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Brackish
water pipefish 2/13/08
Hey Neale,
<Brandon,>
Its me (Brandon) again. I just finished reading your biography and saw
that we both have very similar interests in one respect: we both really
like brackish water fish! Too bad you don't live on this side of the
ocean (once again) so I could have you autograph a
copy of "Brackish Water Fishes" for me!
<Maybe I need to talk TFH into flying me across of a book signing tour!>
I love your articles in Tropical Fish Hobbyist. Are you doing one for
next months issue?
<No idea. Publishers accept stuff months in advance, and the first you
hear about them running an article is when you get paid for it!>
Anyway, to get on to my question, I can get (special order) brackish
water pipefish (species unknown) from my LFS at the incredible price of
$2.00! Do you think I should get them?
<Pipefish are very challenging: while not in the least delicate in terms
of water chemistry or even water quality, they are difficult to feed.
It's pretty much live food only, at least to start with. There are some
species that move about like eels on the bottom and will take bloodworms
from the start, but most species are midwater micro-predators. They will
need brine shrimp, daphnia, midge/mosquito larvae and livebearer fry. If
you can supply these things for at least a few weeks, then by all means
have a go. Otherwise, best to steer clear.>
I'm aware of how they have to be taken care of (I've read all I can find
on them including the section that you wrote in the "Brackish Water
FAQ") and have been trying to find them for years. However, I won't be
able to see them beforehand to know how well they've been cared for
(although I know that the supplier my LFS uses feeds all their fish live
blackworms once a day.
<If they're a special order, chances are you'll get them "fresh" so
starvation won't be so much an issue as it would be pipefish that have
been in a display tank for weeks. Before you place the order though,
make sure you read as much as you can about marine pipefish (and
seahorses). You might start here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tube-mfi.htm
While the species are different, the basic care issues are identical.>
Thanks,
Brandon
P.S. They also have a species of pipefish that they say are "Needle
Pipefish", but I can't find any info on them.
<My guess would be these are Microphis brachyurus aculeatus ("aculeatus"
could be translated as "needle"). That's the species that in older
aquarium books was called 'Microphis smithi'. It is an African
freshwater/brackish water/marine species that gets to about 20 cm.
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=9892
It is fairly robust in terms of care though I wouldn't keep them in
completely freshwater conditions. About 25% normal seawater salinity
would be a good baseline salinity. Daphnia appear to be the favoured
food. Sociable, so keep in a fair sized group; I'd get at least half a
dozen.
Cheers, Neale.>Re: Brackish
water pipefish
Would live fairy shrimp/frozen mysis with a few baby guppies
occasionally be a suitable diet?
<Fairy shrimp and brine shrimp are both a bit lacking in nutrition.
Frozen mysis are eaten by pipefish eventually, but up front they'll
likely be ignored. Daphnia are really the ideal, but that does rather
depend on you having access to a pond (they're very easy to culture
outdoors, but not so much inside the house). Guppy/mosquitofish fry
would also be good.>
I know that they are relatively difficult; I've read all I can on them
for the past few years.
<Do make sure you read 'Pipefish Husbandry and Propagation' by Robert
Burhans. It's available online and includes lots of tips on these fish.
Essential reading for anyone keeping pipefish. They are regularly
maintained and bred in zoos, so they are far from impossible to keep.
It's just they are much harder work that most freshwater aquarists
assume. Once feeding though they're quite easy.>
Thanks,
Brandon
<Cheers, Neale.> |
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Re: Brackish water
pipefish 2/13/08
I know that in general pipefish are for species only tanks, however,
would Bumblebee Gobies be okay with them?
Thanks,
Brandon
<In terms of behaviour, should be fine, though BBGs are sometimes a
little nippy. But the main problem is you'll now have two kinds of fish
both competing for live food. Not a problem if you plan for that, but
best to be forewarned. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Brackish water pipefish
2/13/08
Thanks for all your advice. What do you personally think would go well
with pipefish (if anything)? Also, do you know anything about Leonensis
bambere? A guy who sells fish over the internet says that he is ordering
them even though he doesn't know anything about them (I know, this isn't
a very smart move). I'm interested, but I couldn't find anything on the
web about them. Thanks for your time,
Brandon
<Hi Brandon. Pipefish are best kept with more pipefish. And plants. I
suppose Wrestling Halfbeaks could work, since they do well in brackish
water and don't leave the surface (unlike Celebes Halfbeaks, which roam
around the tank). Peaceful gobies would be another option, and maybe
Flounders too, since they're nocturnal and eat worms. But anything day
active that feeds in midwater is out out out. I have no idea what
"Leonensis bambere" and can't find it in Google. What is it? I suspect
the Latin name you have is *not* correct. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Brackish water pipefish
Okay, Wrestling Halfbeaks are also an option. They're pretty cheap
around here, and they're pretty cool. I've been thinking about getting
some anyway. Any tips on breeding them?
<See here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I1/halfbeaks/Halfbeaks.htm
http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/aquaria/halfbeakbreeding.html
>
I like flatfish, and can get Hogchoakers (under the name of "freshwater
flounder"), but I have trouble keeping them alive (the longest I've had
one live was about five months, and that was by feeding it a steady diet
of freshwater scuds, Cyclops, aquatic sowbugs, etc). Any tips on keeping
these amazing fish alive?
<Most people forget their nocturnal carnivores, and none of the common
species last long in freshwater. There *are* freshwater flatfish, but
they're not traded much. The Hogchoker is really a estuary fish that
happens to move into freshwater some of the time. But in marine/brackish
conditions it will prosper. It's also a *subtropical* fish and will burn
out if kept at tropical temperatures. In any case, some details on these
fish can be found here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwflatties.htm
>
What kind of plants would be suitable in a brackish tank with the
specific gravity 1.005-1.010?
<Not many. Stick with plastic, to be honest. Gives you more scope for
moving the salinity up or down as required. There *are* freshwater
fishes that tolerate quite high salinities though -- Cryptocoryne
ciliata, Java fern, Samolus valerandi, and a few others; see here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/brpltsnealeart.htm
>
As far as "Leonensis bambere" goes, I know that is an incorrect name,
however, I was hoping you would be familiar with that name and give me
the correct scientific name (I to did a google search and all I could
find was info on electric catfish and other unrelated subjects).
<Doesn't sound right at all. "Leonensis" is a species rather than genus
name -- it means "from (Sierra) Leone" in Latin. So you'd actually get
something in front, like Malapterurus leonensis, which would mean the
"electric catfish from Leone". Anyway, can't help.>
Thanks,
Brandon
<Cheers, Neale. |
Pipefish and Discus –
03/10/08
Hello Crew, Today I was strolling in this certain fish store and I came upon
this odd fish which I completely fell over for. It was a freshwater pipefish!
Before I got too impulsive, my dad suggested I should do some research before
such a purchase. I only need to know if they are compatible with discus and
glass cats in a 33 gal. If not, is there a reason why they can't? Thanks for
your help.
<This isn't viable I'm afraid. Let me make this extremely clear: Freshwater
Pipefish are among the most difficult fish to maintain in the hobby. They need
large amounts of live food every single day. Daphnia, brine shrimp, insect
larvae, perhaps even livebearer fry. After a few weeks of being fed live foods
they can, with care, be trained to take wet frozen foods. But they NEVER flake
food or freeze-dried food. They CANNOT compete with any other fish in the
aquarium except perhaps small gobies. Finally, because some species are brackish
water and some truly freshwater, you need to know PRECISELY what the species is.
The retailers will tell you they are "true" freshwater pipefish, but 50% of the
time they are lying or ignorant! Trust me on this! By all means set up a 20
gallon tank just for Pipefish if you have access to sufficient live foods (e.g.,
a garden pond). But otherwise avoid. See here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brackishsubwebindex/fwbracpipeshorsart.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brackishsubwebindex/bracpipefishes.htm
Cheers, Neale.>
Sea pipes brackish to fresh water far north Queensland
I have found a species of sea pipe in a local river, I am trying to
identify, can you help me? It has a length of 12cm a darker brown colour with a
off yellow lateral line, no banding or spots, and if unknown species can you
tell me how to name it.
<The best reference here is Kuiter's:
http://seachallengers.com/index.cfm?catID=1&itemID=209
or you can wade through the materials posted on fishbase.org, by calling up the
region, re-sorting by family (Syngnathidae) and then going through the species
listed (by clicking on them). From there, if they have no pix, you can select
(by species), "Google Images", or look on the broader Net through your search
engines for more info. by species. Bob Fenner>
From your friendly fish friend
Steve.
Re: Source of/for FW Pipefish
Bob- the species is commonly called "red line pipefish". I have 4 left
(down from 6 approx 6 mos. ago--I believe they are relatively short-lived)
in a planted tank. I bought them in San Francisco @ 6th Ave. Aquarium for
$2.50 each.
<A bargain. Thank you for this. Will post under FW Pipefish on WWM. Bob Fenner>
Re: (no subject)
I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
<"SHOUTING" in netiquette is the use of all capitals in keying messages. Hard to read. Bob F>
Fresh to Brackish Pipefish Sourcing
I was wondering if you could tell me where to buy fresh to brackish water
pipefish at?
<Ah, these are exceedingly rare in the regular trade in ornamental aquatics. Not handsome enough I suppose. I would try contacting some of the Public Aquariums in your area (many have such organisms on display and breed some excess) or try specialty
e-tailers of livestock like Marine Center... they may well know a source. Both resources links can be found on WetWebMedia.com's Links Pages. Bob Fenner> | |
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