pipefish

[leslee5050]

I bought a Janns or Janss pipefish from my lfs last Thursday. They said they had just gotten it in and it wasn't eating food yet. First they told me to put in copepods and they try to feed it frozen brine shrimp every night. I have done that all week and I don't see her eating anything. I went back to the lfs on Monday, and the other person there said don't feed copepods, too small. Also said don't feed brine shrimp - not nutritional. Said to feed mysis. So I have been putting in mysis for the last 2 days and I don't see her eat that either. Any suggestions how I can get her to eat, and possibly if anyone knows what other types of pipefish do well in captivity and where I can get some. Thanks.

 

[namxas]

gutloaded artemia IS nutritious, but it's not a natural prey of syngnathids, and thus, may not be recognized as a food source.

the way i got my Janss' over the hump was to put them in a fuge that was teeming with pods (isopods, gammarids, and mysids), which took them all of a week to clean out, but it DID get some weight on them. after that, it was a matter of them going hungry for a couple of days and starting on frozen Hikari mysis.

what size/kind of tank are you putting it in? is it well-established with LR? is there macro in it? have you seen it hunting?

are you able to find live mysis or small ghost shrimp in the LFS where you live? i'd try those first, or maybe baby guppies. the key here will be to get it eating SOMEthing, them move onto frozen.

also, feed it when the lighting is low (if you have actinics, just use them) and stand back from the tank.

 

[leslee5050]

Right now, I have it in an 8 gallon pod with live rock. It is established. I have been putting mysis in the last couple of days, but I don't see her eating anything. I do not have any macroalgae in there, not sure if there are any more pods either. I do have access to ghost shrimp and guppies, but I have her in the tank with a baby angler, so I don't think she will get them first as that is the food for the angler. The angler doesn't eat anything but that. I just keep putting mysis in every evening, and watching.

 

[Elysia]

Is the 8 gallon a temporary thing? How large is the Janss?

 

[leslee5050]

She is about 2 1/2 inches long. I kind of put her in there as I know they are very slow eaters, and didn't want to take the chance of putting her in my bigger tanks, and lose her. I want to get her eating, and then I was going to see where we went from there.

 

[namxas]

at 2.5", you'll be wanting to try cyclopeeze and H2O mini mysis as frozen. the fish may be intimidated by the larger pieces. for direct feed, you can try Tigriopus ("tigger pods"), but don't be fooled into being told they'll propagate. they're a cool-water species that produces only males at reef temps. Tisbe pods however, are benthic and will seed your tank.

yes, the 8 gal is temporary as your fish is about 1/3 of its adult size. i kept a pair in a 55 gal reef, altho you could probably go with a std. 29 gal.

word of warning...a pipefish will eventually be seen as food for your angler. if they're close to the same size, it will be sooner than later.

also, depending on the size and species of your angler, it's most likely going to need a larger setup as well (i'm keeping a juvie pictus/maculatus [can't tell yet]) in a 3 gal pico, but it's getting moved as soon as its tank cycles, as it's close to 2" ATM. its size has doubled in less than a year.

 

[leslee5050]

Hi, what is Tisbe pods and where can I get them? I do have some frozen cycopeze, so I will try some tonight. I have the regular mysis. Where can you get the small mysis. As for my angler, she is about 1/2" long right now. Supposed to be reddish/orange, but looks more red. Do you have a pix of your fish? I don't think I have seen that one before. And, thanks for the help.

 

[namxas]

i know Premium Aquatics has them...TISBE PODS

i'm sure other places have them as well, but i knew about PA off the top of my head.

as for the H2O mysis, i'm not sure. i know i find them sporadically here in the L.A. area, but i dunno about anywhere else.

here's the female Janss' (hard to photo cuz they don't sit still):

here's the angler...definitely a member of the the pictus complex:

 

[leslee5050]

Very cool pix. I like your spotted angler. My pipefish must be a male. Unless it is too soon to tell. She/he is blue at the head part and the tail, but orange in the middle. I didn't see any stripes going down like yours. Do you have any idea where I could get another one. Also, tried the cyclopeze, and she is going after it. Hopefully she/he will put on some weight, as she/he was getting kind of thin. I see her going after it when I put it in. I don't always see her open her mouth, but I will see her go pick at something. Thanks for your help. I will try to track down this food here. If I find the small mysis, how often to you feed. The last few nights, I have added cyclopeze every night. And how often on the other stuff you mentioned? Thanks, Leslee

 

[namxas]

wow...that's great news! on days you're able to do so, try feeding it 2-3 times a day to help get some weight on it. your pipe is a bit young to sex ATM. males have pinnate snouts. the stripes are typically a maturity thing.

if you could put a wad of Chaetomorpha or grow some other macro algae in the tank, it would provide the pipe with a hunting ground for pods.

 

[leslee5050]

I could put a little piece of chaeto in there, but not sure if the lighting on the pod will sustain it. Also, where did you get your baby mysis? And what is a pinnacle snout. I am fairly new to pipefish, so not sure what you are talking about. About how big do they get before you can sex them? Do you know where I can get another one. Also, any idea where I could get an angler like yours? And, can you put more than one angler together? Thanks.
I can put food in twice a day. I have sunburst anthias in another tank, and I have to feed them twice a day, so I can do the same for her. I fed her a little bit ago and she was going after the cycopeze. How long do you think before I can start putting in the mysis, and she will eat it?

 

[Elysia]

Not a pinnacle snout. A pinnate snout. It means structured like a feather, in that there is a center, and something coming out on each side--
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sort of like that, or,
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I never have had the pleasure of seeing a male Janss' snout, but it could be that they appear to be notched, sort of like a male bluestripe's.

You will just need to look around for the H20 frozen mysis. Marine Depot Link

No one knows if your pipe will take the mysis or not. You just try it again and again until they do.

To answer your angler question (and I know the answer only because I have read multiple times angler keepers' and lovers' replies to this very question) -- no, you shouldn't keep two anglers together in the same tank. I believe Lisa put it best -- it doesn't matter if the anglers are a mated pair, they still may prey on one another, and doing so could cause the death of both of them.

 

[namxas]

+1 Elysia!

yes, the Janss' sexual dimorphism shows up in the males having distinct "bumps" on their snouts. some females do have this trait to a lesser degree, but males are pretty EZ to spot if you catch them at the right angle.

 

[leslee5050]

Thank you all for your help. Just one more question. I have been putting in the cyclopese and she/he seems to be picking at it. But I noticed yesterday that she seems to be hovering underneath one of the rocks. Is this normal. Is she looking for copepods, or is she dying? Should I put in more copepods, or is she ok with the cyclopese. I added some mysis last night with the copepods, but she didn't eat it. Also, is your pipefish a male, I can't make out what mine is. Don't see those bumps on the nose.

 

[namxas]

the pipe in the pic is a female.

as for hovering in a cave, this is normal. you might try feeding with dimmer lighting such as actinic-only (IME, they prefer to come out and hunt in dimmer light as this is when the pods are more active). she will definitely hunt the LR for pods.

 

[leslee5050]

I am not sure how many copepods I have left in the tank. I will keep putting mysis and cyclopese in there. Does she need copepods, or is she good with the mysis and the cyclopese. Also, I would like to get another pipefish to go with her/him. Do you know where I could get one and would they get along ok since they will have been added at different times. Also, checked with lfs on h20 mysis and they don't have any, so I guess I will have to get the 2 items you mentioned on line. She is zipping about more today. Thanks.

 

[leslee5050]

Hey, one more thing. Other than the janss, do other types of pipefish do well in captivity, what are they, if there are, and do different types get along in the same tank? Thanks.

 

[namxas]

Leslee,

as long as the fish is eating well, the pods are kind of a secondary thing that is a good between meal snack. i don't think you'd have too much trouble adding another Janss', or even another flagfin, provided it's properly QT'd.

the only other pipes i'd consider for a reef would be the dragon-faced pipes (Corythoicthys sp.). they have very small snouts, so copepods, newly-hatched Artemia and cyclopeeze are good foods. they've also been reported to eat the dreaded red bugs.

 

[leslee5050]

Thanks Greg. So far, she seems to be holding her own. I don't have her in a reef though. She and my angler are by themselves. Don't think I would put her in my reef, as I wouldn't be able to monitor her and make sure she eats. Since they won't be in a reef, are there other types of pipes I could get? Also, do you know who has some? Thanks, Leslee

 

[Elysia]

Before picking up any additional pipes, I would suggest that you figure out what set up you are going to want for the pipe(s) in the (near) future. The pipe shouldn't stay w/ the angler in that 8 gallon for long -- from what I have read on different sites by experienced predator keepers, predators are more likely to eat a slender fish that is longer than them than they are a fish that is wider but shorter. And consuming a meal that is too big can kill an angler -- I don't know if your pipe would qualify, but it may.

There are likely some pipes in the waters of South Carolina that you could look for, but they would need to be kept appropriately.