pipefish compatibility

[palmer373]

ok so im getting ready to start another fish tank. im planning on a 48"x12"x12" 33g reef plumbed into my 75g soon-to-be FOWLR. ive been really interested in the Bluestripe Pipefish (Doryrhamphus excisus) becuase my LFS has one in and it is an odd ball creature that im sure noone else in the local reef club has. I was curious if anyone can help me out here and give me their opinion if having a pipefish in a reef would be ok, which corals to stay away from (ive heard some can eat the pipefish or sting them to death), if im choosing the right pipefish, and finally, which tank mates would be ok. this tank is dedicated to corals so if in the worst situation i cant have any piepfish in the 33 then that will be ok. please take the time to help me cuase im only 14 years old and trying to build an every lasting hobby and career! thank you! :spin1:

Oh ya i forgot, also if people could point me in the right direction for type of return (i.e. i was thinking of spray bar or i could go with a regular nozzle one) and also powerheads for coral and fish flow. thanks

 

[TamiW]

Stinging corals are a problem, so it really depends on the type of corals you want to keep. If you want sps you'll be ok with something like a blue stripe. If you want LPS, it will depend on the type, and no anemones. No clams either, they can close on a pipefish.

Flagtail pipefish, of which blue stripe pipefish are, are okay with reef-type water movement, as would be something like a dragon face. However, make sure power head intakes and overflows are well guarded.

 

[iamwrasseman]

they are a bit tough to keep for prolonged periods but FishGrrl is on key for sure . i would noy use a spray bas as they will cause salt spray where ever the bubbles surface . you can use one if its submerged .powerheads should be smaller ones so they dont g=creats excess flow because the pipefish would stay out of the flow areas .

 

[palmer373]

Fishgrrl- I plan on softies, zoas, SPS, LPS, a few clams (im in love with them), and a RBTA maybe, it depends on if itll live int eh 75 with crappy lights :/ so its a mixed reef. so then if i put the RBTA and clams in the 33 the pipefish are a no go?

iamwrasseman- if i go with a spray bar (unlikely) it will be submerged. if i put some MJs on a wavemaker, would that be ok for the pipefish?

thanks guys and gals

 

[TamiW]

Yes, the rba and the clams would make it unsafe for pipefish.

 

[palmer373]

... well that isnt good, guess i need to scratch the pipefish idea?

 

[TamiW]

Well, if it were me, I would ditch nems and clams; pipefish are way cooler. But yes, if you intend to keep them, then you can't safely keep pipefish.

 

[palmer373]

i might keep the nem in the 75 then cuase i am gonna pair it with a clown (when it is healed) and it is too much to put it in the 33 where itll out grow the tank. hmmmmmmm, so clams are unsafe with pipefish becuase the pipefish will get surious and wonder either into or near the clam and the clam will go what the heck and close and maybe hurt the pipefish?

 

[palmer373]

ok so here is my stocking list i have refined. it is still in the unofficial stage so would any of these not work with a pipefish? these are all classified as peaceful by LA:

Tail Spot Blenny (Ecsenius stigmatura)
Red Spot Cardinalfish (Apogon parvulus)
Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica)
Firefish, Purple (Nemateleotris decora)
Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus)
Bluestripe Pipefish Pair (Doryrhamphus excisus)
Pink-Streaked Wrasse (Pseudocheilinops ataenia)
Yellow Stripe Clingfish (Diademichthys lineatus) maybe a harem?

i think the pipefish, clingfish, and madarins eat copepods so that wouldnt work right? any ideas?

 

[prickles]

My pipefish experience has been that other fish ignore them. I have had banded, multibanded, janns, bluestripes, and a dragonface. The only fish that bothered the pipefish were other pipes. Male banded killed multibanded and banded. Didn't bother the janss or bluestripes. The dragon is my current one and in a different tank.

The dragon is in with among others...
Bluespot jaws
achilles
powder blue
chocolate tang
purple firefish
helfrichi firefish
one spot foxface
starry blenny

the rest of the fish are very peaceful, but none of any of the fish have ever bothered him. (over 1 year) I also have a really fat scooter in with him. No other pod eaters I think.

I kept a few pipes in with some of the fattest mandarins I have ever seen too. (2 tanks, 1 mandarin per tank)

It really freaks me out when he drapes on the clam though...

 

[palmer373]

so you have all of those in one tank with the dragon? what size of tank? also, is it a reef? what type of corals and clams do you have? have you noticed any problems with the pipefish and corals and/or clams?

 

[rssjsb]

ok so here is my stocking list i have refined. it is still in the unofficial stage so would any of these not work with a pipefish? these are all classified as peaceful by LA:

Tail Spot Blenny (Ecsenius stigmatura)
Red Spot Cardinalfish (Apogon parvulus)
Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica)
Firefish, Purple (Nemateleotris decora)
Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus)
Bluestripe Pipefish Pair (Doryrhamphus excisus)
Pink-Streaked Wrasse (Pseudocheilinops ataenia)
Yellow Stripe Clingfish (Diademichthys lineatus) maybe a harem?

i think the pipefish, clingfish, and madarins eat copepods so that wouldnt work right? any ideas?

To echo what someone else said, bluestripe pipe is in a tank with a lot of other semi aggresive fish who totally ignore him. I wouldn't try to keep one with a mandarin unless your tank is big and well-established.

I would skip the clingfish, but not because they would compete for pods. I'm not sure they even eat pods. In fact, they usually waste away in captivity. Sometimes you can keep them with a longspine urchin - they eat the tube feet.

 

[palmer373]

ok well ive crossed out pipefish and clingfish from my list for many reasons. thanks anyway.

 

[prickles]

so you have all of those in one tank with the dragon? what size of tank? also, is it a reef? what type of corals and clams do you have? have you noticed any problems with the pipefish and corals and/or clams?

I do. It's about 300g. I have mostly LPS with about 2 dozen SPS frags and a couple of nems (RBTA, macrodactyla Doreensis). I have noticed no problems with the dragon and anything else. There is also a scooter who is very fat.

Isn't he cute???