Long Island Pipefish (NY)

[reefman13]

My science teacher had a fishermen give her a live Long Island pipefish yesterday and she asked me what she should feed it. I told her to order some phytoplankton and cytopleeze. Was I right in telling her that?

Is there something else she should feed her?

LMK ASAP as she is very happy and healthy now, and we would like to keep her that way.....

 

[ReefNutPA]

Live pods. A wild caught pipe most likely will not recognize cyclopeeze as food and phyto is too small. Perhaps live brine short-term if pods aren't available.

Tom

 

[reefman13]

This little guy is tiny, with a mouth at MAX 2.5/3mm wide. So she won't eat pods.

 

[danfrith]

Oh it will eat pods both copepods and amphipods. My bluestripes mouth is much smaller and takes large frozen mysis and very large amphipods without a problem. For this guy I would try live mysis and brine shrimp. If you think it needs somthing small try copepods. Good luck.

 

[ann83]

copepods can be very tiny and can be easily eaten by small pipefish - they can even be eaten by tiny pelagic seahorse fry. cyclopeeze is about the size of copepods, I think. you can order some copepods here http://www.seahorsesource.com/cgi-bin/shop/search.cgi?&category=Foods-Live if you need to. I agree with Tom. She likely won't take the cyclpeeze because it isn't alive, and phyto isn't a natural food source and is way too small for her. Enriched rotifers are another option.

 

[Rays]

I have two northern pipes from L.I. that I collected last month. They are eating frozen brine and mysis. Try the hikari bio encapsulated frozen brine first, if it's that small. I have a large and a small they both eat like pigs.

 

[reefman13]

Thanks guys. I guess the pod I was thinking of were the giant ones I have in my tank