Where can you get "out of the ordinary" Pipefish & Seahorses?

[The Reef Expert]

On aquacon: I recommend everyone to do their own due diligence on this subject. However, I offer this as a starting point: BBB link. Also, although saltwaterfish.com and I have not always seen eye to eye, I do not believe they are part of the aquacon guise of deception. Somewhere I saw a list of names they had used, but I could not find it in the 3 minutes I just spent looking.

On to more fun stuff, Reef Expert, have you tried contacting a company like aquatouch (based in phoenix, AZ)? They are importers and cut much of the supply chain out and also collect to order (for a price of course). There are other companies like this (I think wetpets, with whom I have no experience) out there you can look into as well.

Thanks Chad! :spin2: I check aquatouch's site often. They have some nice WYSIWYG. but i've never seen any sygnathids on their site. Wet pets has told me they can get redstripes, but I have not corresponded back 2 them yet.:spin3:

PLEASE STAY ON THE SYGNATHID TOPIC< THERE IS A THREAD I CREATED DEDICATED TO THE AQUACON SCAM IN THE VENDOR EXPERIENCES SECTION> PLEASE LOCATE AND POST THERE FOR ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON AQUACON. THANK YOU

 

[tjohnson27209]

Sorry for causing trouble didnt mean to and I didnt know it was a touchy subject
-Tyler

 

[The Reef Expert]

Sorry for causing trouble didnt mean to and I didnt know it was a touchy subject
-Tyler

No, no no I didnt mean it like that, it was just capitalized so people would read it immediately before the train derailed if you know what Im saying. If anyone should be apologizing it should be me. :hmm4:

 

[The Reef Expert]

Does anyone have any info on Corythoichthys schultzi? It was mentioned once in aquarium fish international magazine, but that's about it...

 

[tjohnson27209]

Idk if any of you have ever used bluezooaquatics.com but they have a pretty good selection of Pipes most are not in stock but the blue stripes and Corythoichthys haematopterus ARE!!!!! Just thought i'd share that bit of information!!!
-Tyler

 

[The Reef Expert]

I wish they would decide to get more in stock...
http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productlist.asp?did=1&cid=37

 

[CCall]

Aquatouch had a pair of reidi's in from O.R.A and wanted $150 each for them. They spent several months in the store til they finally sold them. I haven't seen many pipefish in their store. You could call them. They have a different facility that they use to QT all of their fish.

 

[The Reef Expert]

Their WYSIWYG tends to keep "SOLD" items on their for long time just to taunt you. Not only pipefish, I don't believe I've ever seen sygnathids on their site at least in the time being I've checked it.

 

[Romewhip]

Wet Pets Hawaii is great to deal with- Les makes sure all livestock are in top condition before shipping, and ships very carefully. I don't know what seahorses he can get, but if that's who you meant by Wet Pets you can't go wrong. I know lots of statisfied customers.

 

[TamiW]

I don't think Ocean Rider (seahorse.com) has half the species they list. Possibly ever. Or maybe they had them once. I've been in the hobby for 10 years, and many have been sold out for that long; or they had the species once a number of years ago and haven't since. I think their bread and butter is and will always be erectus.

As for other sites and listing sold out items, I strongly suspect they keep them up even if they won't be getting them in anytime soon as a business decision. Because fish come and go out of stock at random times, consumers are used to seeing out of stock items (this wouldn't fly in a normal retail site, but fish are specialty.) Additionally, and this is a big one, having seahorse species people might search for will bring traffic to their site; and may lead to someone purchasing something else if the desired seahorse isn't for sale. For instance, if you do a google search for "reidi seahorse" the top two results are liveaquaria and petco, neither of which have them in stock; in fact liveaquaria doesn't even list them under their seahorse category.

 

[rekn]

i wish there was a way to filter out the out of stock stuff on websites. its iritating

I don't think Ocean Rider (seahorse.com) has half the species they list. Possibly ever. Or maybe they had them once. I've been in the hobby for 10 years, and many have been sold out for that long; or they had the species once a number of years ago and haven't since. I think their bread and butter is and will always be erectus.

As for other sites and listing sold out items, I strongly suspect they keep them up even if they won't be getting them in anytime soon as a business decision. Because fish come and go out of stock at random times, consumers are used to seeing out of stock items (this wouldn't fly in a normal retail site, but fish are specialty.) Additionally, and this is a big one, having seahorse species people might search for will bring traffic to their site; and may lead to someone purchasing something else if the desired seahorse isn't for sale. For instance, if you do a google search for "reidi seahorse" the top two results are liveaquaria and petco, neither of which have them in stock; in fact liveaquaria doesn't even list them under their seahorse category.

 

[wdt2000]

Why not try and contact wholesaler like Quality Marine?

 

[The Reef Expert]

Wholesalers aren't any use unless ur a dealer. I could ask my LFS, but they're a real grumpy bunch and more focused on corals than fish.

 

[The Reef Expert]

i wish there was a way to filter out the out of stock stuff on websites. Its iritating

+1!

 

[The Reef Expert]

Here's another couple for you pipefish lovers! Corythoichthys amplexus, Brownbanded Pipefish.

http://www.naia.com.fj/cms/uploads/blog/content/phpThumb_005_003.jpg

http://www.starfish.ch/photos/fishes-Fische/pipefishes-Seenadeln/Corythoichthys-amplexus4.jpg

Corythoichthys haematopterus; like a light colored dragon face.

http://www.starfish.ch/photos/fishes-Fische/pipefishes-Seenadeln/Corythoichthys-haematopterus2.jpg

http://www.starfish.ch/photos/fishes-Fische/pipefishes-Seenadeln/Corythoichthys-haematopterus1.jpg

Halicampus macrorhynchus, ornate pipefish

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...macrorhynchus_(Winged_pipefish)_side_view.jpg

And then there are many more, Here is a link http://filaman.uni-kiel.de/identification/specieslist.cfm?famcode=258&areacode= to the best site I have found yet.

294 Species of Family Syngnathidae
(Pipefishes and seahorses)
Sort by Species Length
Scientific Name English Name Distribution Max. Length (cm)
Acentronura australe Southern little pipehorse 5.5 TL
Acentronura dendritica Pipehorse 7.5 TL
Acentronura gracilissima Bastard seahorse
Acentronura tentaculata Shortpouch pygmy pipehorse 6.3 TL
Anarchopterus criniger Fringed pipefish 10.0 TL
Anarchopterus tectus Insular pipefish 12.5 TL
Apterygocampus epinnulatus 3.0 SL
Bhanotia fasciolata 9.0 SL
Bhanotia nuda Naked pipefish 7.0 SL
Bhanotia pauciradiata Few-rayed pipefish 3.21 SL
Bryx analicarens Pink pipefish 12.5 SL
Bryx dunckeri Pugnose pipefish 7.5 TL
Bryx heraldi 7.0 SL
Bryx randalli
Bryx veleronis 6.0 SL
Bulbonaricus brauni Pugheaded pipefish 5.5 SL
Bulbonaricus brucei 4.5 SL
Bulbonaricus davaoensis Davao pughead pipefish 4.3 SL
Campichthys galei Gale's pipefish 5.45 SL
Campichthys nanus 2.5 SL
Campichthys tricarinatus Three-keel pipefish 4.4 SL
Campichthys tryoni Tryon's pipefish 7.2 SL
Choeroichthys brachysoma Short-bodied pipefish 7.0 TL
Choeroichthys cinctus Barred shortbody pipefish 8.0 SL
Choeroichthys latispinosus Muiron pipefish
Choeroichthys sculptus Sculptured pipefish 8.5 TL
Choeroichthys smithi 5.0 TL
Choeroichthys suillus Pig-snouted pipefish 6.75 SL
Corythoichthys amplexus Brown-banded pipefish 10.0 SL
Corythoichthys benedetto 6.76 SL
Corythoichthys flavofasciatus Network pipefish 12.0 TL
Corythoichthys haematopterus Messmate pipefish 19.8 SL
Corythoichthys insularis 10.0 SL
Corythoichthys intestinalis Scribbled pipefish 16.0 SL
Corythoichthys nigripectus Black-breasted pipefish 11.0 SL
Corythoichthys ocellatus Ocellated pipefish 10.3 SL
Corythoichthys paxtoni Paxton's pipefish 13.4 SL
Corythoichthys polynotatus Many-spotted pipefish 16.0 TL
Corythoichthys schultzi Schultz's pipefish 16.0 TL
Cosmocampus albirostris Whitenose pipefish 20.0 TL
Cosmocampus arctus arctus Snubnose pipefish 12.0 TL
Cosmocampus arctus coccineus 12.55 SL
Cosmocampus balli Ball's pipe fish 12.0 TL
Cosmocampus banneri Roughridge pipefish 5.8 SL
Cosmocampus brachycephalus Crested pipefish 10.0 TL
Cosmocampus darrosanus D'Arros pipefish 7.4 SL
Cosmocampus elucens Shortfin pipefish 15.0 TL
Cosmocampus hildebrandi Dwarf pipefish 10.0 TL
Cosmocampus howensis Lord Howe pipefish 9.5 SL
Cosmocampus investigatoris 7.15 SL
Cosmocampus maxweberi Maxweber's pipefish 10.0 TL
Cosmocampus profundus Deepwater pipefish 20.0 TL
Cosmocampus retropinnis 5.2 SL
Doryichthys boaja 41.0 SL
Doryichthys contiguus 10.98 SL
Doryichthys deokhatoides 18.5 SL
Doryichthys heterosoma 34.0 SL
Doryichthys martensii 15.0 SL
Doryrhamphus aurolineatus 3.47 SL
Doryrhamphus baldwini Redstripe pipefish 14.0 SL
Doryrhamphus bicarinatus Narrowstripe pipefish 8.0 TL
Doryrhamphus chapmani Glowtail pipefish 8.5 SL
Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus Ringed pipefish 19.0 TL
Doryrhamphus excisus abbreviatus 4.3 SL
Doryrhamphus excisus excisus Bluestripe pipefish 7.0 TL
Doryrhamphus excisus paulus 3.9 SL
Doryrhamphus janssi Janss' pipefish 14.0 TL
Doryrhamphus japonicus 8.5 TL
Doryrhamphus multiannulatus Many-banded pipefish 19.0 TL
Doryrhamphus negrosensis malus Masthead Island pipefish 6.2 SL
Doryrhamphus negrosensis negrosensis Negros pipefish 4.7 SL
Doryrhamphus pessuliferus Yellowbanded pipefish 16.0 TL
Dunckerocampus boylei Broad-banded Pipefish 16.0 TL
Dunckerocampus naia 11.98 SL
Enneacampus ansorgii 13.8 SL
Enneacampus kaupi 20.0 TL
Entelurus aequoreus Snake pipefish 60.0 TL
Festucalex cinctus Girdled pipefish 13.0 SL
Festucalex erythraeus 8.2 SL
Festucalex gibbsi Gibbs' pipefish 8.0 SL
Festucalex kulbickii Kulbicki's pipefish 6.77 SL
Festucalex prolixus 3.6 SL
Festucalex scalaris Ladder pipefish 18.0 SL
Festucalex wassi Wass' pipefish 7.4 SL
Filicampus tigris Tiger pipefish 29.6 SL
Halicampus boothae Booth;s pipefish 17.5 SL
Halicampus brocki Brock's pipefish 12.0 TL
Halicampus dunckeri Duncker's pipefish 15.0 TL
Halicampus edmondsoni Edmondson's pipefish 9.4 SL
Halicampus grayi Gray's pipefish 20.0 SL
Halicampus macrorhynchus Ornate pipefish 18.0 TL
Halicampus marquesensis 7.0 SL
Halicampus mataafae Samoan pipefish 14.0 TL
Halicampus nitidus Glittering pipefish 7.3 SL
Halicampus punctatus Starry pipefish 17.0 TL
Halicampus spinirostris Spinysnout pipefish 12.0 TL
Halicampus zavorensis Zavora pipefish 10.0 TL
Haliichthys taeniophorus Ribboned pipefish 30.0 TL
Heraldia nocturna Upside-down pipefish 9.2 SL
Hippichthys cyanospilos Blue-spotted pipefish 16.0 SL
Hippichthys heptagonus Belly pipefish 15.0 SL
Hippichthys parvicarinatus Short-keel pipefish 8.2 SL
Hippichthys penicillus Beady pipefish 18.0 SL
Hippichthys spicifer Bellybarred pipefish 18.0 TL
Hippocampus abdominalis Big-belly seahorse 35.0 OT
Hippocampus alatus Winged seahorse 13.6 OT
Hippocampus algiricus West African seahorse 19.2 OT
Hippocampus angustus Narrow-bellied seahorse 22.0 TL
Hippocampus barbouri Barbour's seahorse 15.0 OT
Hippocampus bargibanti Pygmy seahorse 2.4 OT
Hippocampus biocellatus False-eyed seahorse 10.8 OT
Hippocampus borboniensis Réunion seahorse 14.0 OT
Hippocampus breviceps Short-head seahorse 15.0 TL
Hippocampus camelopardalis Giraffe seahorse 10.0 TL
Hippocampus capensis Knysna seahorse 12.1 OT
Hippocampus colemani 2.65 SL
Hippocampus comes Tiger tail seahorse 18.7 OT
Hippocampus coronatus 10.8 SL
Hippocampus curvicuspis New Caledonian thorny seahorse 9.76 SL
Hippocampus debelius Softcoral seahorse 2.37 SL
Hippocampus denise Denise's pygmy seahorse 2.4 SL
Hippocampus erectus Lined seahorse 19.0 OT
Hippocampus fisheri Fisher's seahorse 8.0 OT
Hippocampus fuscus Sea pony 14.4 OT
Hippocampus grandiceps Big-head seahorse 10.5 OT
Hippocampus guttulatus Long-snouted seahorse 21.5 SL
Hippocampus hendriki Eastern spiny seahorse 10.4 OT
Hippocampus hippocampus Short snouted seahorse 15.0 TL
Hippocampus histrix Thorny seahorse 17.0 TL
Hippocampus ingens Pacific seahorse 30.0 TL
Hippocampus jayakari Jayakar's seahorse 14.0 OT
Hippocampus jugumus Collared seahorse 4.4 OT
Hippocampus kelloggi Great seahorse 28.0 OT
Hippocampus kuda Spotted seahorse 30.0 TL
Hippocampus lichtensteinii Lichtenstein's Seahorse 4.0 OT
Hippocampus minotaur Bullneck seahorse 5.0 OT
Hippocampus mohnikei Japanese seahorse 8.0 OT
Hippocampus montebelloensis Monte Bello seahorse 7.8 OT
Hippocampus multispinus Northern spiny seahorse 14.0 OT
Hippocampus patagonicus
Hippocampus pontohi 1.69 SL
Hippocampus procerus High-crown seahorse 11.0 OT
Hippocampus pusillus Pygmy thorny seahorse
Hippocampus queenslandicus Queensland seahorse 11.6 OT
Hippocampus reidi Longsnout seahorse 17.5 OT
Hippocampus satomiae 1.38 SL
Hippocampus semispinosus Half-spined seahorse 18.0 OT
Hippocampus severnsi 1.66 SL
Hippocampus sindonis Dhiho's seahorse 8.0 OT
Hippocampus spinosissimus Hedgehog seahorse 17.2 OT
Hippocampus subelongatus West Australian seahorse 20.0 OT
Hippocampus trimaculatus Longnose seahorse 22.0 TL
Hippocampus tyro 6.1 TL
Hippocampus waleananus Walea pygmy seahorse 1.78 SL
Hippocampus whitei White's seahorse 13.0 OT
Hippocampus zebra Zebra seahorse 8.0 OT
Hippocampus zosterae Dwarf seahorse 5.0 TL
Histiogamphelus briggsii Briggs' pipefish 22.5 SL
Histiogamphelus cristatus Macleay's crested pipefish 26.5 SL
Hypselognathus horridus Prickly pipefish 27.3 SL
Hypselognathus rostratus Knife-snouted pipefish 30.5 SL
Ichthyocampus bikiniensis
Ichthyocampus carce 15.0
Idiotropiscis larsonae Helen's pygmy pipehorse
Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri Sydney's pygmy pipehorse 5.52 TL
Kaupus costatus Deepbody pipefish 12.9 SL
Kimblaeus bassensis Trawl pipefish 16.0 SL
Kyonemichthys rumengani 2.68 TL
Leptoichthys fistularius Brush-tailed pipefish 63.0 SL
Leptonotus blainvilleanus Deep-bodied pipefish 25.0 SL
Leptonotus elevatus Pipefish 14.95 SL
Leptonotus norae Longsnout pipefish 21.45 SL
Lissocampus bannwarthi 13.2 SL
Lissocampus caudalis Smooth pipefish 10.0 SL
Lissocampus fatiloquus Prophet's pipefish 7.9 SL
Lissocampus filum Shortsnout pipefish 10.7 SL
Lissocampus runa Javelin pipefish 9.4 SL
Maroubra perserrata Sawtooth pipefish 7.15 SL
Maroubra yasudai Orange pipefish 16.15 SL
Micrognathus andersonii Shortnose pipefish 8.5 TL
Micrognathus brevicorpus 7.32 SL
Micrognathus brevirostris brevirostris Thorntail pipefish 67.5 SL
Micrognathus brevirostris pygmaeus Thorntailed pipefish 6.0 TL
Micrognathus crinitus Banded pipefish 15.0 TL
Micrognathus erugatus
Micrognathus micronotopterus Tidepool pipefish 5.7 SL
Micrognathus natans Offshore pipefish 6.0 TL
Microphis argulus Flat-nosed pipepfish 15.0 SL
Microphis brachyurus aculeatus 20.0 SL
Microphis brachyurus brachyurus Short-tailed pipefish 22.0 SL
Microphis brachyurus lineatus Opossum pipefish 95.0 TL
Microphis brachyurus millepunctatus Shorttail pipefish 22.0 TL
Microphis brevidorsalis Stream pipefish 11.5 SL
Microphis caudocarinatus Slender pipefish 6.8 SL
Microphis cruentus Dumbéa river pipefish 15.5 SL
Microphis cuncalus Crocodile-tooth pipefish 17.5 SL
Microphis deocata Deocata pipefish 15.0 SL
Microphis dunckeri 12.0 SL
Microphis fluviatilis Freshwater pipefish 21.0 TL
Microphis insularis Andaman pipefish
Microphis jagorii 16.0 SL
Microphis leiaspis Barhead pipefish 19.0 SL
Microphis manadensis Menado pipefish 20.0 SL
Microphis mento 15.0 SL
Microphis ocellatus 12.5 SL
Microphis pleurostictus 15.0 SL
Microphis retzii Ragged-tail pipefish 14.5 SL
Microphis spinachioides Spinach pipefish 15.0 SL
Minyichthys brachyrhinus 4.6 SL
Minyichthys inusitatus
Minyichthys myersi Myer's pipefish 6.0 TL
Minyichthys sentus 6.0 TL
Mitotichthys meraculus Western crested pipefish 22.2 SL
Mitotichthys mollisoni Mollison's pipefish 15.92 SL
Mitotichthys semistriatus Half-banded pipefish 26.75 SL
Mitotichthys tuckeri Tucker's pipefish 15.9 SL
Nannocampus elegans Elegant pipefish 12.0 TL
Nannocampus lindemanensis Painted pipefish
Nannocampus pictus Reef pipefish 10.0 TL
Nannocampus subosseus Bony-headed pipefish 9.05 SL
Nannocampus weberi 5.75 SL
Nerophis lumbriciformis Worm pipefish 17.0 TL
Nerophis maculatus 30.0 TL
Nerophis ophidion Straightnose pipefish 30.0 TL
Notiocampus ruber Red pipefish 16.4 SL
Penetopteryx nanus Lost pipefish 3.23 SL
Penetopteryx taeniocephalus 7.25 SL
Phoxocampus belcheri Rock pipefish 7.2 SL
Phoxocampus diacanthus Spined pipefish 8.7 SL
Phoxocampus tetrophthalmus 8.0 TL
Phycodurus eques Leafy seadragon 35.0 TL
Phyllopteryx taeniolatus Common seadragon 46.0 TL
Pseudophallus elcapitanensis 18.5 SL
Pseudophallus mindii 16.0 SL
Pseudophallus starksii 17.6 SL
Pugnaso curtirostris Pug-nosed pipefish 18.2 SL
Siokunichthys bentuviai 6.1 SL
Siokunichthys breviceps Softcoral pipefish 15.0 SL
Siokunichthys herrei Herre's pipefish 7.6 SL
Siokunichthys nigrolineatus 8.0 SL
Siokunichthys southwelli Southwell's pipefish 4.3 SL
Siokunichthys striatus New Caledonian soft-coral pipefish 9.28 SL
Solegnathus dunckeri Dunker's pipehorse
Solegnathus hardwickii Hardwicke's pipefish 40.0 TL
Solegnathus lettiensis Günther's pipehorse
Solegnathus robustus Robust pipehorse 35.0 TL
Solegnathus spinosissimus Spiny pipehorse 49.0 TL
Stigmatopora argus Spotted pipefish 25.4 TL
Stigmatopora macropterygia Long-snouted pipefish 34.95 TL
Stigmatopora narinosa Southern Gulf pipefish 15.0 TL
Stigmatopora nigra Wide-bodied pipefish 16.2 TL
Stipecampus cristatus Ring-backed pipefish 22.0 SL
Syngnathoides biaculeatus Alligator pipefish 29.0 TL
Syngnathus abaster Black-striped pipefish 21.0 TL
Syngnathus acus Greater pipefish 50.0 TL
Syngnathus affinis Texas pipefish
Syngnathus auliscus Barred pipefish 18.0 TL
Syngnathus californiensis Kelp pipefish 50.0 TL
Syngnathus caribbaeus Caribbean pipefish 22.5 TL
Syngnathus carinatus 23.0 SL
Syngnathus dawsoni
Syngnathus euchrous Chocolate pipefish 25.0 TL
Syngnathus exilis Barcheek pipefish 25.0 TL
Syngnathus floridae Dusky pipefish 25.0 TL
Syngnathus folletti
Syngnathus fuscus Northern pipefish 33.0 TL
Syngnathus insulae 20.4 SL
Syngnathus leptorhynchus Bay pipefish 33.0 TL
Syngnathus louisianae Chain pipefish 38.0 TL
Syngnathus macrobrachium 22.5 SL
Syngnathus macrophthalmus 12.2 TL
Syngnathus makaxi
Syngnathus pelagicus Sargassum pipefish 18.1 SL
Syngnathus phlegon 20.0 TL
Syngnathus rostellatus Nilsson's pipefish 17.0 TL
Syngnathus safina
Syngnathus schlegeli Seaweed pipefish 30.0 TL
Syngnathus schmidti 11.0 TL
Syngnathus scovelli Gulf pipefish 18.3 SL
Syngnathus springeri Bull pipefish 38.0 TL
Syngnathus taenionotus 19.0 TL
Syngnathus tenuirostris Narrow-snouted pipefish
Syngnathus typhle Broadnosed pipefish 35.0 TL
Syngnathus variegatus
Syngnathus watermeyeri River pipefish 13.0 TL
Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus Double-ended pipefish 40.0 TL
Trachyrhamphus longirostris Straightstick pipefish 40.0 TL
Trachyrhamphus serratus 30.0 TL
Urocampus carinirostris Hairy pipefish 10.0 SL
Urocampus nanus Barbed pipefish 13.4 SL
Vanacampus margaritifer Mother-of-pearl pipefish 15.85 SL
Vanacampus phillipi Port Phillip pipefish 18.4 SL
Vanacampus poecilolaemus 26.1 SL
Vanacampus vercoi Verco's pipefish 10.5 SL

 

[The Reef Expert]

If only we could have them all... *sigh*

 

[The Reef Expert]

Interesting pic of a pipehorse: Idiotropiscis larsonae (Dawson, 1984)
Helen's pygmy pipehorse

http://www.fishbase.us/images/thumbnails/jpg/tn_Aclar_m0.jpg

 

[timinnl]

^That Pipe is soooo cute! They look so much like Seadragons. It would be awesome to be able to keep one of those. But as far as H.Hystrix. Ocean Rider (Seahorse.com) sometimes has them but it says "Sold Out" right now. They also have Whiteis (Only 75 bucks!) but saying "sold out" as well. You may be able to contact them about this because they breed them all on their own facility, so they will definitely be able to tell you when they'll be available again.
As for Alligator Pipes, Saltwaterfish.com sometimes has them, and if you google "Alligator Pipefish for sale", there's a few smaller online stores with them in stock, but I don't know anything about their reputation.

They have been ***SOLD OUT*** for years now.

 

[Elysia]

I agree w/ FishGrrl -- most on-line fish retailers will keep a listing of every fish it has every had in stock. Its like bragging rights (we were able to get this rare/high profile/hybrid/variation/beautiful fish in) much like some on-line coral dealers have a page of page of their most beautiful cherry picked corals ever, despite the current status of those corals.

For the majority of these species, there is no point in trying to have a retailer get them for you, because way too often, the divers do not know the true identity of what they are catching. If there is a Hawaiian species that you would like, you have been given the name of someone who knows his animals and is willing to get what is requested -- that is extremely rare, however. Few pipefish are correctly identified even when they get to the retailer. Seahorses are constantly mis-identified, apparently sometimes on purpose (I mean, how can you catch a fish on the shores of FL and then mis-identify it as being captive bred?) Then add to this the fact that there are a fair number of species that have been described from "3 specimens that were dredged from 300 ft deep waters and never examined alive" or appear to have a symbiotic relationship with demanding corals, and it becomes clear that putting some of these animals on your wish list is just going to give you heart break.

The good news is that each pipe and horse seems to show so much personality and individuality, esp. for a fish, that you can get a range of experiences from just a few species and not have to worry about what you are missing out on by not owning the species that are unavailable.

 

[NONNA58]

If only we could have them all... *sigh*

I am grateful for what I can have. I enjoy my seahorses and pipes immensely. I just bought my first pair of shrimpfish yesterday and I absolutely love them. I never thought that a marine species tank would be so much fun and enjoyable after starting a reef years ago, but I seem to enjoy the species tank( expanded with tank mates now) a little more these days...