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COMMON NAME: Bluestripe Pipefish
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Doryrhamphus excisus, D. paulus, D. negrosensis
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: 17-19 body rings, 13-17 tail rings, 21 - 29 dorsal fin rays. Long, skinny fish, orange to burnt orange in coloration with two blue stripes on sides running from snout to base of tail. One of the smallest reef or "flagfin" pipefish, having a relatively large, round tail fin. Tail fin is maroon to red in coloration with varying white edge and yellow or orange spots/markings inside.
SEXUAL DIMORPHISM: Mature males have larger, colored bumps on snout. A magnifying glass may be helpful to view these. Males also have flattened bellies, while females are more round.
Spawning: After a fascinating courtship, female deposits eggs onto male's flat belly where they are fertilized. Male releases tiny, pelagic live young. So far, none have been raised to adulthood in captivity.
MINIMUM and OPTIMUM TANK SIZE: 20 gallons per pair minimum. 30+ gallons per pair ideal.
DIET: Carnivore. All specimens currently available are wild-caught and may be trained to eat frozen foods. Even if pipefish are trained to frozen food, copepods should be offered for long-term health. Aquarium must be well stocked with copepods or have a well stocked refugium before introducing pipefish. Training to frozen food is easiest if done during quarantine period in a sterile, bare bottom aquarium. Offer frozen foods such as Cyclop-eeze and roe eggs (Nutramar Ova) along with enriched live brine shrimp until the pipefish eats the frozen food. Adults may take small pieces of frozen mysis shrimp. Brine shrimp are not nutritious enough to sustain the fish indefinitely.
NATURAL HABITAT: Rocky reefs and sea grass beds.
MAX SIZE: 7 cm or 3 inches
DISTRIBUTION: Wide range containing several subspecies, Indo-Pacific and Easter Pacific.
TEMPERMENT: Extremely peaceful. Care must be given to choosing tank mates that will not eat or harm the pipefish. Most other peaceful reef fish ignore pipefish.
HABITS: Slow moving and slow eating, tend to spend most time hovering upside down under a rock ledge. May be seen swimming during dawn and dusk. Males tend to be more shy than females.
IDEAL WATER CHEMISTRY: pH 8.2 - 8.4, salinity 1.020 - 1.024, temp 70*F - 78*F, Calcium 450 ppm
HARDINESS and LIFESPAN: Bluestripe pipefish are considered one of the hardiest and easiest to keep reef pipefish species. At first, they are moderately difficult to care for, but once quarantined and trained to eat frozen food they are easy to care for. Lifespan: 3 - 5 years on average.
SENSITIVITIES: Copper, Aiptasia, LPS corals or corals with stinging tentacles, Anemones, Ammonia, Nitrite, Mela-Fix.
PHOTOPERIOD: Diurnal 10 - 12 hours
ACTIVITY PEAK: Dawn/Dusk
OTHER: It is strongly recommended to de-worm and quarantine any wild caught pipefish in a sterile, bare bottom tank for 4 - 6 weeks before introduction to the reef tank, especially if it already contains other seahorses or pipefish. They are often carriers of a strain of the bacteria Vibrio sp. Keeping the temperature at 74* F or below will help to prevent Vibrio infections.
It should also be noted that males of this species are extremely territorial. Males should NOT be kept in the same aquarium together, as they will fight resulting in death. Pairs or "harems" of one male and many females may be kept together. Rarely, some females will also fight with one another.
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SCIENTIFIC NAME: Doryrhamphus excisus, D. paulus, D. negrosensis
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: 17-19 body rings, 13-17 tail rings, 21 - 29 dorsal fin rays. Long, skinny fish, orange to burnt orange in coloration with two blue stripes on sides running from snout to base of tail. One of the smallest reef or "flagfin" pipefish, having a relatively large, round tail fin. Tail fin is maroon to red in coloration with varying white edge and yellow or orange spots/markings inside.
SEXUAL DIMORPHISM: Mature males have larger, colored bumps on snout. A magnifying glass may be helpful to view these. Males also have flattened bellies, while females are more round.
Spawning: After a fascinating courtship, female deposits eggs onto male's flat belly where they are fertilized. Male releases tiny, pelagic live young. So far, none have been raised to adulthood in captivity.
MINIMUM and OPTIMUM TANK SIZE: 20 gallons per pair minimum. 30+ gallons per pair ideal.
DIET: Carnivore. All specimens currently available are wild-caught and may be trained to eat frozen foods. Even if pipefish are trained to frozen food, copepods should be offered for long-term health. Aquarium must be well stocked with copepods or have a well stocked refugium before introducing pipefish. Training to frozen food is easiest if done during quarantine period in a sterile, bare bottom aquarium. Offer frozen foods such as Cyclop-eeze and roe eggs (Nutramar Ova) along with enriched live brine shrimp until the pipefish eats the frozen food. Adults may take small pieces of frozen mysis shrimp. Brine shrimp are not nutritious enough to sustain the fish indefinitely.
NATURAL HABITAT: Rocky reefs and sea grass beds.
MAX SIZE: 7 cm or 3 inches
DISTRIBUTION: Wide range containing several subspecies, Indo-Pacific and Easter Pacific.
TEMPERMENT: Extremely peaceful. Care must be given to choosing tank mates that will not eat or harm the pipefish. Most other peaceful reef fish ignore pipefish.
HABITS: Slow moving and slow eating, tend to spend most time hovering upside down under a rock ledge. May be seen swimming during dawn and dusk. Males tend to be more shy than females.
IDEAL WATER CHEMISTRY: pH 8.2 - 8.4, salinity 1.020 - 1.024, temp 70*F - 78*F, Calcium 450 ppm
HARDINESS and LIFESPAN: Bluestripe pipefish are considered one of the hardiest and easiest to keep reef pipefish species. At first, they are moderately difficult to care for, but once quarantined and trained to eat frozen food they are easy to care for. Lifespan: 3 - 5 years on average.
SENSITIVITIES: Copper, Aiptasia, LPS corals or corals with stinging tentacles, Anemones, Ammonia, Nitrite, Mela-Fix.
PHOTOPERIOD: Diurnal 10 - 12 hours
ACTIVITY PEAK: Dawn/Dusk
OTHER: It is strongly recommended to de-worm and quarantine any wild caught pipefish in a sterile, bare bottom tank for 4 - 6 weeks before introduction to the reef tank, especially if it already contains other seahorses or pipefish. They are often carriers of a strain of the bacteria Vibrio sp. Keeping the temperature at 74* F or below will help to prevent Vibrio infections.
It should also be noted that males of this species are extremely territorial. Males should NOT be kept in the same aquarium together, as they will fight resulting in death. Pairs or "harems" of one male and many females may be kept together. Rarely, some females will also fight with one another.
PHOTO:
