tank ever gave it a second look.

[vlangel]

I know someone has a build thread with pipefish but can't seem to find it / search for it. Has anyone kept pipefish successfully? My LFS has two yellow multibanded pipefish that I want to pick up. In my research, they are expert only but want to hear from other's opinions.

 

1. They feed on pods and hard to train on frozen. Nutramar ova is no longer available making this even tougher.

2. They like low flow and non aggressive fish mates.

 

Would you say they are harder than mandarins?

 

Hi, I have found my captive bred banded flag fin pipefish to be pretty easy. I got it from Ocean Rider already eating frozen mysis. It also grazes on pods that are in the water column but doesn't really eat the ones on surfaces. Mine is in with seahorses and a royal gramma. Also I have it in cooler water so not sure how it would do in higher temperatures above 76. It's a cool fish.