Tips on feeding Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus

[adtravels]

I have aquired a pair and are in their own tank with pods and algae, I have been attempting to feed them with live BBs. I turn off the pumps and flow and put the brine in the tank, The pipes eat one or two but mainly prey on the existing pods that dont tend to move as much on the back and side glass, any tips for getting them onto the BBs. I have only given three feedings as yet in the past 24 hours, How often should I try the feeedings?

thanks for Help.

 

[landlord]

This advice may not be too helpful, but I immediately began adding frozon cyclopeez during each daily feeding. It was too small for the other fishes and in about a week or two mine began readily eating it.

I would imaginie that if yours are in a private tank they should take to BBs fairly quickly (if they are healthy specimens). If you feed on a routine schedule (the same time) they will over time acclimate to that schedule and should begin to feed more consistently (again pretty common info that you are well aware of). I preface this with, "It worked for me" and on a side note it took me 6 pipes to get one healty one that made it past the 4-5 day mark. I believe the health of the new specimens were always my biggest challenge. Once I got a good one it has been a real trooper out-competeing my Tomato clown pair for mysis shrimp, brine, etc...

Best of luck --Kurt

 

[Elysia]

In addition to the frozen cyclopeeze and the baby brine, you can try things like frozen cyclops (they are often fresh water species, but they tend to be larger than the cyclopeeze, and I have had pipes snick them) and small mysis shrimp. I agree with Landlord, finding a healthy pipe to start with is often a serious challenge.

 

[adtravels]

cheers at least it gives me the inspiration to carry on feeding with the hope of seeing some serious snicking

 

[small alien]

try some frozen prawn roe if you can find it.

 

[Elysia]

I have seen different individuals of this species feed on frozen a number of times. I would definately keep on feeding. Make sure there is some sort of flow in the tank to keep the food suspended, so it appears as though it is "swimming," as I have found that this helps keep the pipes interested. Sometimes, if you use a garlic extract on the food they are willing to eat, it makes it easier to transfer them over to other foods (when that time comes.) I don't know what sorts of food you may have available to you, but I suspect that you will be able to find something that they will take eventually. Good luck!