Pipefish

[MojoDex]

in my lfs today they had some pipefish they were like a dark golden brown colour and around 2-3" long and very thin, the guy in the lfs told me he was keeping them in an SG of 1.005 and he has had them in there for over a month

when i set up my new 6x2x2 tank there will be a space underneath for a 3ft tank question is, is this tank big enough for these pipe fish and what sort of water conditions r going to be best?

sorry i cant be more specific with a latin name but he couldnt find his order sheet when i asked so any help is appreciated

 

[Fella]

It's tricky to identify most pipefish, but keeping them at an SG of 1.005 seems to be a pretty failsafe method. The main issue apparently is that they are tricky feeders, will often only eat live foods, and that's from foraging rather than hunting.

I would love to keep pipefish, but I'd say they probably need a tank dedicated to themselves.

 

[Dave Legacy]

The tank size should be fine, even for the larger species of commercially available pipefish. Be sure the aquascape the tank with the decor vertically oriented. Also do some serious research on feeding pipefish, you'll find that it can become quite a chore. You'll need to learn how to hatch out brine shrimp for this project.

 

[MojoDex]

is it possible to get them to take frozen with a bit of patience?

 

[nmonks]

As Fella says, these fish are best kept alone. For the first month, stick with live food, because you need to repair the damage done by the fish being starved for weeks before you bought them. Once you're happy they're settled and fattening up, then yes, you can wean onto frozen foods. But that said, it isn't easy and doesn't work with all species. Marine aquarium books will give tips on feeding pipefish and seahorses, and these hold true for freshwater pipes as well.

Cheers, Neale

 

[andywg]

I recommend purchasing Reef Fishes Volume 1 by Scott Michael. It has a fantastic section on feeding sea horses and pipefishes.