New Dragonface Pipefish!

[novahobbies]

Finally!! I've been wanting one of these for my seahorse tank ever since I started this whole tank, but they've never been available, or if I found them online, I was too poor...... but the planets aligned today when I went to get water, and there they were!!

Pics tonight, after he's acclimated to the QT tank.....

 

[rykna]

 

[novahobbies]

Checing out the QT tank, and looking for his nightly cyclopeeze.....
those are bloodworms in there as well, and he actually ate some! I was surprised....

 

[rykna]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's sooooooooo cool!!!!!!!!

How long is he/she?

 

[alexa11]

wow how gorgeous! what a great face!

 

[novahobbies]

he's about 5-6 inches long. VERY active. You have no idea how tempted I was just to introduce him to the display tank tonight!!!

 

[dingus890]

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!Congrats!

I ordered one at my LFS(2 hours away..lol) Just got an email that it didn't make it through the week of QT at the store

I think it was due to it not wanting frozen food.
I want one so bad...Is yours eating frozen well?
Congrats again!

 

[reefnutpa]

Very nice! Dragonface pipes are awesome. However, I would never add a WC pipe or WC seahorse into one of my seahorse tanks even if QT'd for weeks. It could spell disaster and end up being very costly if the tank needs to be torn down and sterilized.
I assume you know all the risks and I hope it works out for you. Keep posting updates, if you don't mind. Pipes really are fascinating!
Tom

 

[novahobbies]

He's eating frozen. Reefnut, I would ordinarily agree with you, but I'm going to take the chance. This may sound gross , but I'm going to take a fecal sample after a couple days and check it out under the microscope, make sure there aren't any parasites, cysts or eggs in the fecal material. I see anything that remotely looks like an egg, I'll be treating for internal worms. OK, we can all say it now:
Ewwwwww!
That's over with. I live with a woman who knows way more about microbiology than I ever want to, and she'll be helping me identify any nasties. In the meantime, the pipe stays in the QT!
I wonder how many of us own microscopes? I have access to the school's scopes, and I've used them before with aquarium water samples. Is that weird?

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by novahobbies
http:///forum/post/2804197
He's eating frozen. Reefnut, I would ordinarily agree with you, but I'm going to take the chance. This may sound gross , but I'm going to take a fecal sample after a couple days and check it out under the microscope, make sure there aren't any parasites, cysts or eggs in the fecal material. I see anything that remotely looks like an egg, I'll be treating for internal worms. OK, we can all say it now:
Ewwwwww!
That's over with. I live with a woman who knows way more about microbiology than I ever want to, and she'll be helping me identify any nasties. In the meantime, the pipe stays in the QT!
I wonder how many of us own microscopes? I have access to the school's scopes, and I've used them before with aquarium water samples. Is that weird?

That's a really good idea. I've worked as a vet tech. Looking a fecal samples was a big part of the job. If you do find anything I'd like to know if you can I.D. them. I want to talk to our family vet about seahorse vacinations.

 

[sueandherzoo]

A face only a mother could love. And the dragon's not bad, either!

Seriously, he's awesome - good luck with him!
Sue

 

[novahobbies]

day 5 in QT, and all is well. He eats cyclopeeze, and sometimes nibbles at other frozen treats, but his mouth is really too small for much else. OTOH, he gobbles the cyclops down so I'm not worried.
I have another fish in a separate QT tank right now, a beautiful mandarin who's going to be living in my 110g later. I think they can sorta see each other through the sides of the tanks, though, because they spend most of their time looking iin the direction of each other's tanks! Kinda cute....shame they're not destined to be together.

 

[novahobbies]

Out of QT, exploring the new place. He's still eating frozen cyclops, and now picking at the pods on the rocks too.

 

[sueandherzoo]

Wow - he is quite the handsome fella! (or female?)
Just out of curiosity, why can't the mandarin in QT eventually live with the pipefish?
Sue

 

[novahobbies]

because there's already a female mandarin in this tank. She, at least takes frozen as a supplement, but if I added another mandarin it would be a death sentence for both of them....and prolly the pipefish too!

 

[salt nate]

handsome is certainly the right word...what a ham!

 

[dingus890]

He looks awesome Nova! Glad he settled in to his new home well.

 

[novahobbies]

Thanks...and just FYI, we did a couple fecal tests, found no eggs or cysts in the slides. Which is not to say he's for sure clean, but it makes me feel safer. Time will tell, but he really seems happy so far!