My new babies...

[Abarnswell]

I was lucky enough this weekend to pick up a mated pair of African Blue Stripe Pipefish. They are about 2" long (they only get about 2-3" inches long). This is a smaller species of pipefish. I have them in a dedicated 10 g. small reef with one tiny blue leg hermit and several Narssisius (SP?) snails. They are really cute, and so in love. They do not leave each other's sides. They swim side by side, rubbing against each other. I hope they will breed.

Here is a pic of Blue Stripes (these aren't mine; I snagged these pics off the net). I'll try to get some pics of mine. Right now mine are sleeping. They sleep "standing" vertically, leaning into a broad leaf.

These are a reef species of pipes, so they love lots of rocks (caves and nooks and overhangs), plus lots of macroalgae. They eat live brine shrimp and I'm going to try them on bits of frozen mysis shrimp. I've also ordered two live cultures of copepods. They love to pick copepods off rocks and the glass.

 

[incysor]

Try feeding cyclopeeze. That and copepods are all mine eats, and there aren't enough pods in a 10g tank to keep them alive for long. You need to take pics of your culture setups for everyone when you get a chance. Mysis, and even brine are still too large for it. But it is funny to watch him tow a brine shrimp around.

B

 

[Abarnswell]

Thanks, B!

I have set up a 5 g. culture tank for copepods and have ordered some starter cultures. I will take pics as soon as they get here and I get them in the tank. Until the cultures get going to a critical mass, I will have to buy some pods just to dump in there for them to tide them over until I am producing my own.

I sort of like the idea of "growing" my own live food for my marine tanks, but I'm sure it will get old eventually. But I will have to keep them up, for the pipes as well as for the dwarf seahorses I am ordering. I think my basement is going to turn into a zooplankton farm.

 

[Abarnswell]

B, what type of Cyclop-eeze do you feed yours? I have found frozen bars online, as well as a freeze-dried powder in a can. Which do you use?

I just found a nearby store, Aquarium Adventure, that carries Cyclop-eeze. I'm going there tonight to buy some for my pipes.

 

[dragon79]

i use the frozen bar kind myself. Lasts a very long time. Put in some tank water to dissolve/melt and then add it to your tank.

 

[incysor]

I've used both versions. Like Steven said, just put a SMALL amount in a small cup of tank water to let it disolve/thaw, then feed it. A little goes a long way with this stuff. Doing it this way I haven't really noticed any difference in ease of use. I use the dry stuff at work, and just pinch some in my fingers then hold it in the water and rub my fingers back and forth to try to keep all from floating on the surface. The frozen works better with this method.

B