Can I keep pipefish in reef nano?

Discussion in 'Tropical Fish' started by TheSurgeonSween, Feb 9, 2011.

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  1. PetMother

    PetMother Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

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    They are very cool and may get one in the future but they are a fish with "special needs" and I wouldn't risk a beautiful creature if I don't have the correct tank set up.
     
    PetMother, Feb 10, 2011
    PetMother, Feb 10, 2011
    #11

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  2. Vinnyboombatz

    Vinnyboombatz Giant Squid

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    You gotta love Mommys.;D
    I had a cool setup of Pipefish in a 75 gallon. I used Pieces of PVC in various sizes cut at different lengths then glued pieces of rock rubble around them and the inside edge to make very cool tunnels that looked very natural to them and me.Great fish. O and Cheryl you would never have to worry about red bugs in your tank again.Bonus!!!
     
    Vinnyboombatz, Feb 10, 2011
    Vinnyboombatz, Feb 10, 2011
    #12
  3. PetMother

    PetMother Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

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    HAHA OMG that is too cool! I love that idea, perfectly smooth on the inside :)
     
    PetMother, Feb 10, 2011
    PetMother, Feb 10, 2011
    #13
  4. Renee@LionfishLair

    Renee@LionfishLair 3reef Sponsor

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    Don't get a bluestripe. They may be the "right size", but they are not known for survivability and they are mean little guys. We always had them on display at MACNA with other pipes and seahorses... think of their personalities equating that of a damsel in the pipefish world.

    They are not a beginners pipe...

    You don't have to avoid flow with all pipefish, the two I kept are "reef" pipes. Most need a specialized setup, but these are perfect for going in your standard reef. Mine was in with a foxface, lyretail anthias, mandarin, leopard wrasse, ... and others I'm forgetting O.O
     
    Renee@LionfishLair, Feb 10, 2011
    Renee@LionfishLair, Feb 10, 2011
    #14
  5. jonjonwells

    jonjonwells Great Blue Whale

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    The dragonface stays relatively small. The only issue is they may not have enough to eat in a small tank. For the most part, they will only eat copepods.
    They move through the water hugging the sand bed and rockwork instead of swimming in open water. This tends to make converting them to other food more difficult. This practice of movement has the added benefit of being able to run higher flows in the tank compared to other species of pipefish.

    They are known to decimate red bug populations in SPS reef dominated tanks. This alone is a great reason to try one.
     
    jonjonwells, Feb 10, 2011
    jonjonwells, Feb 10, 2011
    #15
  6. ComputerJohn

    ComputerJohn Panda Puffer

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    I can tell you this, liveaquaria.com lists this fish as expert only. Also the latest vol 13 of Marine Fish & Reef USA magazine has detail article about pipefish

    Sent from my HTC EVO using Tapatalk
     
    ComputerJohn, Feb 10, 2011
    ComputerJohn, Feb 10, 2011
    #16

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  7. Renee@LionfishLair

    Renee@LionfishLair 3reef Sponsor

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    Some are much hardier/easier to convert than others. A Janss' is a nice beginner pipe. I do not consider them an "expert only" fish.
     
    Renee@LionfishLair, Feb 10, 2011
    Renee@LionfishLair, Feb 10, 2011
    #17
  8. granocompany

    granocompany Astrea Snail

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    how about my tank, low flow, no skimmers, macro algae, no fish...?
     
    granocompany, Nov 24, 2015
    granocompany, Nov 24, 2015
    #18
  9. Va Reef

    Va Reef Giant Squid

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    IMO it depends on the species and size of the tank.

    What did you have in mind?
     
    Va Reef, Nov 24, 2015
    Va Reef, Nov 24, 2015
    #19
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  10. granocompany

    granocompany Astrea Snail

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    a pair of BLUESTRIPE PIPEFISH, the tank is 900cmx26cmx28cm

    in this tank
     
    granocompany, Nov 27, 2015
    granocompany, Nov 27, 2015
    #20
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