Pipefish in a Community tank
- Thread starter M.Doshier
- Start date
waterfaller1
New member
Excellent! I cannot get my male in a photo since he became prego. He stays pretty elusive under a certain rock. The female is always out and about..I should try to get a pic of her. You have seen the eggs and fry?:eek1: So the male holds the eggs and then lays them somewhere? I do have some good news for you..if you are interested. I went to IMAC this year and the seahorse folks had some on display. We had a chance to talk a few times about them, and I was interested to know how they were feeding them since they were in a newly set-up display at the show. He told me his were taking mini mysis. I was pretty surprised as I had not seen this behavior in mine when he was kept in the display. Then, when I got my female I ordered two from LA hoping at least one would be female. I lucked up and one was,but then I had a spare male so I offered him to my boss at the shop I work at partime. She had him in a large display coral tank for awhile,but recently put him in a nano which I was concerned about. Then she showed me how easily he takes to the mysis,zooplankton and cyclop-eeze she offered him. Since then I have been supplementing mine with the same, even though they are kept in my refugium where there are plenty of pods. I love them too..and was so intrigued by them when I first saw them at a local shop..I had to have some.
masterswimmer
New member
Paul, that's an awesome photo. 'Grats.
Have yours had babies before? Have you raised any?
Says a ton about your husbandry. Kudos to you.
swimmer
Have yours had babies before? Have you raised any?
Says a ton about your husbandry. Kudos to you.
swimmer
Paul B
Premium Member
Masterswimmer, they spawn all the time. I don't remember when I got them, maybe 6 or 8 months ago. They are in my reef, not in a refugium or anything and they fend for themselves. I do hatch brine every other day but I have a lot of small gobies and what not that eats them besides the pipefish. I also add loads of stuff from the sea (in the summer) Thousands of copepods, amphipods etc. I have never raised them or tried. They are about as large as a newborn brine shrimp. I can barely see the eggs. I would need the Hubble Telescope to see the fry. If I had the time I would raise them but now is not the time.
Paul
Paul
masterswimmer
New member
I understand completely Paul. My clowns breed like clockwork. The eggs hatch too. I just haven't even attempted to raise them.
My pipefish is in my display reef too. I don't keep it in the fuge. Only thing is, I have just one pipe. I know they really do well paired up, but the place I got it only had the one. That was 9 months ago. I haven't seen another Janns' pipefish in any LFS in the tri state area.
swimmer
My pipefish is in my display reef too. I don't keep it in the fuge. Only thing is, I have just one pipe. I know they really do well paired up, but the place I got it only had the one. That was 9 months ago. I haven't seen another Janns' pipefish in any LFS in the tri state area.
swimmer
waterfaller1
New member
Paul...you must have much knowledge to share as long as you have had a tank! Amazing!
Paul B
Premium Member
Waterfaller, you would be amased at the stuff I know that doesen't work.
Actually I have been writing a book for about 30 years. Of course most of the stuff is out of date already. It is not about fish or coral keeping, that has been done to death. It is about all the other stuff like building rock, collecting amphipods and copepods, using NSW, operating on fish, adding chain, cans and bottles to a reef. That type of stuff. It will take me at least five more years. I am having fun so even if no one reads it, I will have acccomplished something for my own benefit.
Have a great day.
Paul
Actually I have been writing a book for about 30 years. Of course most of the stuff is out of date already. It is not about fish or coral keeping, that has been done to death. It is about all the other stuff like building rock, collecting amphipods and copepods, using NSW, operating on fish, adding chain, cans and bottles to a reef. That type of stuff. It will take me at least five more years. I am having fun so even if no one reads it, I will have acccomplished something for my own benefit.
Have a great day.
Paul
pledosophy
Active member
Dude I can't wait five years. You gotta help a guy out. How is that done?
I was wondering if pipefish are compatible with these fish, since this is what im going be putting in my 120. Yellow tang, Purple Tang, sixline wrasse, lyretail anthias, some kind of small goby, a dwarf angle(not sure on species yet), some cleaner and fire shrimp, and maybe some small peacefull fish. The only thing i was really wondering about is the tangs, would they bully a pipefish, or no? Also i wouldn't add a pipefish till my tank is much more established.
waterfaller1
New member
These are the two fish that I would worry about, they will outcompete it for food.
WaterFaller huh. 
All the above fish will pretty much eat the food before the pipefish gets to it. The only thing I keep with pipefish are seahorses and a Mandarin or other small goby and then only in a fairly large tank--30gals.
Paul B. gets his tank scapping ideas form diving in Long Island Sound.
All the above fish will pretty much eat the food before the pipefish gets to it. The only thing I keep with pipefish are seahorses and a Mandarin or other small goby and then only in a fairly large tank--30gals.
Paul B. gets his tank scapping ideas form diving in Long Island Sound.
Paul B
Premium Member
Hello there waterfouler, I mean Waterkeeper
Actually I do get my Ideas from the Long Island Sound but I have to disagree with you on the pipefish. (And I hate to disagree with you)
I have a pair in my 100 gallon reef with about 15 other fish but they do eat different food. The pipefish will not eat the food the other fish will eat, they only eat pods and new born brine shrimp.
I hatch these every day for them. New born shrimp are too small for most adult fish and they ignore them. You can hatch thousands of them and only the goby will eat a few of them but the pipefish will eat most of them. If you are not going to hatch shrimp, don't get a bluestrip pipefish.
:beer:
Paul
Actually I do get my Ideas from the Long Island Sound but I have to disagree with you on the pipefish. (And I hate to disagree with you)
I have a pair in my 100 gallon reef with about 15 other fish but they do eat different food. The pipefish will not eat the food the other fish will eat, they only eat pods and new born brine shrimp.
I hatch these every day for them. New born shrimp are too small for most adult fish and they ignore them. You can hatch thousands of them and only the goby will eat a few of them but the pipefish will eat most of them. If you are not going to hatch shrimp, don't get a bluestrip pipefish.
:beer:
Paul
Paul,
That is because you are the RC oddball, always ignoring the rules (and getting away with it to boot). No amount of preaching on my part will ever get you to change your evils ways.
I was wondering though, what happens with the pipefish fry? Do you collect them up or do they end up as bait?
That is because you are the RC oddball, always ignoring the rules (and getting away with it to boot). No amount of preaching on my part will ever get you to change your evils ways.
I was wondering though, what happens with the pipefish fry? Do you collect them up or do they end up as bait?
Paul B
Premium Member
Tom, they are bait. Real tiny bait.
"RC oddball" ! I don't ignore the rules, I was doing this before there were rules. :lol:
I really don't know why i don't have all these problems that a lot of people have. Maybe I do, and I am just senile and don't realize it. Maybe my fish all have ich but my eyesight is too poor to notice.:bum: could happen.
I really think it's the theraputic effect of asphalt. :lol:
Have a great day.
Paul
"RC oddball" ! I don't ignore the rules, I was doing this before there were rules. :lol:
I really don't know why i don't have all these problems that a lot of people have. Maybe I do, and I am just senile and don't realize it. Maybe my fish all have ich but my eyesight is too poor to notice.:bum: could happen.
I really think it's the theraputic effect of asphalt. :lol:
Have a great day.
Paul
:thumbsup:
:beer:
Here's to us that actually know what a typewritter is.
:beer:
Here's to us that actually know what a typewritter is.
masterswimmer
New member
Paul, I have to agree with you. My Janns' pipefish is living among 11 other fish. One of those fish being a mandarin. The mandarin competes with the pipefish for pods. My fuge is packed with pods and there have been no issues for the pipefish eating.
I have noticed that the pipefish comes out to feed whenever I feed the rest of the tank. Seems he eats some frozen fare also. I've seen him munch frozen cyclopeeze, frozen rotifers and anything small enough to fit in his mouth.
He's been in the tank for 10 months now and looks great. I guess I buck the trend also.
I have noticed that the pipefish comes out to feed whenever I feed the rest of the tank. Seems he eats some frozen fare also. I've seen him munch frozen cyclopeeze, frozen rotifers and anything small enough to fit in his mouth.
He's been in the tank for 10 months now and looks great. I guess I buck the trend also.
Masterswimmer,
Oh fine, just what I need; another trouble maker. I guess with 30 years of FW experience you are welcome in the "Old Codgers Club" but work some more on the SW.
Oh fine, just what I need; another trouble maker. I guess with 30 years of FW experience you are welcome in the "Old Codgers Club" but work some more on the SW.
