Seahorse/pipefish places?

[aquaman3680]

Do any of you know where i can find some cool seahorses/pipefish online? I have been looking at the ones that I know of and cant find much, one has awesome pipefish but no ponies... I would like this to be on the same shipping bill if at all possible. If you could just give me any websites that would be awesome!

Thanks,

Matt

 

[panmanmatt]

Are you planning on putting them in the same tank? If so I would strongly advise against that. All the pipefish you see are wild caught specimens so you have the same risks involved as mixing wild caught and captive bred seahorses.

I don't know of anyone that has both in stock right now.

 

[aquaman3680]

I have had both in the same tank before... The pipe eventually started eating mysis, but then something happened to its mouth and it couldnt eat anymore so it died... That was after about 2 years!

I was under the impression that the seahorses and pipefish has a relationship, because I remember when i had my old pipe/seahorse combo the seahorse would hitch on the pipe and ride it! I would probably do one pony and 2 pipes.

Also what kind are the ones with appendages? Those are the ones I am really looking for... any ideas?

Matt

 

[panmanmatt]

The only realtionship they have is that they are in the same family, syngnathids. Other than that, they have no symbiotic relationship. It is possible for them to hitch on the ipes, but that is just because the pipe was in the right place to be hitched onto.

AS for keeping them together, it can be done but it is not reccomended. The WC pipes are going to be harboring all kinds of parasites and pathogens that a CB horse has never ben exposed to and therefore has no biological defenses against them. IF you put the pipes through a lengthy QT and treat them as you would a WC seahorse with regards to deworming and prophylactic treatments, it will lessen the chances but not totally remove the risks involved.

Seahorses or pipefish with appendages?

If pipefish, the only ones I know of are the ghost pipefish and they have never been kept successfully in an aquarium. I know of a few well expereinced keepers that have not ben able to sustain them for more than a few months. Other than that there are no other pipefish with appendages that I have ever come across.

 

[aquaman3680]

I have been kind of thinking about it, being that my tank i wanna put them in is attached to my reef, I will just go with pipes. I know that the ponies are messy and poop a lot and its not good for the reef... The tank will have plenty of macro for the pipes to hunt in. I will probably wait a good month or 2 to let the pod count get high.

What kind of pipes would you suggest?

I am looking at the dragon pipes and the black and white banded and the red and yellow banded. Any suggestions?

Matt

P.S. Thanks for your help!

 

[panmanmatt]

All of the ones you mentioned are great species.

Dragonfaced are more of sand and rock dweller, slinking over the substrate like a snake hunting for food.

Banded pipefish ( black and yellow/white) and the multibanded ( red and yellow) are more of an open water swimmer so they will stay in the water column more. Of course they will naturalyy hunt amongst the rocks and macros in search of food.

P.S. You're welcome, that's what I'm here for. And thank you for taking the time to research before buying these magnificent animals.

 

[aquaman3680]

My previous pipefish took an extreme amount of time before it would start to eat mysis. Is there any better way than just offering it to the pipe every day and hoping it eats it? I know that the dragons are the least likely to eat the mysis. Before i used live baby brine shrimp and he lived off of that for a long time. Is there any suggestions on getting them to eat prepared foods that you may have?

Also do you know any sites that have the dragons and banded ones available?

Thanks,

Matt

 

[panmanmatt]

Only way is to keep offering and pray they take it.

The dragonfaced will take small mysis ( Hikari is a good choice for this) or even Cyclop-eze. Again, keep offering until they take it.

I don't know of anyone that hsa them in just now. LiveAquaria gets them from time to time. You can get on their mailing list to be notified when they get some in, I'd highly reccomned this as they tend to sell out quickly.

You can also check the availabilty list at the LFS to see what's avaiable there. Maybe they can order you some.

 

[aquaman3680]

ok, i checked the LFS and they said that they will very rarely get them in. Marine depot live has some different kinds, the banded ones and the cleaner pipes?

Do you know anything about the cleaner pipes? Are they any different than the banded ones?

Thanks,

Matt

 

[panmanmatt]

Not sure what they mean by cleaner pipes. I just looked at they have banded and Janns' pipes listed. Janns' are an active species just like the banded pipes. Their care requirements are the same. I know a few folks that have Janns' and they love them.

 

[aquaman3680]

Yeah its the janns'... Are pipes the same deal as ponies in that you aren't supposed to mix species?

Matt

 

[Woodstock]

Interesting read guys! Thanks for the info

 

[panmanmatt]

Yeah its the janns'... Are pipes the same deal as ponies in that you aren't supposed to mix species?

Matt

Technically yes, but there appears to be less issues with mixing pipe species. May have something to do with the fact that a lot of them come from the same areas so they are exposed to a lot of the same stuff.

Either way, I would still Qt to make sure they are healthy before adding them to a display tank. 6 weeks is the minimum I'd Qt a wild caught specimen.

Even with seahorses, there is less chance of problems with mixing species if you go with healthy, tru captive bred specimens. I would never even consider mixing diffeent species of wild caught horses.

 

[aquaman3680]

I dont really have a QT tank, these guys will be going in my display fuge. The reason I want them in there is because they are cool, also I know that they will deplete the pods, but it isn't really the pods I care about. The only thing that I really want the fuge for is to bring down trates and phosphates. Is a QT really that important?

Thanks again for helping me!

Matt

 

[panmanmatt]

IMHO a QT tank is a very important part of this hobby, and not just from a seahorse/pipefish stand point either.

It gives you a chance to make sure the new additions are eating well and are not stressing from the shipping. It is not uncommon for seahorses and pipefish to go off their food as a result of shipping, this even holds true for captive bred specimens. A barebottom QT allows you to make sure they are eating as yo can se any uneaten food on the bottom. This is especially important if you want to train them to eat frozen foods.

In a fuge full of LR, LS and macro you may never see the pipes eat so you will not know if they are eating or slowly starving to death.

I am not saying they won't be eating when you get them, but I personally like to be safe rather than risk them dying.