Bluestripe pipefish?

[Calappidae]

I'm thinking about adding a bluestripe pipefish to my 10 gallon mini-reef, just had a few questions

1: can it be trained to frozen Mysis?
2: would it get along with; harlequin shrimp, bumblebee shrimp, pom pom crab, sexy shrimp, and a porcelain crab?

 

[rssjsb]

A bluestripe may take mysis and it may not and, if so, it may take a while. Smaller foods like cyclopeeze and Nutramar Ova is probably a better bet. How long has your tank been set up? Do you have a refugium? My experience is that these fish can usually survive on pods until they decide if they're going to eat frozen foods IF the tank is well established. In a 10-gallon, I think that would require a fuge to be safe.

I don't see any compatibility issues with the pipe and the inverts you list. I guess it's possible that the pipe might take an interest in your sexy shrimp, but I've never tried that and can't really say.

 

[Calappidae]

A bluestripe may take mysis and it may not and, if so, it may take a while. Smaller foods like cyclopeeze and Nutramar Ova is probably a better bet. How long has your tank been set up? Do you have a refugium? My experience is that these fish can usually survive on pods until they decide if they're going to eat frozen foods IF the tank is well established. In a 10-gallon, I think that would require a fuge to be safe.

I don't see any compatibility issues with the pipe and the inverts you list. I guess it's possible that the pipe might take an interest in your sexy shrimp, but I've never tried that and can't really say.

I'm building a 1 gallon fuge for it. It was just setup about a week ago. I'm just planning for future additons.

I easily got 2 (1.5 inch) scooter dragonets to eat frozen Mysis in a weeks time.

 

[TamiW]

Healthy blue stripes train to mysis pretty quickly. But be prepared to offer live newly hatched Artemia to start.

I'd say a 10 gallon is to small though. They're active fish.. A 20 gallon would be my minimum suggestion, with a 30 being better.

 

[Paul B]

10 gallon is a little small for a bluestripe. I have a breeding pair and they eat a lot of pods plus I do hatch brine shrimp every day. They will eat any meaty foods but most mysis is to big. They try to eat them, but don't have teeth so it is hard for them.

 

[rssjsb]

I easily got 2 (1.5 inch) scooter dragonets to eat frozen Mysis in a weeks time.

Not for this tank, I hope. Also, scooters are not that hard to get eating mysis, but that doesn't mean that you that they're not stripping the pod population from a small tank.

I also have to say that I've kept a bluestripe in a 20 gallon for a long time and it seemed to ignore any frozen food I put in for the most part. BUT, I've never tried this in a 10 gallon, and I never kept one in a tank with a fish that would compete for pods in a serious way.

 

[Calappidae]

Not for this tank, I hope. Also, scooters are not that hard to get eating mysis, but that doesn't mean that you that they're not stripping the pod population from a small tank.

I also have to say that I've kept a bluestripe in a 20 gallon for a long time and it seemed to ignore any frozen food I put in for the most part. BUT, I've never tried this in a 10 gallon, and I never kept one in a tank with a fish that would compete for pods in a serious way.

The scooters are in a 30 (going to be upgraded to a 125)

I have nothing in there to compete with food... everything is harlequin shrimp, sexy shrimp, a pom pom crab, bumblebee shrimp, mayeb I'll add a letucce slug, there is no competion in there

 

[rssjsb]

Good luck. I love these little fish.

 

[FlyPenFly]

I've found my blue stripe eats Ova readily and loves to pick dead skin off my wrasse.