LocL New York pipefish

[Paul B]

I have been collecting pipefish in New York all my life but these seem different. A friend of mine collected these on the south shore of Long Island and he kept them in a bucket for over a month. He gave them to me because my tank is set up for pipefish already and he didn't think they would make it in his tank with his powerheads. I have them in a small tank just to see how they eat and they are sucking down new born brine shrimp as fast as I can hatch them. After they fatten up a little on shrimp, I will put them in my reef. Probably in a day or two. The ones I collect look different and I never had luck with them so I hope these four make it.

 

[Choff]

If they stayed alive in a bucket for s month in confident you'll have these guys fat and happy soon.

.... OK, now who was expecting a hunk of steel pipe in a tank?

< choff meekly raises his hand >

...stupid auto correct

 

[DianaKay]

I'm confident if ANYONE can get them to live in a tank...It would be YOU Paul B
I thought of you when I was on my vaca trip in Florida. I saw several pipefish & they were the only fish that were swimming close enough that I might could have caught them. I didn't bring anything alive home with me except for my kids I still think that living closer to the ocean would be soooo awesome, maybe someday, I will.
Good Luck with your 4 new little friends :fingerx::fingerx::fingerx::fingerx:

 

[Paul B]

Diana let me know when you want to move. There is plenty of room on my boat for your kids.
As for the pipefish, I can keep them alive in this small tank where I can easily feed them but in a 6' long reef tank it will be harder for them to find food as I already have 5 other pipefish in there.
These are smoother and more flexible than the pipefish I normally see so they may be a different species. Here is a picture of the other ones I normally collect and can collect by the hundreds very easily.

 

[DaveK]

A group of interesting native fish. I hope the work out in your reef system. Kind of makes me think a native fish tank with livestock from your area coudl be interesting.

 

[Paul B]

I can keep flounders, blue claw crabs, puffers, blowfish and butterflies but I never had a lot of luck with local pipefish, but as I said, these seem smoother and different. They also eat like crazy but I am not sure they will do well in my reef as it is big and the food is not condensed together like the small tank they are in now. The temp will also be a concern but in the winter my tank is kind of cool.