pipefish questions

[matt2364]

I have a 55 gallon reef tank and have been interested in getting a pipefish for sometime now. My tank has quite a bit of flow, I have a titanium T-4 posiedon pump. I think it pumps around 1200GPH and I have two decent power heads in tank.
Would I be able to get a pipefish with this much flow? I could definitely turn off the power heads and everything for feeding everyday. How often do pipefish need to be fed and what do they typically eat?
Tank mates would include: CB shrimp, cleaner shrimp, emerald crabs, hermits, snails, copperbranded butterfly, royal gammy, and a pair of clowns.
Also, I have heard that the alligator pipefish are the easiest to keep, can anyone confirm this? I would like to get a branded pipefish, but I have heard they are difficult to keep in a mixed tank.

 

[koi lady]

Pipefish are like seahorses in that they eat brine shrimp and no see ums. I haven't seen one yet that eats frozen, but I am told they are out there. As for schedule 2-3 times a day. The flow seems a bit strong, but I am not an expert on pumps. The CB and emerald shrimps might take a pinch out of the pipefish as he is resting and there isn't much to them. I have heard the opposite on alligators, that they are the hardest to keep. But More research is definately needed.

 

[mkzimms]

depends on how big the fish will be. my seahorses eat mysis right off my tongs and play in the flow of the returns. for a smaller fish more thought should be given to the conditions. i think pipe fish need to be kept in pairs as well, they're very sociable with their own kind. due to their individual requirements, i would suggest keeping anything within the syngnathidae family in a species specific tank.

 

[nybutterfly03]

I have 3 pipes that will soon be in my 75g and they will eat frozen.
I do offer them live brine and newly hatched BBS that they LOVE too

 

[matt2364]

alright, thanks for the responses everyone. I definitely need to do some more research. The alligators I was looking at getting are pretty big. Probably 9-10 inches in length.