why cant i get a pipefish ??

oxkisses12ox · 01/19/2007, 06:01 PM

everyone always say bad things about pipefish and seahorses in reef tanks i dont understand why i cant get one?? in the LFS they have pipefish and clowns together in the same tank (VERY SMALL) like 5 gallons just for them to stay in until they are bought, but still?? i would love to get one!

Sparkss · 01/19/2007, 06:07 PM

do a search on RC for pipefish and reef tanks.. there were a couple of very good threads not that long ago. They talked about the different pipefish, their husbandry requirements and success/failure stories.

LOTUS50GOD · 01/19/2007, 06:08 PM

Seahorses and pipefish require low current, usually lower than most peoples reeftanks. They are found in the bay areas... I have kept a seahorse in a reeftank before, but I had to overfeed since the seahorse moves slower than the rest of the other fish in the reef.

dippin61 · 01/19/2007, 06:35 PM

imagine a seahorse trying to survive in my sps tank with 3100 gph of flow... -_-

millstreetzoo · 01/19/2007, 10:36 PM

Keep in mind that pipefish survive mostly on live food. Very few eat anything else. You need lots and lots of pods for them to survive. They will also eat red bugs that are associated with SPS corals.

LobsterOfJustice · 01/20/2007, 12:03 AM

I have a pipefish in my 75g with 60x turnover, he has no problems. He however is a "sedentary" type, not an open water swimmer. The problem is that he does not eat prepared foods, only pods off the rock. There is not enough rock in a 14g tank to have a sustainable population of food for a pipefish.

01/19/2007, 06:01 PM	#1
oxkisses12ox Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Key West Posts: 353	why cant i get a pipefish ?? everyone always say bad things about pipefish and seahorses in reef tanks i dont understand why i cant get one?? in the LFS they have pipefish and clowns together in the same tank (VERY SMALL) like 5 gallons just for them to stay in until they are bought, but still?? i would love to get one! __________________ 14 Gallon Biocube Plate Coral 2 serpent stars 2 hermits and 4 snails 1 cleaner shrimp 2 false clowns 1 horseshoe crab water : nirates nitrite amonia = 0 PH 8.2 temp 79 calc 400 Current Tank Info: 14 gallon biocube

01/19/2007, 06:07 PM	#2
Sparkss Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Oakley (94561) Posts: 5,030	do a search on RC for pipefish and reef tanks.. there were a couple of very good threads not that long ago. They talked about the different pipefish, their husbandry requirements and success/failure stories. __________________ - Tom Current Tank Info: 380 starfire inwall ,two 150g sump/fuge. Volcano Ca RX, ato, 6' Volcano skimmer. LAIIIs w/400w AquaConnect 14K on IC EBallasts

01/19/2007, 06:08 PM	#3
LOTUS50GOD Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,210	Seahorses and pipefish require low current, usually lower than most peoples reeftanks. They are found in the bay areas... I have kept a seahorse in a reeftank before, but I had to overfeed since the seahorse moves slower than the rest of the other fish in the reef. __________________ Vertex Alpha 300 Skimmer, AI SOL Blue, Neptune Apex Controlled 360 gallon Reef Current Tank Info: born 6/26/2008- 340 reef + 100 fuge, 300lbs of figi LR

01/19/2007, 06:35 PM	#4
dippin61 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,897	imagine a seahorse trying to survive in my sps tank with 3100 gph of flow... -_- __________________ Reefers Law: It can take about 48 hours to brown, and 48 weeks to color back up! Current Tank Info: 55 Gallon BB Low Iron Glass, Dual 110w VHO Actinics, 250w PFO MH 20k XM

01/20/2007, 12:03 AM	#6
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	I have a pipefish in my 75g with 60x turnover, he has no problems. He however is a "sedentary" type, not an open water swimmer. The problem is that he does not eat prepared foods, only pods off the rock. There is not enough rock in a 14g tank to have a sustainable population of food for a pipefish. __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles

01/19/2007, 10:36 PM	#5
millstreetzoo Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New York State Posts: 74	Keep in mind that pipefish survive mostly on live food. Very few eat anything else. You need lots and lots of pods for them to survive. They will also eat red bugs that are associated with SPS corals.