Pipefish Question

[Ruu]

I have a 72 gallon display refugium attached to my ~300 gallon system that is currently empty of everything but snails. It has been up for a year now, and the pod population is looking pretty healthy (all the usual suspects plus a ton of mysis shrimp). It is filled to the brim with chaeto and caulerpa and about 75 lbs of liverock.

Is there a small species of pipefish that I could house a pair of (blue-striped maybe?) that wouldn't completely decimate the pod population? They would basically be the only fish on the tank so aggressive tankmates aren't a concern, I would just like to put something in there, and I don't want to count on being able to convert them to frozen food.

I have no other pod dependent species in the system, so them chowing down in the refugium isn't too much of a concern.

Dave

 

[Reefer54]

If you have a sump and refugium that are full of pods as well as the DT, what is stopping you from trying....do your research.

Really, the best bet is to find a pair that already eat prepared foods, but not having competition for food is huge too.

I am unsure if you mean you are going to add pipefish to the DT or the refugium, and is the refugium 300 gallons or just the culmination of DT, Sump, Refugium put together to total 300g....

 

[Ruu]

The 72 gallon tank that i would put them in is the refugium, but since it looks pretty and is a separate tank I call it my "display refugium". Total volume is in the 300 gallon range. My research starting point is starting right here - see if there is an appropriate pair that would take to a setup like this without cleaning out the system (and then starving unless they would eat prepared food), and go from there.

Dave

 

[leveldrummer]

Im gonna go out on a limb here and say a pair of blue stripes would have a hard time eating through a healthy population in a 72 gallon refugium. especially with a total volume of 300 gallons that will be supplying it with more pods constantly.

 

[rssjsb]

I agree with level drummer. Bluestripes would probably be fine.

 

[Ruu]

Thought I would do a really speedy follow up after 7 months. I ended up getting my first blue-stripe in late April, and she has been in the display refugium since then. I couldn't find a male for her for ages, but I did pick one up about a month ago now. They are both doing fine, and I spotted the first round of eggs on him this morning. I took a couple of pictures, but I am having problems capturing a good shot of the eggs on him.

In the meantime though...

The 72G display refugium (with mini refugia and nano tank inside, because why not):

The pair of them:

A good one of the female:

Dave

 

[vlangel]

They are beautiful! I have a pair of banded pipefish that are captive bred and eat frozen mysis but are not near as pretty as yours. My display fuge is only 30 gallons and also has a pair of H erectus seahorses too so pods alone would never sustain my guys but I sure do like your bluestriped pipefish.

 

[RedAnt78]

Those blue stripes are awesome!