Pipefish

[jmf305]

Can I keep a pipefish in a mixed reef? If so, which would be the easiest to keep?

 

[jmf305]

Here are the fishes I currently have in a 75g

Hovens wrasse
Yellow coris wrasse
Pygmy angel
Starry blenny
Yellow watchman goby
Tomini tang
One spot foxface
Neon goby
Yellow clown goby

 

[ZachsZoo]

Pipefish need very peaceful tankmates such as clownfish, small gobies, and seahorses. The tang, foxface, angel and wrasses would put a lot of stress on them. I would avoid it.

 

[rayjay]

NOT recommended to put captive bred seahorses in with wild caught pipe fish!!
I never had a clownfish that I'd consider peaceful.

 

[ThRoewer]

Pipefish need very peaceful tankmates such as clownfish, small gobies, and seahorses. The tang, foxface, angel and wrasses would put a lot of stress on them. I would avoid it.

This is not true for Doryrhampus reef pipefish like bluestripes and janssi and of course the various dragonface pipefish.

I have a pair of Bluestripes in almost all my tanks and they are doing fine there. They have no issues with high flow and other fish don't bother them.
The best reef tank pipefish is probably Doryrhampus janssi. The male I have in my 100 gallon tank is almost always out in the front and as a cleaner fish the only attention it gets from other fish is from the damsels that want to be cleaned.

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[laga77]

I have 2 Multi-banded Yellow Pipefish in separate high flow mixed tanks. They hold their own fine other reef fish. They tend to be one of the better swimmers in the Pipefish family.

 

[yeah]

I also have one banded pipefish in a SPS dominated tank with lots of flow, with 3 large tangs and 10 other medium size fish.. Pipefish hold its own well, out in the open with rest of the fish..it's in a 150g with Gyre 150 and mp40, both running 80% alternating 4hr period..

 

[falcona2552]

Blue stripe pipefish for the win

 

[ADVRESOURCE]

I have two dragon pipefish in a 240 SPS reef tank. High flow with 2-Gyre 150's and 2-MP40. Lots of flow. I have 3 yellow, 1 purple, 1 Naso Blonde, 1 Desjardini, 1 Chevron Tangs; Melanarus wrasse, 6 line wrasse, 3 chromis, 2 fire shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp, 1 sea hare. The fish are all over the place. The two dragons are super awesome. They hunt for food all over the tank. They swim in the water column and seem be able to avoid the power heads.
Nobody seems to bother them!!!

 

[falcona2552]

My pipe swam into my overflow teeth this evening after three years of happy times in my reef. I was observing the tank at night and noticed he wasnt swimming or out in his usual spots. Looked in the sump and he was caught in my filter sock. He must have been getting pounded in there, I placed him in the refugium to try to revive him and the hermits immediately jumped him. Yanked him out and gave him a garden burial.

So theres a word of warning, I am probably going to put a plastic mesh grate on the teeth of my overflow now.... Pretty depressing.

 

[ThRoewer]

My pipe swam into my overflow teeth this evening after three years of happy times in my reef. I was observing the tank at night and noticed he wasnt swimming or out in his usual spots. Looked in the sump and he was caught in my filter sock. He must have been getting pounded in there, I placed him in the refugium to try to revive him and the hermits immediately jumped him. Yanked him out and gave him a garden burial.

So theres a word of warning, I am probably going to put a plastic mesh grate on the teeth of my overflow now.... Pretty depressing.

3 years is roughly their lifespan. So the reason why your Pipefish got into the overflow may have been weakness due to old age.

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[falcona2552]

3 years is roughly their lifespan. So the reason why your Pipefish got into the overflow may have been weakness due to old age.

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I was really curious about their captive lifespan, as this makes a lot of sense. Also his body was in great condition, and he looked like he could have died naturally, he was a seasoned vet of my mixed reef tank. If anyone is considering one for theirs, +1 for the blue striped pipe. Mine would even come swim around my hand and hang out when cleaning the tank

 

[RobertGardiner]

The blue-striped pipefish I think is the exception to the rule. They are strong swimmers, and they naturally clean fish in the wild. They also adapt to frozen quite easily. Normal rules don't apply to this fish.
I understand that the fish can get a bit agressive when defending their nest site, but I don't think it would be much of a problem.

 

[ThRoewer]

Bluestripe Pipefish can get quite vicious against other species of Pipefish and​ the same sex of their own species. It's generally one pair and no more. In a larger size tank it may work to keep the regular Bluestripes​ with Janssi - it worked so far for me in a 100 gallon tank - but in smaller tanks one will mercilessly pursue the other and ultimately kill them.
I have actually Bluestripe Pipefish that come begging for food when they see me.

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