PIPEFISH: THE ULTIMATE CARE, DIET, HABITAT AND SPECIES GUIDE

Is the Pipefish Right For You?

This is a common question I get and I hope this article will answer that question and any others you may have.

Pipefish are part of the small family of fish, the Syngnathus class or genus, that are called Syngnathidae. The family is comprised of Pipefishes or pipe-fishes (Syngnathinae) and Seahorses and Seadragons (Phycodurus and Phyllopteryx).

Pipefish look very much like seahorses, but with a straight body and a tiny mouth. Their body is long and thin, kind of snake-like.

Pipefish: The Ultimate Care, Diet, Habitat and Species Guide

Pipefish, Seahorses, and Seadragons are members of the Syngnathidae family of fish. The name Syngnathidae comes from the Greek, “syn” meaning “together”, and “gnathos” meaning “jaw”. The fused jaw trait is something the entire family has in common.

The long body and small mouth allow the pipefish to hunt for food in rocks and coral where they can poke around the cracks and crevasse.

The pipefish are not good swimmers since their only source of power is a small dorsal fin which they move very rapidly. These fish prefer to take advantage of gentle currents that they float in. Most Pipefish have some form of a caudal fin and/or tail fin, unlike seahorses, which can be used for power.

PIPEFISH CARE OVERVIEW

CATEGORYRATING
LEVEL OF CARE:EXPERIENCED/DIFFICULT
TEMPERAMENT:VARIES BY SPECIES
FISH COLOR:PURPLE, RED, BLUE, YELLOW, BROWN & BLACK
LONGEVITY:5-10 years
BODY LENGTH:UP TO 8 INCHES
DIET:CARNIVOROUS, SMALL CRUSTACEANS
FAMILY:SYNGNATHIDAE
MINIMUM TANK SIZE:30 GALLONS
TANK SETUP:MATURE REEF: ROCKS, CAVES AND GENTLE CURRENTS
REEF COMPATIBILITY:VARIES BY SPECIES
COMPATIBILITY:ONLY OTHER PIPEFISH OR SEAHORSES

Most Pipefish are saltwater fish; there are a few freshwater species but they are the exception.

They are found on the coasts of tropical and temperate zones. Most species of Pipefish are usually 6-8 inches in body length, but some species have a body size as long as 26 inches. Pipefish usually live in sheltered areas of coral reefs or seagrass beds.

Some Pipefish can even change color.

Pipefish have a short digestive tract so they are unable to absorb many nutrients through food. They can be enriched, but the Pipefish should not be used as a staple food.

If you put a pair in your tank they will produce small larval shrimp relatively quickly, as they generally are eager to mate.

Pipefish are thin slender fish that can camouflage themselves by blending in very well with the surrounding seagrasses and weeds among which it lives.

Often they will take a vertical position and sway back and forth among the grasses.

pipefish-standing

APPEARANCE

Pipefish have a similarly shaped head and snout as the seahorse. Their mouths are small, narrow and toothless and create a vacuum to feed on tiny crustaceans.

Their bodies look quite different from that of the seahorse.

There are over 200 species of pipefish. Here are some of the more popular species found in United States waters:

  • Common Pipefish (Northern Pipefish) can be found in the Chesapeake Bay area
  • Chain Pipefish
  • Dusky Pipefish can be found in the Chesapeake Bay area
  • Bay Pipefish

Pipefish are poor swimmers, and they move around slowly as they only have a tiny dorsal fin for power. Usually, they use gentle currents to get around, and they require frequent rest.

Fish Keepers who keep pipefish in their aquariums usually choose brightly colored fish in shades of purple, orange, red, green, black, and brown. There are even some pipefish that can change color to adapt to their surroundings.

Some Pipefish are Striped Pipefish coming in yellow, blue, orange, black, and red colors. These fish can be found in the eastern Atlantic from the southern Gulf of Biscay to Gibraltar, also in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

pipefish-colorful

PIPEFISH HABITAT

Most Pipefish are found living in tropical and subtropical saltwater.

There are a few species that can survive in freshwater also, but this is rare and most prefer saltwater or brackish water.

Pipefish live in seagrass beds, among Sargassum, among reefs, estuaries, and rivers. They prefer shallow waters up to 1000 feet deep.

They may move to deeper waters in the winter.

Pipefish are relatively hardy and adjust well to aquarium life if maintained in water conditions with low current and plenty of branching gorgonians, a type of soft coral, algae, or coral decorations.

Because Pipefish have a hard time competing for food, they are best kept in a tank containing only Seahorses and Pipefish.

pipefish-3

TANK REQUIREMENTS

The ideal setup for Pipefish is a saltwater tank with plenty of rocks, grass, and coral to hide in.

You’ll also want to include plenty of caves and overhangs to provide shelter, with lots of colors to help create the natural environment of the fish.

Pipefish do best when kept in pairs or groups and the tank should be a species only tank or shared only with their relative – the seahorse.

Pipefish normally come from tropical waters so the water should be kept between 72 degrees – 77 degrees.

A pH balance of between 8.1 and 8.4, with a carbonate hardness (dKH) of 8-12 and a specific gravity of 1.020-1.025 should be maintained in the water.

Pure water has a pH level of about 7, so Pipefish will require alkaline water to maintain the proper balance.

Pipefish are hunters for food, visual eaters, so they need good lighting in the tank to find food.

BASIC WATER QUALITYPARAMETERS
WATER TEMPERATURE:72 F-78 F
NITRITES0
AMMONIA0
NITRATES1-10ppm
pH8.1-8.4
SPECIFIC GRAVITY1.022-1.025

To maintain a healthy tank, once your tank is set up and your fish are happy follow these steps.

NOTE: The smaller the tank the more important water changes are as well as good filters, smaller tanks are more labor-intensive.

  • Tanks gallons up to 40: Change 5% of the water weekly.
  • Tanks gallons 40-90: Change 15% of the water bi-weekly
  • Tanks gallons 100+: Change water 10% bi-weekly to 20% monthly once the water is stable and aged.
PIPEFISH BEHAVIOR

PIPEFISH BEHAVIOR

Pipefish have varied personalities, behavioral traits, and can be very entertaining.

Depending on how your aquarium is set up as far as the aqua-scaping goes, your Pipefish will display a variety of different behaviors.

If you have any vertical plants in your aquarium your Pipefish may be trying to blend into the environment and you will see them in a more vertical position with their head down, trying to creep up on their prey.

Sometimes crawling along the bottom of the tank like a snake hunting pods.

You might catch them darting about horizontally like miniature torpedoes grabbing prey from the water column with lightning speed.

This behavior makes Pipefish very entertaining to watch, particularly when you have a pair.

PIPEFISH CARE

Beginning Fish Keepers beware.

While Pipefish are unique and entertaining fish, they may be difficult to keep healthy in an aquarium.

Most Pipefish are still caught in the wild. Some hobby Fish Keepers are having success in the retail market and tank bred fish seem to be hardier and more easily adaptable compared to the wild-caught fish.

Wild-caught Pipefish can be hard to care for in an aquarium and have a difficult time adapting from eating live food to a frozen diet. Many breeders say that they can be weaned onto a frozen food diet, but there are also a lot of failures, which is a good reason to use caution before buying one of these species.

An individual fish could be malnourished, and it would be difficult to notice until the problem is completely out of control.

This is why it is important to properly feed your fish and be vigilant about their eating habits to ensure they are getting enough nutrition.

Brine shrimp are an easy-to-make live food source for these saltwater fish.

Even with their reputation for being difficult to raise there are many reasons to want to breed them.

  • They come in a variety of colors and their unusual mouths and stick-like look are just an interesting visual element to add to your tank.
  • They also tend to be pretty active, drifting along in the gentle current in the tank or hanging around upside down in caves and vegetation.

All very entertaining.

Their need for regular feedings and delicate immune systems make them at risk of both undernourishment and bacterial infections increased by the stress of capture and transport.

Pipefish have a hard time competing for food which leaves them best kept in a tank containing only Seahorses and other Pipefish.

Their diet of live foods such as vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, small Ghost Shrimp, or Copepods and Amphipods found in live rock is usually preferred but requires constant attention.

Pipefish-face

PIPEFISH DIET

FOOD TYPEDESCRIPTION
AMPHIPODSThese crustaceans can be found in most tanks, and often on filter pads. To cultivate this food source, place a small plastic box filled with algae in the tank allowing them to hide away and breed.
BABY BRINE SHRIMPWithin 12 hours of hatching, they have a yolk which has some nutritional value to Pipefish. Feed the Baby Brine Shrimp to the Pipefish when they first hatch.
BRINE SHRIMPThis is a common food given to Pipefish, it is a cost-effective, easy to use, and available food that is preferred by the fish. Pipefish have a short digestive tract so can’t absorb any of the very few nutrients available. They can be enriched, but should not be used as a staple food.
CLEANER SHRIMP LARVAEIf you put a pair of these in your tank they will produce small larval shrimp (they are hermaphrodites so no need to sex them). This will create and an endless supply of shrimp larvae for your pipefish.
ISOPODSGreat Seahorse food and good Pipefish food. Can be purchased at Fish stores and online
COPEPODSCopepods are the best food for small pipefish, however, they are not easy to culture and may go unnoticed by pipefish because they are so tiny. Copepods are small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat.
GHOST SHRIMP & OTHER CLEAR SHRIMPCommonly found in rivers and streams, they are usually available at fish stores. Like Brine Shrimp, if used as the main part of the diet, they need to be enriched. In an aquarium, ghost shrimp make your life that little easier. As a scavenger, the shrimp will take care of any uneaten food as well as keeping algae levels down.
MYSIS SHRIMPGreat food which is not often refused. Some fish species simply will not eat frozen or dried foods. For these types of animals, live Mysis shrimp, a small saltwater crustacean, is used. Can be store-bought or easily breed and reproduce quickly.
RED SHRIMPThis food is rarely refused by Pipefish but they can be hard to get hold of and can only be bought online. They are near impossible to breed at home because of their slow reproduction rate.

One problem when raising your Pipefish is a large amount of space required to be able to supply enough natural food to keep your pipefish fed.

Unfortunately, this can easily lead to starvation of the pipefish which can go unnoticed until too late.

Some Fish Keepers use frozen food, as well as try enriching the food to provide enough needed nutrients.

Some Pipefish do not recognize frozen food as a food source no matter how it is introduced to them. In this case, try feeding them the smallest sized food product available because of their small mouths.

Perhaps try feeding the fish frozen Mysis and frozen Cyclopoid because of the small size.

If you have wild Pipefish you may find they just will not eat frozen food no matter what you do.

The food of choice for Pipefish are baby Brine Shrimps, Amphipods, Brine Shrimps, Copepods, Ghost Shrimps, Isopods and, Red Shrimps.

Create a feeding schedule for your Pipefish that has them being fed three times daily with small amounts of food. Do not overfeed your fish because the un-eaten food will make your tank dirty very quickly.

PIPEFISH SPECIES

Two of the most common species of Pipefish in the aquarium hobby market are the Dragonface and Flagtail Pipefish. The two types come in many species and there is some difference in care for these fish which should be noted.

Dragonfaced Pipefish prefer freshly hatched Brine Shrimp and Flagtails will be happier with adults.

Flagtail Pipefish-1

FLAGTAIL PIPEFISH

Flagtail Pipefish have a more developed caudal fin, which is where they derive their name.

This fin aids them to be a strong swimmer.

These Pipefish were bred to be very colorful and are popular among the marine aquarium fish keeper market. During their courting period, Flagtails will flash their distinctly colored tails.

These adult fish are highly territorial and usually live in pairs and often can be trained to eat frozen food.

These fish are not recommended for beginning Fish Keepers due to the special care that is required.

Dragonface Pipefish

DRAGONFACE PIPEFISH

The Dragonface Pipefish is also referred to as the Messmate Pipefish, Reeftop Pipefish, Banded Messmate Pipefish, Network Pipefish.

These fish have a long thin body with a small tube-like mouth and a small pink tail. Dragonface can tether themselves to rocks and corals by the tail.

It is less likely the Dragonface will learn to eat frozen food so the Keeper will have to commit to a full diet of live food.

The Dragonface can be kept in pairs and groups fairly easily as long as there is plenty of food for them all.

The Dragonface Pipefish is considered the hardiest Pipefish but still is recommended for only expert Fish Keepers because of its difficult and rigorous feeding requirements.

PIPEFISH COMPATIBILITY

Pipefish are slow swimmers often just moving with the gentle current. For this reason, these fish should be kept in a tank with only other Pipefish or Sea Horses. These fish will have a hard time competing with more aggressive or territorial fish for food.

These fish can be kept with other fish but it is not recommended unless you are an experienced Fish Keep who can and wants to monitor the interaction between fish.

Pipefish should not be kept with Maroon Clowns, Pufferfish, Clams, or Anemones, with whom they can get stung and die. They can be tanked Dragonets, Invertebrates, Dartfish, Gobies, or Jawfish.

Some experienced Fish Keepers will keep Pipefish in groups, but should only be done if you have a large enough tank. As a guide allows for 20 gallons of water per fish.

These fish do well in established reef tanks. It can be quite a site keeping Pipefish in groups and seeing them connect to each other’s tails forming a long chain.

Dragonface Pipefish are larger and of all species tend to be easier to get along with. These fish can be kept in groups or pairs as long as there is enough food to support them.

Pair-of-pipefishes

PIPEFISH BREEDING

The male Pipefish is the fish that carries the young and depending on the species they carry them in a spongy area on the tail or in a brood pouch.

To mate, the two fish will go through a mating ritual and then start moving in the same direction at the same speed when the female will deposit her eggs on the tail or in the brood pouch.

Pipefish in the Syngnathus class or genus have a brood pouch with a ventral seam that can completely cover all of their eggs when sealed.

The female will do this mating ritual with several males to improve the chances of success of having offspring.

It is the male Pipefish who makes the mate choice. In studies, the male will choose the larger female as a mate and in mate choice experiments with equal-sized females, males chose females with more extensive sexual coloring.

The gestation period of the Pipefish varies depending on the number of eggs present and the subspecies.

The male carries the eggs, often in the brood pouch, until they hatch and then they are left on their own. Often these young pipefish become the food of their parents or the food of their predators. The survival rate is about 1% living to adulthood.

It seems dads don’t stop at mate choice: Even after females have passed their eggs to males, fathers can have favorite children.

With some Pipefish, it is easy to tell the sexes apart and some can be nearly impossible. Because their sex details are on their bellies, which can be difficult to see, it may become necessary to move the fish into small specimen tanks to get a look at their underside or take a picture.

It is important to know the sex of your Pipefish, especially the Fantail Pipefish for tank compatibility, so it is suggested to check before you leave the fish store.

IS THE PIPEFISH RIGHT FOR YOU?

After researching Pipefish you probably have a good idea if they are the ideal fish for you, but let us do a quick recap.

Is your tank large enough? You should have at least a 30-gallon tank per fish.

What type of food do you plan on feeding your Pipefish? Is the tank large enough to sustain a food supply or will you use live or frozen food?

Is your tank specific to Pipefish? Is your tank a reef tank?

Can you choose healthy Pipefish?

These fish can be a unique addition to anybody’s saltwater aquarium, they can be fun and entertaining to watch.

With some love and attention, these fish can become your companions for many years.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.