Male pipefish is carrying eggs

[qwik]

Couldnt tell if my pair ofblue stripes were expecting but i guess tne pics show whats been going on behind closed doors ,lol. Whats weird,lucky,is that i just purchased them aweek ago and was lucky they paired let alone doin the things they do .
First pic was him teasing mewith a halg eggshowing stunt,he then showedme the full clutch. I guess they will become a food source since there is no way to get them out ofmy tank.
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm306/qwikphoto/fded5581.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm306/qwikphoto/a20143dc.jpg


http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm306/qwikphoto/59bf8d87.jpg

 

[joeyhatch11]

Haha That's awesome!!!

 

[Xavier613]

Wow! Congrats! Where did you get them if I may ask? And what are the specs of the tank They are in? Just in a reef tank or by themselves?

I ask because I would like to add a pipe or 2 to my mixed reef

 

[panmanmatt]

?

I ask because I would like to add a pipe or 2 to my mixed reef

Blue striped, dragon faced, banded and multi banded pipefish are all reef compatible. Dragon faced pipefish are a natural predator of Acro eating red bugs, just an FYI.

 

[Xavier613]

I know that they are reef safe, but I don't know how well they will do in a high flow environment. Maxed out mp40 and a mag24 return on a 75 gallon. There's a lot of flow

 

[panmanmatt]

I know that they are reef safe, but I don't know how well they will do in a high flow environment. Maxed out mp40 and a mag24 return on a 75 gallon. There's a lot of flow

All those species live on reefs in the wild so they are accustomed to high flow. That is why they are suited for a reef tank.

 

[Xavier613]

Alrighty then, thank you. For some reason I thought that they were more lagoon dwelling and closer requirements to seahorses rather than free swimming fish.

 

[panmanmatt]

You're welcome. Not those particular species I mentioned. There are MANY more species that do come from lagoons/grass flats that cannot handle the flow of a reef tank.

 

[qwik]

I have them in a sps tank strong flow from two mp10 in a 60 cube . I tried to keep no pod eaters in the system for 4 months to establish a population for a mandarin . I then sawthese at reef to reptiles ( rt 35) and just bought them . They werenot paired and i guess i gotlucky . From what i read blue stripes arethe better specieswhen flow isaconcern . They are akso the easier to get to eat frozen . My tank has a strong flow and they seem fine,they will naturally find a slow spot to relax when needed.

 

[Tazmaniancowboy]

What kind of special care do they require? Haven't heard of many people keep them (pipefish in general).

 

[qwik]

I am far from an expert but basically major concern is getting them to feed .

 

[Tazmaniancowboy]

that is really cool, congrats

 

[jgraz]

How long did it take to get them to eat prepared. Im really wanting to get a pair for my nano but the concern about eating is pretty much keeping me away. I was hoping for the dragonface, but the blue stripes would be great also.

 

[Hawkeye]

awesome paul!!!!!

 

[TanksNStuff]

Alrighty then, thank you. For some reason I thought that they were more lagoon dwelling and closer requirements to seahorses rather than free swimming fish.

I thought the same thing so never thought I could have them in my reef. Thanks for that info Matt!

Oh, and congratz qwik!

 

[qwik]

He's still holding. I thibk this is day five and the gestation period is 14 days .

I want to post up about my keeping of Pipefish.
A few peope have adked me questions regarding there care and pairing. I was lucky to get a pair . I really had no idea what to look for at time of purchase. The fact that they decidedto mate in my system can not be contributed to anything special I did. Also.getting them to eat frozen was just luck but i was willing to get them live food if needed. I also will not be getting a mandarin like planned due to the competition for a similar food source,pods.
So all in all it was dumb luck my being dumb and uninformed at time of purchase and somehow getting lucky to get a pair and better yet a pair that is mating and eating frozen food.
I would highly recommend them as they are fun to watch hunt food and interact with eachother. I would also highly recommend doing research before buying them to make sure your system and inhabitants are appropriate and compatable.

 

[qwik]

Well they are now a confirmed mating pair . The male must of released a few days ago and now is carrying again . I did not know if they were a pair because i had just purchased when he had eggs so I was not sure . Now i just have to figure out a way to remove them from my display and get them to someone who has experience with breeding.

 

[rudy16189]

Congratulations...and very wise to give to someone that can take care them