pipefish in a reef?

sjfishguy

Active member
I have a 58 SPS reef with no real pod eaters and was thinking about getting a pipefish. Which ones would you guys say are the best suited to an SPS reef? I reallly like the banded pipefish but I think I may not have enough pods for one of those, maybe one of the smaller dragons? Would also love to see pics of your pipes in full blown reefs!
 
What other corals are there? What fish? No anemones? I would consider a dragonface or maybe janns as long as there isn't anything in there that could hurt it.
 
i'd worry about 'nems with dragonfaced pipes, but not so much with flagfins as they're swimmers. besides Janss' (which i have kept in a reef w/great success), any of the genus Doryhamphus would do well. if you get bluestripes, you must keep an M-F pair if you keep more than one. two male will kill each other.
 
No, I am not worried about other inhabitants. I have pretty much all SPS... no anemones, no soft corals, no LPS, no aggressive anything really. I was more worried about the high flow and the pipe getting enough food/pods. Do you think a 58 with open rock work (meaning not packed with rock) is enough as far as food goes? Are the swimming pipes better in this environment or the snakey ones like the dragonface? Have othes had success in a similar sized tank?
 
Last edited:
i kept a pair of D. janssi in a 55 gal mixrd reef for a number of years. the fish hunted pods as well as took frozen/thawed mysis.

dragon-faced pipes are tuffer to feed due to their small mouths.

whatever you get, i'd make it a point to convert it over to frozen, esp. if you're shy on LR.
 
Back
Top