pipefish in a reef tank

[dml32226]

Can it be done? I saw a LFS had one in their 90g tank with several tangs, damsels, clowns and wrasses. Can they survive in a home reef tank?

[HappySkittles]

no
they eat to slowly
the other fish would eat the food before they had a chance to look at it

[pledosophy]

Pipefish in reefs tanks are not that uncommon. They were really popular with SPS keepers who had red bug break outs. I know several keepers who keep pipes in there reefs.

I would look at Janis pipefish first.

HTH

[landlord]

I keep a yellow multi banded and a dragonface pipefish in a 90 gallon SPS reef. They share that space with 3 bartletts anthias, yellow tang, bicolor angel, diamond goby, and a pair of tomatos. They can hold there own quite nicely.

[pledosophy]

Dragons are a very nice pipefish but they are sensitive to the coral stings as they will hitch to stuff.

If your not keeping aggresive LPS (some LPS like sun corals are not aggressive) then dragonface pipes are an awesome species.

[danfrith]

LOL, how many times has this question been asked. Anyway, with any decent sized reef the pipefish should be able to get by on the pods already in your tank, regardless of their being large tangs or angels. My tiney little bluestripes come to the surface to weave in and out of the Frozen Mysis feeding frenzy, which includes 2 agressive angels, 5 chromis, and some pseudochromis, doesnt bother the little guys at all.

[Ralph ATL]

I've had my dragonface for 2 years, however, African blue-stripe lasted 1 day before getting sucked into tunze stream.

[GoBigOrGoHome]

So.. People saying they keep them in their SPS tanks surprises me. Can they really withstand that kind of a flow rate? I'd love to get a couple in my 75-mixed reef w/ 40-gal fuge (loaded w/ pods), but I'm a bit concerned as I'm considering adding a 1 or a pair of mandarins, and they would compete for the same food source. Also, my main tank has about 3000 gph of flow, and fuge has about 2000.
What does everyone think on this specific case?

[Ralph ATL]

I would do one or the other

[danfrith]

Unless the pipefish and the mandarins are both feeding on prepared foods I would only choose one or the other.

[GoBigOrGoHome]

Originally posted by mysterybox
I would do one or the other

So, it would be feasible to house a pair of mandarins? Would there be potential to have the pipefish in there if i had a continuous hatch'n'feeder of brine shrimp? I have 2 basketball-sized clumps of Chaetomorpha in the fuge, along with about 175 lbs of live rock between main tank and fuge. Obviously I have no way of knowing how many pods I really have, but my guess is it's A LOT.

[GoBigOrGoHome]

Originally posted by danfrith
Unless the pipefish and the mandarins are both feeding on prepared foods I would only choose one or the other.

So, I could house them in a small tank connected to the main system while they are adjusting to prepared foods, and then add them to the main tank?? I know its a challenge sometimes to get either of these fish on prepared foods, but I'm willing to do what it takes, including housing them in separate systems, although, I would love to have both fishes in my main reef.

[650-IS350]

Mandarin and dragon face pipe. Both eat prepared foods. ( cyclopeeze and frozen foods.

[Snail-po]

whenever my dad tries(multiple times in multiple reef tanks) they never live. Then again he did have alot of lps and a big anemone so im not terribly surprised. so basicly id'e say no and spend the money on a fish youll enjoy for years and not weeks.

[Ralph ATL]

My pipes only eat pods.

[Ralph ATL]

No stinging corals either.