Pipefish in a SPS Tank w/ Pic::: Your Questions answered

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12428009#post12428009 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shilo_1
FWIW, when I was getting mine switched to frozen food, I found they were very happy to go after the frozen cubes of "coral food" you get at the LFS. I can get the brand if anyone wants more info. I fed cyclopeze and arctipods with no luck, but as soon as I added the frozen coral food they both dove in and ate a bunch. Never had problems getting them to eat after that.
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Hey!
What brand & type of food did you see your pipes eating?
 
Very nice Mysterybox! I will PM on the ARC site to get some more info before I try them. I'm just a little busy with finals at the moment.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12447780#post12447780 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mysterybox
I've had these dragonface for almost 2 years now. For some reason, they don't go near my Tunzes. As far as I know, THESE are the only species of pipefish that can handle a sps reef tank. Of course you have to make sure that you have no stinging type corals (most lps), and no anemones!


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those are some great photos! they even posed for you! lol

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so from what i can tell, you have to have a large number of pods to raise and hold pipe fish? I've always wanted a pair since i seen a special on the discovery channel.
 
you need to have a breeding population or a way to supplement that population. Many people use a refugium or some people will turn over a plactic basket so fish cant get in but the pods and smaller critters can move freely. This allows them a living space where pipe fish and mandarins cannot eat them. Try to get some pic updates up today or tomorrow
 
I have also kept a ball of chaeto (etc.) under a pile of rocks to keep copepod population up for a Mandarin, but a refugium would be best really for them or pipefish.
Awesome thread nauticac4! I've been following along with great interest. They're absolutely beatiful, & you've inspired me to try them myself. :D

@ mysterybox~ Hey now! Weir everywhere! ;)
 
As a further data point to this thread. I've had a dragon-faced pipe in our main reef for a year now.

He's in with RBTA's (there's been up to 3 as they cloned, but only one now) and a large torch and frogspawn. There have never been any issues.

He doesn't touch any food fed to the tank, only hunts the native pod population. The tank was mature when he was introduced (it's a 135, and has no problem supporting him and a mandarin pod-wise. The mandarin is a pod-only eater also)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12564059#post12564059 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DirtyHermit
I have also kept a ball of chaeto (etc.) under a pile of rocks to keep copepod population up for a Mandarin, but a refugium would be best really for them or pipefish.
Awesome thread nauticac4! I've been following along with great interest. They're absolutely beatiful, & you've inspired me to try them myself. :D

@ mysterybox~ Hey now! Weir everywhere! ;)
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nuthin' left to do, but smile, smile, smile! :D
 
I have to apologize for my lack of updates. Something has entered the tank and has been killing off my fish. I beleive that there is some illness but it is unknown how it got there. I am running a bunch of carbon and doing 3 WC's a week.

So far I have lost:
My anthias school
Mandarin
Paired Ocellaris Clowns
Tenneti Tang
Powdered Brown Tang
Engineer Goby
5 pieces of SPS

I have left
Huge Deresa Clam
Both Pipefish
4 Chromis
Scissor Tail Goby

I will try and get some pics of the tank up I just don't know what do do about restocking.

I have purchase a Kole tang for a steal. He is currently in my QT and he is just a baby about 1.5"-2" I will probably wait about another month before adding him and beginning to restock.
 
Now as for the pipes, they are both getting fatter by the day and seem to be constantly foraging. Some nights they sleep together and other nights they are seperate. The both come out in the morning as if they are in search of each other. They will move around the tank together most of the day constantly foraging.
 
That is awesome. I have been thinking of trying this or sea horses in my reef. I am setting up a 90g this weekend that will be mainly SPS. The 90 has been set up for over a year, and I am just moving it to my house. There is a fuge in the sump, but I would like to add one above the tank as well to feed the tank directly. I can't wait and will be tagging along.

That sucks about all of your fish getting killed off. The hobby can be just heart breaking (and wallet breaking) at times.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12649314#post12649314 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fireworm
That is awesome. I have been thinking of trying this or sea horses in my reef. I am setting up a 90g this weekend that will be mainly SPS. The 90 has been set up for over a year, and I am just moving it to my house. There is a fuge in the sump, but I would like to add one above the tank as well to feed the tank directly. I can't wait and will be tagging along.

That sucks about all of your fish getting killed off. The hobby can be just heart breaking (and wallet breaking) at times.
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I would definitely go with pipes. Seahorses will not make it (imo) in a reef without their special needs specifically taken into consideration.
 
Well due to whatever happened in the tank both pipes have perished. I am quite disappointed but can't wait to get everything back up again. I have a few in QT and will leave the tank with what is left for the time being. I have been doing heavy waterchanges over the past couple weeks hoping to stabalize everything and will probably run a UV for a couple weeks to try and rid the tank of anything else that may have been causing the problem. I have taken some pictures before I lost them both and will try and get them up this weekend. I know this is possible now but longevity in an SPS tank is directly related to husbandry and water chemistry that is for sure.

I had all of the no nos for pipe fish(an anemone, stinging corals, aggressive fishif tangs count) and they did very well until my chemistry went to hell, still trying to figure that one out. When everything is back in order I will try one more pair and begin that chronicle here. Thank to everyone that participated and posted, I hope this thread will stay near the top as a central place for discussion on this subject. Thanks
 
I am hopeing to gt my fuge up and running in the next week so i can try a pipe fish in my reef. I have 2 clumps of frogspawn and a hammer coral, but they are near the top my tank in good flow. The rest for now is SPS, a few leathers, and a ton of zoos.
 
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