Dragon face pipefish

[austin_socal]

Hi everyone!
I was just wondering if you guys thought I would be able to have a dragon face pipefish in my tank. I have a 25gal lagoon with a six line wrasse, BSJ, and a super small black storm clown.
TIA :)

(Also I do have a fire shrimp and a peppermint shrimp but I don’t think that affects anything)

 

[TX_REEF]

I think I might have commented on another of your threads, but to my knowledge, pipefish, like seahorses, are quite docile and do not fare well in community tanks where they have to compete for food.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Not a good idea especially w a six line.

 

[austin_socal]

I think I might have commented on another of your threads, but to my knowledge, pipefish, like seahorses, are quite docile and do not fare well in community tanks where they have to compete for food.

Oh, alright thank you

 

[austin_socal]

Not a good idea especially w a six line.

Oh ok, maybe if I get a 50gal one day

 

[dakoop]

6 line probably eliminated that chance for you

 

[austin_socal]

6 line probably eliminated that chance for you

Man, I really didn’t know they were that aggressive. I will see if my LFS wants to buy him for store credit. Do you think the pipefish would be fine in my 25gal with the other fish tho?

 

[TX_REEF]

Man, I really didn’t know they were that aggressive. I will see if my LFS wants to buy him for store credit. Do you think the pipefish would be fine in my 25gal with the other fish tho?

they can be aggressive, but they'll also eat all the pods, which pipefish love to feast on.

 

[austin_socal]

they can be aggressive, but they'll also eat all the pods, which pipefish love to feast on.

Ok, I will see about selling him to my LFS. Btw have you had luck with Reef Nutrition pods? Everyone says they are amazing but I’ve never tried them

 

[TX_REEF]

Ok, I will see about selling him to my LFS. Btw have you had luck with Reef Nutrition pods? Everyone says they are amazing but I’ve never tried them

I haven't bought pods for a long time, so I don't recall which brand I used, but if I were to buy more, I'd probably go with @Reef By Steele because he provides such useful and detailed information on his products here on the forums.

 

[exnisstech]

I keep a six line in 2 tanks for pest control. They have alway been fine for me and bother no one but I think having them in larger tanks with a lot of rockwork for them to cruise around in helps. I've always enjoyed watching pipe fish when I see them but alway feel they look fragile. I would probably have one if I had a seahorse tank but never in a community fish tank.

EDIT : I've never added pods but have them in all of my tanks.

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

I got a pipefish as a hitchhiker in an Oder of feeder shrimp once when I was acclimating a fish. I added him to my 110 gallon Red Sea XL525, with an assortment of fish, none extremely aggressive but several smaller tangs. He hung around for quite some time. There were periods of time I didn’t see him for a long time, and cannot say whether he is still in there or not as it has been largely over taken with aggressive softies. I do say that a sustained population of copepods would be a must. Preferably be this pods like Tisbe, Apocyclops and Tigriopus. Tigriopus are not touted to colonize as they seem to stay in the open and twitch which makes them a target, but the other two and our Harpa pods have a much higher probability on establishing.

I agree that six lines have a reputation for aggression, but I do not know if that aggression carries over to pipefish, and they are major pod predators.