Shortfin Pipefish

Care at a glance

Overview

A slow, deliberate feeder for a calm tank, where it makes a good companion for seahorses and other pipefish rather than quick, competitive fish. Offer frozen mysis, enriched brine and copepods at least twice a day, keep the flow gentle, and it will settle into a routine along the bottom.

In the wild

Found in the western Atlantic from North Carolina and Bermuda south through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, mostly in shallow seagrass beds. Its mottled pattern blends into the blades so well that it is easy to look straight past one.

Good to know

Cuban naturalist Felipe Poey described it in 1868 as a Syngnathus, and it was later moved to the genus Cosmocampus. It reaches about 15 cm, and as with all pipefish the male carries the brood in a pouch under his tail.

Did you know

The first captive-bred shortfin pipefish were only reared in 2024 at a North Carolina hatchery, so this quiet Atlantic native is one of the newest additions to the captive-bred list.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Gulf Pipefish

  Syngnathus scovelli

  Saltwater

  7.1 in (18 cm)20 gal (76 L)68–75°F (20–24°C)

• 

  Yellowbanded Pipefish

  Dunckerocampus pessuliferus

  Saltwater

  6.3 in (16 cm)53 gal (200 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Janss' Pipefish

  Doryrhamphus janssi

  Saltwater

  5.5 in (14 cm)50 gal (190 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Banded pipefish

  Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus

  Saltwater

  7.5 in (19 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  White's Seahorse

  Hippocampus whitei

  Saltwater

  6.3 in (16 cm)30 gal (114 L)68–75°F (20–24°C)

• 

  Brazilian seahorse

  Hippocampus reidi

  Saltwater

  6.7 in (17 cm)29 gal (110 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)