Pipefish?

[blkwell]

Just looking for a little advice about keeping pipefish. Are the Janss and banded more suited for reef than the dragonface?

93 gallon cube
Pair of clowns
Fairy wrasse
Foxface
Tomini tang
Emerald crab
Pair of sexy shrimp
Blood red cleaner shrimp
Two anemones
Assorted LPS and soft corals

 

[Shaunv]

From what I hear, Dragonface is more reef safe.

 

[sethsolomon]

Dragonface pipefish are the only ones that work well in reefs. the others will starve with the fish you have. Think of them as a hybrid between a mandarin and a seahorse.

 

[blkwell]

I forgot to mention my mandarin. I do have a red mandarin who is a very happy dude. I guess I was misinformed. I thought the Janss and banded were better because they are stronger swimmers.

 

[sethsolomon]

you might be able to get away with the other pipefish but its all about your pod levels. Its worth a shot. I can give them a home if you decide to try them and it does not work out.

 

[blkwell]

I think my pod population is good. The tank is over a year old and I add pods to the tank and fuge frequently.

 

[cdrewferd]

Dragon face from Gonzo. I had some and they were awesome. If you're dosing pods then you should be fine. Watch them closely though, make sure they are active and getting plenty of food.

 

[SRT43R]

I really like the blue stripped pipes!hearty and good eaters!

 

[reefkoi]

I've had the best long term success with the dragon pipes and limited success with the blue stripe and 0 with the banded. I've got a couple dragons still from a shipment like 2 years ago.

 

[blkwell]

I've had the best long term success with the dragon pipes and limited success with the blue stripe and 0 with the banded. I've got a couple dragons still from a shipment like 2 years ago.

Sounds like the dragons are hardiest. Although I like the looks of the blue stripe better. Are they safe with corals and anemones or do you risk them getting stung?

 

[aztecdreams]

I had dragonface in my SPS dominate tank with anemones and they did great. As a benefit they are red bug eaters

 

[crisc]

We have some dragonface pipes in stock if you decide to go that way. In my opinion, really the only pipe fish suitable in mixed reefs. (Sounds like a sales pitch but true)

 

[blkwell]

We have some dragonface pipes in stock if you decide to go that way. In my opinion, really the only pipe fish suitable in mixed reefs. (Sounds like a sales pitch but true)

ok. Thank you. Are there different varieties of the dragon face? From what I have seen it looks like some have a little more color than others.

 

[sethsolomon]

ok. Thank you. Are there different varieties of the dragon face? From what I have seen it looks like some have a little more color than others.

Where they come from, and their diet has a majority on what color they are. They can get red if you can get them to eat krill bits.

 

[bsharpe]

I think that the pipefish are great but really fragile.

 

[Catfish Charlie]

Dragon Face Pipefish are definitely one of the hardier Pipefish. A little harder to find but I've also had very good success with Caribbean Pipefish too. I've had Caribbean Pipefish breed in my tanks and I've successfully raised the young. I always fed live brine shrimp to my Pipefish twice a day for my success. I've also found that many will also learn to eat frozen brine shrimp, mysis shrimp and krill. Keep in mind that they are very closely related to Sea Horses and need frequent feeding (I like TWICE a day) unless you have HUGE amounts of "pods" in you tank!

 

[reefkoi]

Pods are key mine doesn't get fed by me but its fat and happy

 

[xxHLTxx]

I think that the pipefish are great but really fragile.

They need to be viewed with the thought of mandarins and in some cases an even more careful attitude. These guys mainly eat pods or as CC stated, live brine or a live food. Hardiest in my opinion is the Dragon, the other pipes can have lots of color, but with reefs with a higher amount of flow make it not very ideal for those "water column pipefish" species.