pipefish

[leslee5050]

Thanks for your info. I will definitely switch them out before much longer. I have 2 fathead anthias, a rainbow goby and a mandarin in another tank. I may put the pipe in with them. Thanks again.

 

[small alien]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15264873#post15264873 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 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.

could you elaborate a bit more on the pinnate snouts, namxas? maybe a pic? I want to get a pair of pipes, probably Janss' and I want to be sure to get a m/f pair. Thanks.

 

[Elysia]

Small Alien,

You can also search for photos of bluestripe pipe's snouts, as Greg indicated the notches/bumps are similar. For my one bluestripe, to the naked eye it did not appear that she had any bumps on her snout, but when I was able to get a close up photo of her and enlarged it, small bumps were visible. I was amazed the first time I saw a male blue stripe -- you could see the bumps on his snout with the naked eye -- not from a distance or anything -- they aren't big fish to begin with! But you could tell. It is definately nice to have two fish at one location to be able to compare them practically side by side.

When you get your pipes, be sure to post photos!