Dragon Face Pipefish?

[killinit123]

Hey all, was just wondering if anyone had experience with this species? I was told and also did some research of them eating red bugs, is this really true? if so, is it a sure thing or hit or miss like certain fish and aptasia? has anyone had any experience with witnessing these guys actually eating red bugs?


Thanks in advance for any info anyone might have

K

 

[killinit123]

no one???

 

[rayjay]

Give it some time.
People with the knowledge you are looking for aren't on this forum each day so it's a case of waiting until they do come aboard with an answer for you.

 

[Jonvo324]

Dragon Face Pipefish?

I'm by no means an expert in the hobby, but when I had a seahorse/pipefish/shrimpfish tank I had a dragon face pipefish. From my understanding they might eat red bugs. But like you said it is a hit or miss and if they do eat red bugs, they can't eradicate them all. I personally never witnessed mine eating any red bugs. Also from my experience dragon face pipefish are not the easiest of all pipes to care for, this may not be true for everyone though. They have extremely tiny mouths and don't really get accustomed to the foods we feed, but if you're persistent enough, it can be done.

 

[ThRoewer]

I've heard the rumors that they eat Red Bugs and they likely do to some extent, but I doubt they are a suitable control mechanism against this pest if it has already become an issue. You may actually have more success with small wrasses like sixlines for example.

My favorite pipefish are blue stripes - they are also the only ones that are truly suitable for a reef tank with high flow. Especially the females are very outgoing. Mine is out more in the open than most of my other fish.

 

[killinit123]

I'm by no means an expert in the hobby, but when I had a seahorse/pipefish/shrimpfish tank I had a dragon face pipefish. From my understanding they might eat red bugs. But like you said it is a hit or miss and if they do eat red bugs, they can't eradicate them all. I personally never witnessed mine eating any red bugs. Also from my experience dragon face pipefish are not the easiest of all pipes to care for, this may not be true for everyone though. They have extremely tiny mouths and don't really get accustomed to the foods we feed, but if you're persistent enough, it can be done.

Thanks for the info I will make sure I provide the best care I possiby can to him/her I put one in my tank in the beginning of last week and he seems to be doing great.

I've heard the rumors that they eat Red Bugs and they likely do to some extent, but I doubt they are a suitable control mechanism against this pest if it has already become an issue. You may actually have more success with small wrasses like sixlines for example.

My favorite pipefish are blue stripes - they are also the only ones that are truly suitable for a reef tank with high flow. Especially the females are very outgoing. Mine is out more in the open than most of my other fish.

Thank you, I have not witnessed him/her eating any of the red bugs but I did dip the corals that were infected in a Bayer solution. it seemed to kill them off for the most part. I'm not sure if any of my larger acro colonies are infected but hopefully the dragon face will at least be able to keep them at bay if they are. I have strong flow in my tank and he seems to be doing just fine, I have an enormous population of pods in my tank and I see him/her hunting all day and picking at the rocks so i know hes feeding, i have also witnessed him/her eat some frozen food. thanks again for the responses.

 

[saf1]

Search on the main forum and look for the 35 year tank thread of Paul's.

Then read through it and you will find his brine shrimp hatchery doo dad that is used to feed his mandrines and pipes. I've seen a few others doing something similar. What I'm saying is if you are looking for that sort of fish chances are high you'll go the extra mile. Has the poster above or so said, they do have smaller mouths. Baby brine or pods whatever they are once they hatch and a feeding station you are golden.

 

[killinit123]

Search on the main forum and look for the 35 year tank thread of Paul's.

Then read through it and you will find his brine shrimp hatchery doo dad that is used to feed his mandrines and pipes. I've seen a few others doing something similar. What I'm saying is if you are looking for that sort of fish chances are high you'll go the extra mile. Has the poster above or so said, they do have smaller mouths. Baby brine or pods whatever they are once they hatch and a feeding station you are golden.

thanks, I will check out that thread seems interesting in the least.

 

[coralreefking]

Ive had one before and it ate copepods initially but after a few days it would eat the frozen mysis shrimp I fed the fish too.

 

[dbigfoot111]

i'm not an expert, but i love the fish.

 

[fabulousfavia]

I have had experience with dragon face pipefish. They do eat red bugs and are very good at it. I have seen the obvious signs of the decline of red bugs in my system even though the population was small to begin with. These are great fish but are extremely hard to train onto frozen because they have the smallest mouth out of all the pipefish species.


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