CeaHorseMaShell
01/24/2007, 11:29 PM
I was in my local fish store today and noticed that they had a pipefish in. I was a bit upset because no one in our area except me keeps seahorses. The owner told me that he didn't order it, and that it just came with the shipment. He practically begged me to take it, because no one else knows how to care for it. I don't really have a place for it right now as I am converting my seahorse tank from a 30 extra high to a 45. I have a dwarf tank up and running with no seahorses in it yet, but its not even practical to consider keeping him in that small of a tank even for a short time. The fish store was housing him in one of their lps coral tanks and he didn't really had anything to hitch to, so I gave in and brought him home. My 30 extra high has about 15-18in of polifera in it and you can literally see the pods swimming around. The only thing is that I have a few small fish in the tank: clown goby, neon goby, naked clown, canary fang blenny. I have always been firm on the issue of not mixing seahorses and pipes with fish, but the new tank isn't ready and I don't know of anyone else in my area that has a tank ready to care for a pipefish. He is definitely wild caught which makes me sad and he is not eating hikari mysis, however, he is very active and appears to be hunting the pods in the macro, though I haven't seen him eat any yet. My lfs is getting in some live rodifers and live brine and some other live food on Tuesday, and I will try that. I have never kept a pipe before, so any help would really be appreciated. I feel really bad keeping him with fish, but its a lot better than the tank he was in, and having to worry about him getting stung by the corals. There is so much macro in the tank I think it may work until I can get the other tank ready.