TankBud

Janss' pipefish

Doryrhamphus janssi

Also known as Dentirostrum janssi, Flagtail Pipefish, Reef Pipefish

SaltwaterFish

Janss' pipefish (Doryrhamphus janssi)

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
5.5 in
14 cm
Minimum tank
50 gal
190 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Pouch brooder · Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe with caution
Family
Syngnathidae
Origin
Western Pacific, Gulf of Thailand to the Solomon Islands

Overview

Janss' pipefish is a slow-feeding, mostly peaceful reef pipefish for a calm tank. It is best with an experienced keeper.

Did you know

In the wild, Janss' pipefish runs a genuine cleaning station. Reef fish queue up so it can pick parasitic crustaceans off them, a job most people associate with cleaner wrasses.

Caring for the Janss' pipefish

Give Janss' pipefish a tank of at least 50 gal (190 L) with rockwork. Hold the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4.

A pair will patrol its patch of rock all day, plucking tiny crustaceans. Like other syngnathids, it feeds slowly and needs small meaty foods several times a day. Captive-bred fish take frozen mysis and baby brine shrimp.

It is mostly peaceful and fine alone or in a group. Even captive-bred fish belong in a calm tank without fast, greedy feeders. In a reef tank, add it with caution.

As in all pipefish, the male does the brooding. He carries the eggs in a pouch under his tail until they hatch. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

Doryrhamphus janssi belongs to the family Syngnathidae. It is one of the flagtail pipefish, free swimmers with a broad paddle of a tail fin instead of a seahorse's grasping tail.

In the wild

Janss' pipefish lives on sheltered inner reefs of the western Pacific, from the Gulf of Thailand across to the Solomon Islands. Pairs keep to caves, undercuts and the shade beneath plate corals, from the shallows down to about 35 m.

Common questions

What size tank does a Janss' pipefish need?

A Janss' pipefish needs at least 50 gal (190 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Janss' pipefish need?

A Janss' pipefish is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a Janss' pipefish eat?

Janss' pipefish eats small meaty foods several times a day, and it feeds slowly. Captive-bred fish take frozen mysis and baby brine shrimp.

How big does a Janss' pipefish get?

An adult Janss' pipefish reaches about 5.5 in (14 cm).

How does a Janss' pipefish breed?

The male Janss' pipefish carries the eggs in a pouch under his tail until they hatch. Breeding it is hard.

Related species