Pipefish... suggestions?

[WhiteTang]

Hi!

I just purchased a banded pipefish yesterday. I asked my LFS if the fish is eating frozen food and he told me yes "Lobster eggs".
I took the fish home, along with a fantastic greenbanded goby, and acclimated them. The goby was all over the tank in seconds. I fell in love with its personality immediately. Same with the pipefish. Its all over the place and even found its sleeping place.

The "problem" is that i got somewhat worried because I tried feeding the pipefish the lobster eggs but it didn't seem interested. I have seen him though putting his elongated mouth in crevices and small holes, to what I believe is picking on copepods.

I will try feeding him again the lobster eggs (everything else in the tank went crazy for it) Almost all LPS corals put out their feeding tentacles! And the clown went bananas.

I think my copepod population isn't that big to sustain a fish that will eat only live food. Has any of you had a pipefish that would eat frozen food? If yes what kind?

 

[Newsmyrna80]

How big is your tank? Do you have enough rock or a refugium? Pipefish are known for being difficult to sustain, along the lines of a dragonet. A large copepod population is required.

 

[WhiteTang]

How big is your tank? Do you have enough rock or a refugium? Pipefish are known for being difficult to sustain, along the lines of a dragonet. A large copepod population is required.

The tank is 16g. There is enough rock with crevices and holes for him to hide. Although he doesn't really like hiding.
I usually research everything before I buy it. But I was at the LFS for a coral and BAM I saw this beauty and wanted it. I asked the LFS about the fish, if its eating frozen food, if it a difficult fish, if it poses danger to corals, if it gets along with clownfish etc.. and he didn't give me a warning about the difficulty of this fish.
After getting home and while I was acclimating I researched and got worried that he might not be suited for my tank.

 

[formsix]

He's going to be a tough fish to keep in that size of a tank. Even if you can get him to start eating the eggs (and he might as soon as he wipes out your pod population), it's going to be a chore to keep your water quality up while putting enough food in the tank for him.

Hate to say it, but I think your best options are either to immediately start culturing live food, or to return this guy. A huge skimmer and lots of feeding might also work, but you'll really have to stay on top of it.

 

[zeebies]

My experience with pipefish is that you must provide live foods for them to survive and thrive. Frozen might work but cannot be relied on full time if you want success.

Before I got my pipefish I started several cultures of copepods so that when the fish became available, I was ready. I have 4 cultures going and am overloaded with pods. I add them daily to the DT and I have a happy pipefish. I also feed newly hatched BBS.

Though there are a lot of great LFS people out there, you can't rely on them to give us warnings and you must do your own research.

Also, quarantine is vital for any fish. Not only for prophylactic treatment but to give the fish a chance to settle in and start eating.

 

[WhiteTang]

My experience with pipefish is that you must provide live foods for them to survive and thrive. Frozen might work but cannot be relied on full time if you want success.

Before I got my pipefish I started several cultures of copepods so that when the fish became available, I was ready. I have 4 cultures going and am overloaded with pods. I add them daily to the DT and I have a happy pipefish. I also feed newly hatched BBS.

Though there are a lot of great LFS people out there, you can't rely on them to give us warnings and you must do your own research.

Also, quarantine is vital for any fish. Not only for prophylactic treatment but to give the fish a chance to settle in and start eatin

Thanks for the feedback ZEEBIES, I personally know how important a QT tank is. The problem is that I don't have the space for a qt tank. That is also the reason my tank is just 16g. The first fish I put in my tank after it cycled (a juv. clown) came down with brooks. I had to go fallow for 3 months before adding another fish.
As for the pipefishes food, I will try and buy some bottled copepods and see how long these will last the guy so I can arrange a steady supply of live food for him. It sure is a better option than to pollute my tank several times a day with some frozen food that I don't even know he will eat.

How much do your pipefish eat?

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Pipefish will eat about the same amount as a dragonet. Mandarins can go through a bottle of pods a day, at $19 a bottle it's gonna get expensive.

 

[zeebies]

Hey WhiteTang, unfortunately, your pipefish will go through a bottle of pods in a day or two. As Newsmyrna80 said, that will get really expensive. It's not a long term solution, I'm afraid. Most other fish snack on pods, so you have competition right there.

I wanted a pipefish so much that I've dedicated a space in my fish closet to culturing pods. I purchased one bottle of pods to start with and divided the contents into 4 containers. Each container has a heater and I feed flake food and some algae sheet every few days. It's a very simple set-up and very productive.

If you don't have room for a QT, you probably don't have room to culture pods. Not sure what to advise you really, as in your size tank a pipefish won't survive/thrive without a lot of extra effort daily, not to mention $$.

I'd be happy to help if you could find the room for culturing pods. But you'd also have to plan on getting a bigger tank for long term success.

To answer your question about how much pipefish eat, it's tricky to count all those pods, :eek2: but I add pods daily and the pipefish are sucking up pods all day long. They are always hunting.

 

[m0nkie]

I suggest returning him asap. Pipe fish is not a beginner fish. Try get half credit back at the store before wasting more money on bottle pods.

 

[WhiteTang]

Hey WhiteTang, unfortunately, your pipefish will go through a bottle of pods in a day or two. As Newsmyrna80 said, that will get really expensive. It's not a long term solution, I'm afraid. Most other fish snack on pods, so you have competition right there.

I wanted a pipefish so much that I've dedicated a space in my fish closet to culturing pods. I purchased one bottle of pods to start with and divided the contents into 4 containers. Each container has a heater and I feed flake food and some algae sheet every few days. It's a very simple set-up and very productive.

If you don't have room for a QT, you probably don't have room to culture pods. Not sure what to advise you really, as in your size tank a pipefish won't survive/thrive without a lot of extra effort daily, not to mention $$.

I'd be happy to help if you could find the room for culturing pods. But you'd also have to plan on getting a bigger tank for long term success.

To answer your question about how much pipefish eat, it's tricky to count all those pods, :eek2: but I add pods daily and the pipefish are sucking up pods all day long. They are always hunting.

Hey ZEEBIE!
Thanks for all the info.
From what it looks I will either return the pipefish or give it away. Purchasing a bottle of pods everyday is not the way to go, no matter how much I like the fish. Since the LFS told me that he will feed on frozen food (which I bought after his suggestion along with the fish). I will check the following days if he actually does eat frozen. If so maybe I could supplement his diet with the occasional copepod bottle every now and then. Although I read that some pipefish that do eat frozen might stop if given live food.
Ohh the confusion. Never again will I buy before I research! Bummer!