Freshwater Pipefish

[barrakooda]

I have a freshwater pipefish thats about 8 inches long, and I've had this guy in my tank for about a month now, but as far as I know I don't think it has eaten anything. Anybody know what this guy eats?? I've been trying a lot of stuff except for live....

 

[aidenb]

try mysys or brine shrimp

 

[Oddball]

These fish are extremely difficult to train onto prepared foods. Live foods is usually a must and live brine should be taken. Along with daphnia, cyclops, young gammarus, fairy shrimp, and live fish fry.
Is this an african species? If not, your pipe is more of a brackish species and may feed once it's normal parameters are met.

 

[SimonL]

If he got it at Dragon Aquariums in Missisauga, then I believe it's Doryichthys boaja .

 

[ewurm]

Can we get a pic of this fish? I have never heard of it. If Phil ever posts something that starts with "I don't know", I'll have an aneurysm!

 

[Umbra]

I've kept the ones from Dragon's supplier, although from my friend who owns a store in Scarborough so he got them for me. He does share one or 2 suppliers with Dragon's (the Mata mata supplier and one other) so I'm positive they're the same species. Mine were maybe... 7-10 inches long? They could take down small male guppies with ease. Females were too big, but that didn't matter. Keep them in a species tank, or with peaceful fish that won't compete for food (cories are good), or with other reclusive predators (freshwater flounders are awesome with them). Keep about 20-30 guppies in the tank at all times, they'll eat maybe 1-2 males per day, and at the same time, the guppies will breed and they'll eat the fry as well. You don't have to replace the females - they're usually too large to be eaten (although my biggest pipe took down a smallish female).

 

[aidenb]

try squirting brine shrimp directly at him out of an eyedropper

 

[humuhumufish]

Hello everybody, do you know where I can find the african freshwater pipefish Enneacampus ansorgii? This one seems hard to find but willing to have it shipped from anywhere.

Graham

 

[SpitRhyma]

*My 1st Post*

Hi Everyone!

I have an african pipefish too. I got a pretty big male (probably like over 4 inches) and I used a valve controlled dripper to add a saltwater concentrate at very slow rate into the filter and he's in low-end brackish water now. If you stick your finger in the water and taste it, it doesn't really taste SALTY yet. Just a little diff. than regular freshwater.

Anyways mine hasn't been eating either and he has such small mouth (can't even see it) that I've mainly tried feeding him frozen rotifers.

The only place that sold live brine shrimp that I KNOW OF in Santa Barbara County is closed down. I don't know what to do.

Most foods that sea horses eat are either too big for this guy or need to be grown in saltwater tanks.

Should I revert him back to freshwater over the next week? Do you think maybe he truly prefers freshwater?

The store I bought him from (Tat's Tropical Ventura) claims that all their fish can live in freshwater and they do in nature but they sell MORAY EELS IN FRESHWATER! I argued with the manager and he disagrees. Anyways I assumed this was a brackish water species so I bought him and I've heard that they live in both fresh AND brackish water in nature. And some people say that they are TRULY freshwater and need absolutely NO salt.

It's been 2 weeks since I've had him and I don't SEE him eat. He just looks around in the rotifers that fall in the sand at the bottom. Poor baby!

Someone help!

 

[DHEEPAN 77]

I AM KEEPING THIS SPECIES OF PIPEFISH THEY ARE SIMPLE TO KEEP BUT THEY FEED ON THE ALOT OF BRINESHRIMP SO BE PREPARED BUT ONE MONTH IS TOO LONG FOR A PIPEFISH TO EAT WITHOUT FEEDING FEED IT QUICKILY!!!!!!!!!!!