Long-snouted pipefish
Doryichthys boaja
Also known as Microphis boaja, Giant freshwater pipefish, Asian river pipefish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 79–82°F (26–28°C)
- pH
- 7.0–7.8
- Adult size
- 16.1 in (41 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 53 gal (200 L)
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Southeast Asia, Thailand to Indonesia
- Family
- Syngnathidae
Overview
Despite its size this is a delicate, peaceful fish that must not share a tank with anything fast or boisterous. It takes small live foods and often accepts frozen bloodworms and mysis more readily than its smaller relatives, but it still eats slowly. House a pair or small group in 200 liters or more, the longer the better, with calm water and vertical structure to rest against. Thai exports reach the trade fairly regularly.
In the wild
The long-snouted pipefish lives in rivers and larger streams across Southeast Asia, from Thailand and Cambodia through Malaysia and Indonesia, always in pure freshwater. Give it a long, calm tank with fine sand, tall plants or branches, and very gentle flow at 26 to 28 degrees Celsius and a pH of 7.0 to 7.8. It is timid and startles easily, so quiet placement and plenty of cover matter.
Good to know
At up to about 41 centimeters, Doryichthys boaja is the largest freshwater pipefish in the world. The body shows alternating pale blue and brown bars along the trunk and tail. A recent revision folds the genus Doryichthys into Microphis, so the same fish appears in newer literature as Microphis boaja. The male broods the eggs in a pouch under his trunk; aquarium breeding has not been recorded.
Did you know
This is the giant among freshwater pipefish, reaching around 40 centimeters, yet it hunts prey barely bigger than a mosquito larva, picking it off with a quick snap of its long snout.
Appears in
Freshwater fish · Seahorses & pipefish · Advanced fish · Bottom dwellers · Monster fish
Keeping Long-snouted pipefish?
Track water tests, reminders and stocking fit.
Planning tankmates? Check it in the stocking calculator
Maintain tanks for clients? See TankBud for business
Related species
Freshwater pipefish
Doryichthys martensii5.9 in (15 cm)32 gal (120 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Opossum pipefish
Microphis brachyurus8.7 in (22 cm)32 gal (120 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)African red-striped pipefish
Microphis aculeatus7.9 in (20 cm)32 gal (120 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Barhead pipefish
Microphis leiaspis7.5 in (19 cm)32 gal (120 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)African freshwater pipefish
Enneacampus ansorgii5.5 in (14 cm)32 gal (120 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Rainbow belly pipefish
Microphis deocata5.9 in (15 cm)20 gal (75 L)77–82°F (25–28°C)