Flagfin vs Pipefish - NAMXAS namely

[billybobed]

I've seen it mentioned a few times, specifically by Namxas, when talking about pipes in the same context, reffering to some as pipefish, and others as flagfins. What specifically is the difference? Just curious, thanks!

 

[TamiW]

Flagfins, or flagtails are a type of pipefish, but not all pipefish are flagtails. Flagtails have large "Flag like" tails that are used for propulsion and display. They also tend to be stronger swimmers than most pipefish, and stay in the water column rather than gliding along the surface of rocks or hiding in plants/algae/corals. I believe they are made up of species of the generas Doryrhamphus and Dunkerocampus.

Banded pipefish, which are a type of flagtail:
http://www.fusedjaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/2249_doryrhamphus_dactyliop.jpg

 

[billybobed]

Cool, good read. Thanks!

 

[namxas]

Tami pretty much nailed it...

one nice thing about flagfins is that they do really well in reef-type setups, and can tolerate reef temps (>74*F). some of them (especially juvies) will even set up cleaning stations and groom their tankmates.