Pipefish in a Reef?

[Reef UP]

Hope they do well for you! My dragonfaces are still doing well and I've thought about adding a couple more pipes. I was actually looking at the banded pipes on DFS, but I'm reluctant because I don't want to wipe out my pod population.

How big is your tank? Just for reference I have mated pair of green mandarins, mated pair of target dragonets, 2 bluestripe pipes and a jans pipe and all are fat and happy in my 125 with 200lbs of rock and they hardly eat frozen food when I put it in the tank, I'm planning on adding a couple of dragonface pipes soon if I can find them

 

[swannyson7]

How big is your tank? Just for reference I have mated pair of green mandarins, mated pair of target dragonets, 2 bluestripe pipes and a jans pipe and all are fat and happy in my 125 with 200lbs of rock and they hardly eat frozen food when I put it in the tank, I'm planning on adding a couple of dragonface pipes soon if I can find them

I have a 180 with a mandarin, 2 dragonface pipes, and a leopard wrasse. I could probably put more pod-eaters in the tank, but I'd rather be safe than sorry...

 

[Reef UP]

I have a 180 with a mandarin, 2 dragonface pipes, and a leopard wrasse. I could probably put more pod-eaters in the tank, but I'd rather be safe than sorry...

You'd probably be safe do you run a fuge ? If you do you'd be fine if not throw some maidens hair in your sump with a light and you'd be more than fine pods love maidens hair algae

 

[adrianbryce]

Some larger pipefish will be fine. small ones like blue stripes can get injured in high flow tanks.

 

[Aquascaper]

In lieu of nems,(or similar actively aggressive corals "galaxia") pipefish and even garden eels make, for most, an awesome choice- in adding another dimension to the reef display.
Dragon pipes, are well known for eating red bugs, and the "blue line" pipe is noted for being a cardinal fish cleaner.
Garden eels do a Great job of keeping gas pockets from forming in DSB, and generally make excellent tank mates from firefish, cardinals, chomis, anthias, up to small angels, wrasses, and the less aggressive tangs.:wink:

 

[evb]

I added a blue stripe pipe to my 30 gallon reef. I keep my temp at 75 and my Vortech Mp-10 is on reefcrest mode (full blast) it's going on 2 months with no ill effects. I have another 30 gallon reef as a back up plan just in case, that tank has no flow and was supposed to be his home but my female snowflake clown kept nipping. I have some Chaeto IN my display and added pods a week before i added him, my tank is just over a year old so it's some-what established. I love him I named him chub-chub because he seems to eat anything he can find lol. Anyone else have a blue stripe in a reef? My plan was to try breeding them but the clowns crushed that idea. Seems to be pretty hardy just seems to be completely nocturnal except when food is added.

 

[mandinga]

I love dragonface pipes in my sps dominant cube. They are constantly foraging for food. I had a run in with my last pair when one got sucked through the mp40...he didn't fare well. So far the new pair just stays in the rocks and on the sand.


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[surferdude]

If I may... I currently have 2 pipes in my 56g. They do tolerate the high flow of my reef and enjoy sitting in the orals to over look the tank. Dragon face pipes are great in reefs..

 

[ReeferBean]

I have a australian banded pipefish in my 120 reef and he does great. During the day he will chill in the back of the tank where its not as busy but as soon as mysis hit the water he is out and swimming in the current. He is a much slower feeder than the other wrasses and tang I have but he gets a meal most cube feedings. He also cruises the tank in the evening after lights out.

Yeah i think they are ok but feeding them is usually an issue...you gotta make sure they will take prepared foods.

This is important. Make sure they are feeding prepared foods in the store.

So, I have some larger tangs and a Pink Tailed Trigger and some wrasses, think this would be a problem in a 300?

I've got a purple tang and lots of wrasses, mine still manages to fight the current and grab a bite.

When I lived in South Florida, one of the LFS had a pair of banded pipes in their mixed "high-end" coral display tank. Several species of tangs, dottybacks, gramma, wrasses, etc. There was even a pair of Fusiliers in the tank. Unfortunately they stuck very close to the rockwork, but they were very fat and healthy (IMHO).

So it's definitely possible.

Yep, I've had mine about a year and a half now with no issues.

Oh and mine loves H20 Life Cyclops cubes.

 

[twiggyb]

I had a dragonface in a reef tank with no problems until an H. crispa gained it's health back and took him as a meal I had him for just over a year.

 

[tclipse]

A friend of mine has a banded pipe in a community 300G with peaceful tankmates, it's been a few years and no issues.

 

[ReeferBean]

I have had an australian banded pipefish in my reef for about a year and a half now. It only eats mysis and cyclops. Throughout the day he will hang in low flow areas, but during feeding at at night he has no problem getting out into the flow. I have 2 x Tunze 6105s turned up 60 to 80% so I have quite a bit of flow. He makes it happen.

 

[lsingh]

I hve a 57 gln display mixed reef with mainly lps... I turn my water more than 100 times with mp40 and tunze wave box and thing about adding 6195 for additional flow on the cornet of my tank ... Dnt know I should add a pipe fish ?


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[Reef UP]

The small blue striped pipes I've found like the flow the most in my tank

 

[StReNuOuS BiOmArKeR]

i have two blue stripes two flames and two dragonface. from my experience there is a good amount of variation in dragon pipes the small ones with lots of black cleaned the acros the best and live the longest. they however have never ate prepared foods. but the blue stripes and flames readily eat mysis.
100 gal with 2 mp40 100% reefcrest one bluestripe, two flames, one dragon
100gal with 2 mp40 100% long pulse one bluestripe, one dragon, no rockwork just eggcrate

 

[mfinn]

Alot of people posted some success of keeping pipe fish in reef tanks last year.
How are they doing now?

 

[Acropora52]

I lost my banded to a disease that wiped out many of my fish. It did fine for about a year in a heavy flow reef with some boisterous tankmates. We currently have a dragonface, a bluestripe, and a banded in my wife's lps tank (only about 2000 GPH in a 70)

 

[mfinn]

I lost my banded to a disease that wiped out many of my fish. It did fine for about a year in a hea We currently have a dragonface, a bluestripe, and a banded in my wife's lps tank (only about 2000 GPH in a 70)

Sorry about the losses.

What lps do you have with the pipefish? How long have all of them been together in the 70?

 

[mfinn]

Thought I'd give a bump to this thread with a picture of my pipefish in my 50.

I took this picture as soon as the actinics came on and noticed the pipe was already looking for food from me.
Had it about a month now and he will swim up to my fingers when I am putting food in the tank

 

[Bry]

Thought I'd give a bump to this thread with a picture of my pipefish in my 50.

I took this picture as soon as the actinics came on and noticed the pipe was already looking for food from me.
Had it about a month now and he will swim up to my fingers when I am putting food in the tank

They are soooo Cool! Someday I'll have a tank of Pipes.