#bluestripe pipefish

[xiaomao-ai-wo]

Blue stripe pipefish Fishuary 16

[vikary401]

day 16 - bluestripe pipefish

pipey,,

[fish-daily]

A pipefish?

fish 69 - bluestripe pipefish

[aquariuminfobureau]

An underrated pipefish

Doryrhamphus excisus, the bluestreak or bluestripe pipefish, is probably the most widely traded pipefish in the saltwater aquarium trade, iwhen one arbitrarily excludes Hippocampus, the seahorses. D. excisus is at most 7 centimeters, or 3 inches long, making it a popular resident of quiet "nano" tanks. In the wild, it is native to the Indo-Pacific region, as are most marine aquarium imports. It is native from the Persian Gulf and East Africa, all the way to the Eastern Pacific.

This species inhabits crevices on the reef, into which it retreats when alarmed. It is a habitat generalist, and observations are recorded from lagoons, reef flats, reef slopes and walls, channels, and coral gutters. This hardy pipefish can even survive in the harsh, unstable environments of intertidal pools. Specifically it belongs to the clade named flagtail pipefishes, which evolved to hover in the water column, rather than perch or crawl. Members of this clade are easily identifiable by this habit, and by their well developed caudal fin, that allows them a burst of speed.

This burst of speed enables them to better compete for floating food as it passes, than are other syngnathids, when they are maintained among other, faster swimming and active fishes. Although it is reccommended a watch must still be kept, tI ensure that the pipefish receives enough food. Its natural diet has a microcrustacean base, and these are inhaled from the water column, known as zooplanktivory, or from the skins of other fishes. For this species is one of those fishes, that sets up cleaning stations, and is approached by other fishes to remove their problem of ectoparasitic crustaceans.

In the aquarium, D. excisus is a beautiful and peaceful fish. It will set up a small territory around a suitably sized crevice or cave in the rockwork, then hover there in view of the aquarist. D. excisus is rarely bothered by other fishes, unless they have predatory intent, and they do not themselves bother dissimilar fish species. When more agile zooplanktivores share their aquarium, there is a risk that the pipefish may not eat enough food, but I have maintained them with such fishes as Chromis, Chrysiptera, and dartfishes. These little pipefish are monogamous and, exactly like all other pipefishes, it is actually the male that has a genuine pregnancy in his pouch.