Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Paul B]

Wouldn't think they would eat clams
White worms, black worms mysis and pods good to go.

Pipefish don't eat clams or worms. I don't know why but I have been collecting and keeping pipefish since the 60s, and they never eat that.

 

[Paul B]

They arrived a day late but alive. The temp was 73, so not too cold. The larger one didn't look great and was at the surface with part of his back sticking out of the water like the Loch Ness Monster, but he was breathing. The smaller one looked better.

I acclimated them for about an hour due to the difference in temperature and salinity, and gently put them in where they both went to the bottom in the corner and stayed there. One is still there but looks a little better.

After a few hours, the smaller one swam away, and now I can't find him, which is probably a good thing. I hope he is foraging in a cave somewhere.
Neither one ate mysis but I didn't think they would the first day. I have no idea when the last time they ate was, and that is not good for pipefish, which are not like most other fish.

None of my fish paid any attention to them.

I hope they make it through the night. If they live a week, they will live forever.

 

[atoll]

They arrived a day late but alive. The temp was 73, so not too cold. The larger one didn't look great and was at the surface with part of his back sticking out of the water like the Loch Ness Monster, but he was breathing. The smaller one looked better.

I acclimated them for about an hour due to the difference in temperature and salinity, and gently put them in where they both went to the bottom in the corner and stayed there. One is still there but looks a little better.

After a few hours, the smaller one swam away, and now I can't find him, which is probably a good thing. I hope he is foraging in a cave somewhere.
Neither one ate mysis but I didn't think they would the first day. I have no idea when the last time they ate was, and that is not good for pipefish, which are not like most other fish.

None of my fish paid any attention to them.

I hope they make it through the night. If they live a week, they will live forever.

Good luck Paul, not ideal but at least they arrived alive. Hope they both pull through..

 

[MikeReefs]

Best of luck if they can’t make it in your tank they wouldn’t make it in anyone’s tank

 

[Paul B]

At 6:30 this morning, after my beach walk I checked out my tank with a flashlight as the light wasn't on yet. I saw all my fish fast asleep in caves and squashed behind rocks in the back.

Then I looked at the intake on my powerheads because if there was a dead fish, especially a pipefish, that's where they would be.

I didn't see anything there. I kept looking under the rocks and behind the UG filter tubes where dead fish find their way. No pipefish.

Then I spotted a yellow pipefish tail sticking out behind my long powerhead and assumed he was sucked into the back of the pump.

I shone the light on him, and he immediately smiled and lazily swam away. He is fine.
I couldn't find the other one, and it didn't seem that he was in the claws of a crab, so he is most likely fine.
I tried to feed them 3 times yesterday and didn't want to go overboard because my tank is approaching a jungle now with all the macro algae and hair algae in the back, where the fish rest at night, held up by the thick mat.

BTW, this is normal in the sea, natural, and the fish feel comfortable. Not so much in a spotless, no algae, no life tank.

In a few hours, when everything, including my wife, wakes up, I will try to feed them again.

I have a few different sizes and types of mysis and that's what my last one survived on for 7 years so I will again try that. I know they have not eaten in days, and if they don't start soon, it won't end well.

 

[Paul B]

On my walk, I did encounter these Alien tracks, probably from one of their research vehicles that comb the beaches of faraway planets looking for any form of life that they can experiment on.

They are looking for invertebrates, birds, fish, or horseshoe crabs to make soup out of

 

[Reefering1]

How has Dale been doing, Paul?

 

[Paul B]

She was OK yesterday but overall not to good. MS does all sorts of things to you, none good. When she gets up in a few minutes, I will see how today works out.
Yesterday we took Teddy and a neighbor's son to I Hop for dinner. Not a place we ever go. Dale went to thr Ladies room and after a few minutes a woman ran up to me and asked me if I was with the Lady in the wheelchair. I said, yes, why?

She said, she fell in the Ladies room and can't get up. I had to go in there with her to get her back in the chair. Not fun and it always scares me that she didn't get hurt.


We have our Grand Son here for a few days and that is very taxing on the both of us.

After my walk I went downstairs to look for those pipefish and I had to clean my 3D printer that he used yesterday. There is resin drying all over my newly painted workbench so I will have to re paint parts of it and the printer was all sticky so I had to clean that with alcohol.

Dale can't get around too good and the house is full of fingerprints, wet towels, watches, I pods, tablets, socks etc which drives her crazy because she is a clean freak.

I am now making breakfast for all of us as in a few minutes he will wake up and start all over again.

Next week we are getting his sister who is 2 years older and a real girly girl who is very interested in make up, clothes and talking to her friends but is much easier than her brother who is like a cyclone.

I try to take care of Dale as best I can in the midst of all the chaos.

Reefering1, Thank you for asking, I appreciate it.

 

[atoll]

Grand kids can be hardworking when very young but shouldn't be by the age of around 7. Sign of the times maybe..We always had to clean up after us and do some housework. I bet you did as well Paul.

Hope the other pipefish shows up soon and you get to see them eating..

 

[Freenow54]

Grand kids can be hardworking when very young but shouldn't be by the age of around 7. Sign of the times maybe..We always had to clean up after us and do some housework. I bet you did as well Paul.

Hope the other pipefish shows up soon and you get to see them eating..

mine is 7 his sister 5. I talk to them like adults calm but firm if they I want or don't want to do something, and they respond. My son made fun of me 3 years ago about them not understanding what I meant. When they did exactly what I said I just grinned at him and walked away after saying if you don't treat them like equals they wont react like they are , or something like that

 

[Paul B]

I see the two pipefish in the back and they look fine. Swimming normally and staying in the back. I tried feeding them twice so far today, and they haven't eaten yet. I have a few different sizes of mysis. If I can get some brine shrimp today, I will try offering that just for a start.

I haven't used live brine in many years.

 

[atoll]

I see the two pipefish in the back and they look fine. Swimming normally and staying in the back. I tried feeding them twice so far today, and they haven't eaten yet. I have a few different sizes of mysis. If I can get some brine shrimp today, I will try offering that just for a start.

I haven't used live brine in many years.

How about white worms do you have any of them?

 

[Paul B]

I have plenty of them, but in all the years I have been collecting and keeping worms, I never saw a pipefish eat any of them. I am not sure why.

 

[Paul B]

I didn't see them this morning yet but as of last night, I didn't see them eat anything. They are hanging out together in a cave but do venture around the back of the tank. If they don't eat today, I am afraid they will never eat as pipes need constant food.

They may not have fed since they were collected which is not good. There is a lot of food in my tank especially in the back where they stay, amphipods all over the place but they won't live on those.

If I can find some live brine shrimp today, I will try those, but I never saw them around here.

I have 3 different types and sizes of mysis which I am target feeding right in their face. I wish someone would feed me like that.

 

[atoll]

Good luck Paul, getting some fish to feed after a period of not doing so can ge an uphill sometimes impossible struggle as you know. Especially those with small mouths and stomachs that need to eat constantly.

 

[Paul B]

Atoll my friend, I think maybe they need some Fish and Chips. I may have to take a ride over to JFK to book a ride to your neck of the woods to get some.

If they didn't eat by now, they most likely won't eat. In the sea they were used to eating small, living food and some fish just never realize that they can also eat dead things. They were also probably never fed in captivity which is a shame.

 

[atoll]

Atoll my friend, I think maybe they need some Fish and Chips. I may have to take a ride over to JFK to book a ride to your neck of the woods to get some.

If they didn't eat by now, they most likely won't eat. In the sea they were used to eating small, living food and some fish just never realize that they can also eat dead things. They were also probably never fed in captivity which is a shame.

Well your probably right on all counts apart from the fish and chips. Can you even buy proper traditional British fish and chips with mushie peas there?

 

[Paul B]

The two pipes are hanging out together in a cave in the back. They look great so maybe sending out for "take out". I have no idea what they are eating but nothing I am giving them.

 

[Paul B]

It's very hard to see them through the back of my tank. But here they are.

 

[atoll]

Every day they are still there gives you hope they will pull through Paul. Did you manage to get any live brine shrimp?