Freshwater Pipefish

[Broncos]

Sorry, this could be considered off topic (kinda)...

Has anyone ever kept or even seen FW pipefish? I would love to keep/spawn pipefish again, but I don't want to create another marine tank to ensure adequate husbandry. I will however have brand new fishroom soon and they've been on my wishlist for a long time.

Just curious about your experiences and if possible where to find some!

Thanks,
matt

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

I saw some last year in the fall at a LFS. I would have gotten some but didn't have a tank ready for them. I think they are just like SW pipefish and need small foods and stable water parameters. I also think they are a seasonal import.

 

[namxas]

There are some FW pipes that reach 16" or so...you'd need to do some research as to the species. IIRC, most FW specimens come out of the streams of SE Asia.

 

[mollymonticello]

The store where I work, The Hidden Reef in Philly, has 2 of them right now. They are already quite large and difficult to feed.

<img src="http://fishnews.thehiddenreef.com/images/weeklypics/dsc_0129.jpg">

 

[Broncos]

What do they eat? I've seen smaller species-these big ones are interesting...

 

[fishguy194]

FW pipefish will need live foods, to start with anyway. Live adult brine and newly hatched brine will probably get them started. I haven't seen any switched to frozen foods, but I haven't worked with any of those species for any real length of time. PE mysis are what you would want to switch them over to since these mysis are FW.

One thought I have had, and it would need someone willing to experiment with it, is to feed them cherry shrimp. They run around $2.50 - $5.00 each, but they breed very rapidly in FW aquariums. I thought somebody could set up one or more breeding colonies of them and feed them to the pipefish. Cherry shrimp are a perfect size and come from the same area. So one could deduce that they are what the pipefish eat in the wild.

I bet with a good diet, a dedicated species tank, and a number of individuals (they seem to be more communal than SW pipes), they can be easily spawned. If the fry are large enough, training the captive bred pipes to frozen food would be a piece of cake!

 

[LisaD]

I didn't realize there are FW pipefish. Can anyone tell me species names?

EDIT: Just looked them up, Ichthyocampus carce and Doryichthys martensii are two species. Anyone know of any available online?

 

[michael_cb_125]

Check out this species

Microphis deocata

Amazing!

~Michael

 

[Broncos]

Wicked. That is a good sized pipe...

 

[namxas]

I didn't realize there are FW pipefish. Can anyone tell me species names?

EDIT: Just looked them up, Ichthyocampus carce and Doryichthys martensii are two species. Anyone know of any available online?

Back in the day "Frank's FW Fish" used to have them, but I haven't seen any for awhile. He also tends to be a good source for mudskippers.

 

[wdt2000]

Some of the gulf pipefish can and do live in fresh water.

 

[wdt2000]

I think ccritters sells Syngnathus scovelli

 

[ProInvert]

Check out this species

Microphis deocata

Amazing!

~Michael

Is this your Pair ?
I have been trying to find these for awhile.
They never come in as described.

 

[Anubias Design]

I have M. deocata due in this weekend from India. Please email me off forum at anubiasdesign@yahoo.com if you're interested in getting them.
Thanks,
Mark