GBD in Bluestripe Pipe?

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I noticed yesterday that my male bluestripe pipefish has what looks like a small subcutaneous bubble about halfway down his body. He is otherwise exactly the same as before - swimming normally, exploring, snicking off the live rock, etc.

He is in a 20 long with approx. 30 lbs of live rock, live sand, small HOB fuge w/chaetomorpha, LS and rubble, and an AC remora skimmer.

His tankmates are a female bluestripe, a brittle star, an urchin, 2 peppermints, a snail, and some soft corals - xenia, zoas, with a couple of lps, all doing great. This tank has been running for over a year. I've had the pipes for about 4 months.

How freaked out should I be, and what should I be doing?

 

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BTW, sorry for the double post - hope the mods can delete it.

 

[seas_inside]

Well, I don't know much about pipes, just seahorses, but... is he floating? If he is, it's possible for GBD, but I'm thinking about seahorses for floating.

If he's acting fine an not-agitated, I wouldn't worry, but that's just a basic fish rule. Hoepfully a pipe expert can chime in.

Or... he could be pregnant! You did say that there is a female bluestripe... tell me how crazy this is...

 

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He's not floating. In fact, he doesn't seem to be having any problems swimming at all. He's swimming around looking for food as usual. The opposite of agitated.

There is a female in the tank, but this doesn't look like eggs to me (not that I've ever seen eggs on a pipefish). It looks like it's below the skin - these pipes don't have pouches from what I understand, and carry eggs on their bodies, exposed to the water.

 

[NanoLurker]

never heard of a pipe developing EGBD but i don't know any reason why it couldn't, i saw a frogfish with EGBD once. diamox is the SOP for treating EGBD in seahorses. anyway to get a picture? if it is true EGBD it will look like clear little bubbles, if the bubbles are not clear and are more pimple like (yellow/orangish/white) that's a whole 'nother ball game.

 

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Think it's EGBD. The bubble is clear. I'll try to get a picture, but can't make promises - these guys don't move too fast, but they are in and out of the rocks all the time.

 

[seamonkey2]

is a single bubble? or what it seems like a bunch of litlle ones, if the second is true, he is pregnant

good luck either way

Jose

 

[rssjsb]

Ok, now I'm confused. Lights are out, and he won't come close enough for me to get a good look, but I'm pretty sure that the bubble I saw is gone.

He seems perfectly fine.

What I can't tell is if he has eggs. I thought I saw something, but I'm starting to think I'm just hallucinating.