QTing dragonface pipes

[small alien]

Greetings. I'm wondering about QTing DragonFace Pipes. I'm asking both generally and because I'm QTing a Rainford's Goby I got today and it looks like I'm going to have to do hypo. He's doing some flashing though has no visible signs of parasites. There's a beautiful pair of DragonFaces at the LFS. Orange lines in them. Really sweet. If they can be QT'd through hypo (I'd be training them on prepared foods during that time) then I'd go ahead and hypo them all at once. Thoughts? I have kept dragonets and a pipe before and I understand the feeding demands, especially in a tank virtually free of live foods. I'm up for that challenge, I think. Thanks.

 

[small alien]

Maybe my post should really be, how do you QT a pipefish? Thanks.

 

[pledosophy]

How low of a hypo do you plan to do?

IMO I see no real issues. QTing is a great time to switch to frozen, which will make your life easier for years to come. If you QT'd your dragonete, this will most likely be easier for you IME.

I did feed artemia gut loaded with prazipro as a precautionary measure when I QT'd the pipe.

 

[small alien]

Thanks, pledosophy. I have them QT'd with a Rainford's goby. There's some live sand and rock in the tank as well as some hair algae to the goby. I'm working on getting them all eating and then I'll move them to a hospital tank for hypo and meds. Since they seem healthy over-all and I'm in no rush to get them into the DT, I'm just working on food training right now. Both pipes and goby are eating cyclopeeze and prawn roe. Mysis seems kinda big for the pipes little mouths. But I'll see. Why am I so attracted to the hard to feed fish?

 

[Diane_B]

It's pretty amazing that the dragonfaced pipes can eat mysis with their teeny mouths, but trust me......they can. And they tolerate hypo quite well too.

 

[small alien]

Thanks, Diane_B. I'm assuming you've kept them. Did they spawn in your tank?

 

[small alien]

What did/do you feed yours?

 

[Diane_B]

Yes, they spawned for me many times, but I only collected the fry and attempted to raise them twice. They were too tiny for me to mess with at that time (imagine threads of glass with eyes!). I've had very good success raising gulf pipes (S. scovelli), but these guys were REALLY hard. I'd like to try again someday, but it's a little low on my long wish list of things I'd like to find time for.


I was lucky enough to get them onto frozen so except for supplemental live foods, they were mostly eating frozen hikari mysis and frozen cyclopeeze. They were fat and happy and the female lived almost three years for me......the male about two years.

 

[small alien]

Thanks, Diane_B. Can I ask, where is it that they look "fat" exactly. I'm wondering how to judge their body weight to help me know if they are eating enough. Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[small alien]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15467905#post15467905 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pledosophy
How low of a hypo do you plan to do?

IMO I see no real issues. QTing is a great time to switch to frozen, which will make your life easier for years to come. If you QT'd your dragonete, this will most likely be easier for you IME.

I did feed artemia gut loaded with prazipro as a precautionary measure when I QT'd the pipe.

I was going to do a standard hypo which I believe is .11. I'll check again before I do it. Thanks.

 

[Diane_B]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15482764#post15482764 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by small alien
Thanks, Diane_B. Can I ask, where is it that they look "fat" exactly. I'm wondering how to judge their body weight to help me know if they are eating enough. Thoughts? Thanks.

You'll know it when you see it, honest. Mine were young when I got them, so they were small and slender. Once I had them several months they had gained noticable "girth", and length too.

Just be prepared to offer live foods in the beginning, and don't be stingy about it. I'm not one of the folks that believes that starvation is a great motivator to get syngnathids onto frozen. IME, an animal that is used to having a full belly several times a day is VERY motivated to try something new when his regular meal is held back for a couple hours. An animal that is pretty accustomed to be generally hungry on a constant basis is less motivated. But that's just what's worked for me.

 

[small alien]

Thanks. I believe their body weight is good right now. Just squirted some bottled arcti-pods in there and one of the pipes was taking them out of the water column which is great! Before that, I've only seen them taking food from the substrate. Seeing that one really go for it made me feel really optimistic about their feeding. Thanks.

 

[Diane_B]

That's great news. The arctipods have a good nutritional profile. Sounds like you're on the right track. Good luck with them and let me know if you have any other quesitons.

 

[small alien]

Thanks. They are extra cool!!! Cheers.

 

[small alien]

Still doing well. They're pretty vigorous hunters. Just put in some prawn roe or cyclopeeze, turn off the flow for an hour and they really go to town. Feeding 2-3 times per day. We'll see.

 

[Elysia]

Glad to hear they are doing well for you. Now you know you need to post photos of them!

 

[small alien]

Here are the Pipes.

 

[small alien]

Here's the Rainford's.

 

[small alien]

Another shot of the pipe...and the obligatory "I'm a crappy photographer".

 

[small alien]

QT just has a little fluorescent light and even though that Echino looks bad, the top piece is actually hanging in there with very little light. THat algae is just draped over it but it's fully fleshed after a couple months. It is near a West window but gets no direct light. There are also a couple of mushrooms in there doing fine and actually keeping pretty good color. Kind of interesting.