Seahorses and pipefish

Seahorses and pipefish swim slowly, hunt by sight and eat small prey. Every fish on this page is marked difficult except the African freshwater pipefish, which is marked medium. They get a tank of their own, or share only with fish as slow as they are. Captive-bred lined, Brazilian and yellow seahorses take frozen mysis twice a day as adults, and young ones eat more often. The dwarf seahorse eats live baby brine shrimp several times a day. Marine pipefish take small frozen and live foods three to five times a day. Freshwater pipefish eat mostly live food. Flow stays gentle, and the tank has something to hold: gorgonians, macroalgae or artificial branches. White's seahorse, the Gulf pipefish and the shortfin pipefish list 68–75°F (20–24°C), which a reef heater will not give them. The lined and dwarf seahorses list 68–79°F (20–26°C).

1. 01

   A tank of their own

   Nothing faster shares it

2. 02

   Feeding varies by species

   Mysis for most seahorses, live food for the dwarf and freshwater pipefish

3. 03

   Gentle flow and cover

   Seahorses also need branches or macroalgae to wrap a tail around

4. 04

   Some want it cool

   White's seahorse, the Gulf pipefish and the shortfin pipefish list 68–75°F

The banded pipefish is 7.5 inches (19 cm) for 53 gallons (200 liters), a ringed pipefish that hunts pods over the rock. The bluestripe pipefish is 2.8 inches (7 cm) for 26 gallons (100 liters), marked peaceful, and will pair up in a mature reef. Janss' pipefish and the yellowbanded pipefish are the same group at 5.5 and 6.3 inches (14 and 16 cm) for 50 to 53 gallons (190 to 200 liters). The narrowstripe pipefish is 3.1 inches (8 cm) for 30 gallons (114 liters). The Gulf and shortfin pipefish are the temperate ones at 68–75°F (20–24°C). They are 7.1 and 5.9 inches (18 and 15 cm) for 20 gallons (76 liters). All carry a reef caution: they are harmless to corals but starve in a tank with fast feeders.

The freshwater pipefish is 5.9 inches (15 cm) for 32 gallons (120 liters), a slow hunter of live food in a calm, planted tank. The African freshwater pipefish is the one marked medium, 5.5 inches (14 cm) for the same tank. Dora's pipefish and the Indian brindled pipefish are 7.1 and 6.7 inches (18 and 17 cm) for 30 gallons (112 liters), marked peaceful. The red belly pipefish is an estuary fish that takes brackish water, 5.9 inches (15 cm) for 21 gallons (80 liters). The long-snouted pipefish is the biggest at 16.1 inches (41 cm), with the longmouth pipefish next at 13.4 inches (34 cm). Both list 53 gallons (200 liters). They eat live brine shrimp, daphnia and blackworms, and a tank of them needs a culture running alongside it.