Calling all pipefish experts!

[Ro Bow]

Hello, i will be starting up a 125g mixed reef peaceful aquarium this november, and have been considering getting a pipefish or 2. (or more). I have read Paul B's book, and he syas the easiest are the dragonface and blue stripe pipefish. At the beginning, i will start with those. I am also going to build the newborn brine shrimp feeder he mentions in his book, but was wondering about how often to add more pods or brine shrimp. Also my family and i love vacation, and we dont know any good experts on reef tanks in our area. Would they survive? Is there such thing as a automatic pod's feeder? I would appreciate any advice.

 

[Ro Bow]

also I will qt it, and put it in my tank first. I then will get used to feeding, and then buy another fish from a local store or online. Would these tank mates be acceptable? I have seen many people who have success with many fish kept with the pipefish:

I will only buy peaceful fish - none that are even semi-aggresive

A pair of clowns

sailfin tang

foxface

gobies

blennies

peaceful wrasses

mandarins

seahorses? would that be ok? Probably not

 

[Jekyl]

Why not ask the author @Paul B and let him have the honors? Lol

 

[Ro Bow]

great idea actually

 

[Jekyl]

He's always willing to put the supermodels down for a fan!

 

[Ro Bow]

lol

 

[Paul B]

It's actually easier to feed one of two Supermodels because three pods split between them is sufficient until dinner.

If this is a new tank with new rock, I would hold off on any seahorses for a couple of years. You will not be able to feed them enough if you have any sort of life.

Seahorses and their cousins pipefish have been around for millions of years and I can't see how. They have a horrible metabolism and need to eat all day. I know their food is small and mostly shell but for an animal that hardly expends any energy and just looks around going "Doot Da Do, Doot Da do" all day without even blinking I don't know what they do with all that food.

You would need to hatch brine shrimp every day and never go on vacation or to a Lady GaGa concert.

Bluestripes are the easiest but they still need matured rock to hunt on.

 

[SilverRanger]

I keep a blue stripe pipefish. He will take thawed cyclops in a addition to live pods. I feed him cyclops daily. You have a lot of pod eating fish on that list. Perhaps you could culture your own pods, dose phyto to boost the population or if you have a well behaved pipefish you could supplement with small frozen food like baby brine and cyclops.

 

[Paul B]