Alligator Pipefish not eating

[Jessica-lee]

Hello about a week ago, we purchased a alligator pipefish from our SW dealer, he was one of 2 that where there, he is 8 inches in size, we got him for our 26gal seahorse tank, where there are 3 tiger tails (h.comes) currently.

We feed everyday frozen brine and mysis, twice daily. We make sure everyone eats, but for some reason he isnt, he has maybe had 3 peices of mysis, since we got him that we have seen during feeding as we watch, we also turn a small fan on to keep the food up and moving, but he just doesnt seem to go for them, he is moving around, and swiming, looking and watching everything.

Im hoping he is maybe eating live bugs at night, or picking up leftovers when im not watchung but, we are just unsure, he still seems to be lively and moving, but just not eating.

He is always searching the glass and staying up most the time, the small female seahorse grabs on him some times to hold on but he dont like it and shakes her off..


can anyone help?

 

[tamiw]

Wild syngnathids rarely recognize non-living food when first brought into captivity. You'll need to offer live food and asap as it's likely not eaten much since capture, and all syngnathids go down hill rapidly if not fed frequently.

I would start with live brine shrimp and small ghost shrimp. Live brine shrimp don't make a great staple but for the short term, anything is better than nothing. If you can get ahold of live mysis, that's even better. If you must use live brine shrimp long term, it should be enriched with a product like Dan's Feed or Algamac-3050. It's unlikely that it is eating anything in the tank as your seahorses would have decimated any pods already.

Also be warned that it may carry diseases your seahorses can be affected by. Wild caught seahorses and pipefish are often carriers of bacteria that seahorses raised in captivity have no resistance to. So keep a close eye on them.

Good luck!

 

[Jessica-lee]

Wild syngnathids rarely recognize non-living food when first brought into captivity. You'll need to offer live food and asap as it's likely not eaten much since capture, and all syngnathids go down hill rapidly if not fed frequently.

I would start with live brine shrimp and small ghost shrimp. Live brine shrimp don't make a great staple but for the short term, anything is better than nothing. If you can get ahold of live mysis, that's even better. If you must use live brine shrimp long term, it should be enriched with a product like Dan's Feed or Algamac-3050. It's unlikely that it is eating anything in the tank as your seahorses would have decimated any pods already.

Also be warned that it may carry diseases your seahorses can be affected by. Wild caught seahorses and pipefish are often carriers of bacteria that seahorses raised in captivity have no resistance to. So keep a close eye on them.

Good luck!

But how would I know if he was wild caught? Are pipefish not captive bred? Also I do beleive he is eating live bugs in the tank, he doesnt seem sick but what should I look and watch for as we would be very worried if one of our seahorses got ill. He is currently brown with some white markings on him and a lighter coloured stomach, is there some signs and symptoms I should watch for? And our only problem is we cant buy live where we live.

 

[Keithhjs]

You can order lihttp://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2190+2792&pcatid=2792ve foods online. Many places sell them. Also you may want to order eggs and grow some too so you don't have to order live online.

 

[tamiw]

That is correct, aside from some sporadic reports from hobbyist breeders, pipefish aren't captive bred. The only exception being Ocean Rider and their banded pipefish which you can only get directly from them.

Getting it to eat asap is paramount, syngnathids have a short digestive system and can quickly reach the point where they are too weak to try and eat. If you haven't observed it eating bugs in the tank then it's probably not. Alligator pipefish prefer larger prey, and those foods, such as amphipods would have been eaten by your seahorses before the pipefish was introduced.

I would call around to any fish and pet stores to try and get some live food. Also check any filter pads for amphipods, and if you have a refugium, try and fish them out of there. Just remember that the more time that passes, the worse off the chances are for the pipefish.

As for illness, it's likely an asymptomatic carrier. In the wild they are exposed to a host of bacteria and parasites. Wild syngnathids should be quarantined for 6-8 weeks and de-wormed, but unfortunately the genie is out of the bottle, so you'll have to watch for signs of illness. Rapid breathing, "coughing", skin discoloration, getting thinner even though they're eating well, lost of interest in food, or twitching are common signs of illness in seahorses.

You may want to check out this article for food ideas: http://www.fusedjaw.com/food-and-nutrition/seahorse-foods-and-feeding/

 

[Gregcoyote]

That is correct, aside from some sporadic reports from hobbyist breeders, pipefish aren't captive bred. The only exception being Ocean Rider and their banded pipefish which you can only get directly from them.

Getting it to eat asap is paramount, syngnathids have a short digestive system and can quickly reach the point where they are too weak to try and eat. If you haven't observed it eating bugs in the tank then it's probably not. Alligator pipefish prefer larger prey, and those foods, such as amphipods would have been eaten by your seahorses before the pipefish was introduced.

I would call around to any fish and pet stores to try and get some live food. Also check any filter pads for amphipods, and if you have a refugium, try and fish them out of there. Just remember that the more time that passes, the worse off the chances are for the pipefish.

As for illness, it's likely an asymptomatic carrier. In the wild they are exposed to a host of bacteria and parasites. Wild syngnathids should be quarantined for 6-8 weeks and de-wormed, but unfortunately the genie is out of the bottle, so you'll have to watch for signs of illness. Rapid breathing, "coughing", skin discoloration, getting thinner even though they're eating well, lost of interest in food, or twitching are common signs of illness in seahorses.

You may want to check out this article for food ideas: http://www.fusedjaw.com/food-and-nutrition/seahorse-foods-and-feeding/

Agreed. This fish needs some live food ASAP.

 

[Jessica-lee]

You can order liFeeder Shrimp for Aquariums: Live Adult Brine Shrimpve foods online. Many places sell them. Also you may want to order eggs and grow some too so you don't have to order live online.

Yes we do plan to get live to add to our already living culture, we aldo have a refuge for them to breed in the tank.

 

[Jessica-lee]

That is correct, aside from some sporadic reports from hobbyist breeders, pipefish aren't captive bred. The only exception being Ocean Rider and their banded pipefish which you can only get directly from them.

Getting it to eat asap is paramount, syngnathids have a short digestive system and can quickly reach the point where they are too weak to try and eat. If you haven't observed it eating bugs in the tank then it's probably not. Alligator pipefish prefer larger prey, and those foods, such as amphipods would have been eaten by your seahorses before the pipefish was introduced.

I would call around to any fish and pet stores to try and get some live food. Also check any filter pads for amphipods, and if you have a refugium, try and fish them out of there. Just remember that the more time that passes, the worse off the chances are for the pipefish.

As for illness, it's likely an asymptomatic carrier. In the wild they are exposed to a host of bacteria and parasites. Wild syngnathids should be quarantined for 6-8 weeks and de-wormed, but unfortunately the genie is out of the bottle, so you'll have to watch for signs of illness. Rapid breathing, "coughing", skin discoloration, getting thinner even though they're eating well, lost of interest in food, or twitching are common signs of illness in seahorses.

You may want to check out this article for food ideas: http://www.fusedjaw.com/food-and-nutrition/seahorse-foods-and-feeding/

We were not informed if he was wild caught, as I asumed he was most likely captive bred, it makes more sense, he does seem sometimes like he is eating something, and he has to be eating something in the tank as it has been over a week now sense we got him and he is still moviing around and looking fine.

We do have live bugs in the tank along with some we do plan to buy. Also im not exaclty sure if this is is normal colour. Its brown with some white mixed in some spots, like lighters areas, and a yellow, green ting on his stomach, and red near his eyes, but other than that he is brown.

 

[Jessica-lee]

Update

He seems to be doing fine, eating live bugs in the tank. There is good growth in the tank and to add to it, we were able to order pods, but its hard here as we cant order from live aquaria and no pet of fish store have or sell live food.