Seahorse Club
Aquarium & Livestock

Feed Ezy Frozen Mysis

Seahorse Club
Aquarium & Livestock

Feed Ezy Frozen Mysis

Seahorse Club
Aquarium & Livestock

Feed Ezy Frozen Mysis

Seahorse Club
Aquarium & Livestock

Feed Ezy Frozen Mysis

Seahorse Club
Aquarium & Livestock

Feed Ezy Frozen Mysis

Seahorse Club
Aquarium & Livestock

Feed Ezy Frozen Mysis

Aggressive Pipefish

Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #35280
    tlskahan
    Participant

    3 months ago I added a pair of Banded Pipefish to my 60 Gallon Cube Seahorse tank. One BPF acclimated and the other did not, dying within two weeks of purchase. Today I added a much smaller (baby) BPF to the tank. The new small PF began snicking copepods off the glass and the sand immediately, drawing the attention of the Large PF, who made a bee-line for him and began attacking him. ????? I have never heard of a Pipefish being aggressive with another of it’s own species. The little guy has taken up residence in one of the many hiding places in the live rock.

    What to do? I have a well seeded, very roomy refugium in my Tritan sump. I considered removing the BIG PF and putting him in the sump for a week or so, giving the little guy time to acclimate and, I’m hoping, ending the Big PF’s territorialness? If I could catch the little guy, I would remove him and return him to the store, but I’m not sure I can catch him.

    Any suggestions or input anybody has, please email me. I have 2 mated pairs of Seahorses, a BIG Banded PF/a little Banded PF, and a Fire Shrimp.

    #36803
    Pete Giwojna
    Moderator

    Aggressive pipefish

    Dear tlskahan:

    As you know, at the Ocean Rider aquaculture facility, the pipefish are raised together at high population densities from birth until they are ready to market. As juveniles, at least, they seem to very much enjoy the company of others of their kind and find reassurance in numbers.

    In short, the Ocean Rider red banded pipefish (Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus) are normally very sociable and gregarious, and are becoming more so with every generation, since they are accustomed to living in close proximity with many others of their kind from the moment they emerge from their eggs until they reach marketable size and are shipped off to the home hobbyists.

    But it is very difficult to sex juvenile banded pipefish because of the lack of a brood pouch. It is normally only possible to determine male and female when the pipefish are actively breeding and the male’s brood patch is ready for the eggs to be attached. There is simply no reliable way to determine the gender of the juvenile pipefish.

    Although they are normally quite peaceful, on occasion, however, juvenile pipefish that are approaching sexual maturity, and which have been very friendly towards one another up until they matured, may occasionally become antagonistic if it turns out that they are both males. When you get two of the pipefish and they are both females, they typically get along very well and there is no aggression, and likewise, when they turn out to be a male and a female, courtship and mating is a typical result, rather than any sort of fighting. But, should the two pipes ultimately turned out to be two males, that is when there may be some sparring and fighting as they determine dominance.

    In that event, providing your aquarium is large enough, the two pipefish can still happily coexist once they have determined which of them is superior to the other. I should think that your 60 gallon cube tank should be spacious enough for the two pipefish to get along together in the long run. But if the larger pipefish is so aggressive towards the smaller individual that the youngster is unable to feed in peace, then you may need to separate these two individuals to separate aquariums.

    In the home hobbyists’ tank in which two of the pipefish are confined together in a relatively small space, there can be problems if both the individuals are males. Under those circumstances, as I mentioned above, there is a chance that the pipefish may indeed sometimes become hostile towards one another as they mature. When you are keeping a couple of juvenile pipefish together, and one of the pipefish become a mature female, they usually continue to get along very well. Even better, if the pair of pipefish turns out to be a male and female when they grow up, they will eventually become a bonded pair that reproduce.

    But, of course, sometimes both of the pipefish will be males when they mature, and I think that’s the instance in which trouble sometimes ensues. I believe that, even when both types turn out to be male, many times they will continue to coexist in the aquarium without any open hostility, since one of the individuals will assert his dominance and then be unchallenged by the subordinate individual thereafter, allowing them to get along fine and each continue to get enough to eat at mealtime, etc., when the aquarium is large enough, at least.

    Sometimes, however, they continue to compete and persist in fighting, sir, and those are the occasions where it is appropriate for the hobbyist intervene and separate the two individuals.

    In a case like that, you may need to relocate the subordinate individual to one of your other aquarium systems, such as your well-established reef tank. But even in the worst case scenario, you will still have two healthy pipefish to add color and interest in your tanks, only they would be living in separate aquariums rather than together.

    If you send me a quick email ([email protected]), I would be happy to send you a document with additional information regarding the red banded pipefish that you may find helpful, sir.

    Best wishes with all your fishes, Tony!

    Respectfully,
    Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech Support

Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

America's Only Seahorse Aqua-Farm and One of Hawaii's Most Popular Attractions

Ocean Rider seahorse farm is a consistent Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Award Winner and "Top 10 Things To Do" Kona, Hawaii attraction. Our "Magical Seahorse Tours" are educational and fun for the whole family.

Tour tickets are available for Purchase On-Line. Space is limited and subject to availability.

small seahorse Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.

Seahorse Hawaii Foundation

Inspiring ocean awareness by saving the endangered seahorse and sea dragons around the world from extinction through conservation, research, propagation, and education.

Help us save the seahorse and the coral reefs they live in with a tax deductible contribution to the Seahorse Hawaii Foundation. You will be helping to protect and propagate over 25 species of endangered seahorses, sea dragons and friends.

Make A Tax-Deductible Donation Today!

A Different Kind of Farm (Video) »

Ocean Rider Kona Hawaii

Ocean Rider Kona Hawaii
Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Tours

73-4388 Ilikai Place

Kailua Kona, Hawaii 96740

Map & Directions


808-329-6840

Contact Ocean Rider


Copyright ©1999-2023
All Rights Reserved | Ocean Rider Inc.

My Online Order Details

Purchase Policy

Site Terms and Conditions