Do pipefish need more vertical or horizontal space?

[sugartooth]

I was wondering if they have similar needs in terms of space as seahorses do?

Would a taller tank, wider tank, or longer tank be ideal?

Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[fishyvet]

Really depends of the species of pipe you are considering. Alligator pipefish, for instance, are more like sea horses and like a lot of vertical space (and cooler temps too). They hitch imitating floating grass blades and wait for food to come to them for the most part. Blue lined pipes are always on the hunt and swimming among the rocks so more horizontal space with rock work would be more important for this species.

If you could tell us what kind of pipe you are interested in and what kind of set up you want to have (reef, species dedicated tank, ect) you will probably get more specific answers. HTH

 

[sugartooth]

Thanks very much. I was thinking of doing small mixed reef with pipefish only.
I haven't looked into which kind but like the more colorful ones like the blue lined. I would like to get the tank according to pipefish needs and wanted to narrow down which tanks are my options.
So instead, you are right, I should first narrow down which pipefish I am interested in instead. Thanks for the info, I didn't know they behaved differently.

Do pipefish know to stay away from clams?
Thanks again.

 

[fishyvet]

I think the blue lined pipes would probably stay away but I would never trust my alligator pipe (a hitching pipe) around a clam. My Janns pipe does well in my reef system and has never come close to my clams. The Janns is a somewhat larger pipefish than the blue lined ones though.

Be careful with how many pipes you get. I had 3 blue lines nearly whipe out the pod population from my 55 fuge. A refugium is a must for these guys, especially if they don't eat prepared food (mine never did).