Freshwater Pipefish

General information

These fish are slender and have toothless mouths that create a vacuum to suck tiny crustaceans in. There are many color morphs like purple, orange, red, green and black, some may even be able to change their colors according to their surroundings. This species can reach up to 6 inches.  Most pipefish species inhabit salt water however there a few species that inhabit freshwater. To keep these fish in captivity, water temperature should range from 72°F to 77°F and water pH should be between 8.1 and 8.4. The tank should have rocks, caves and hiding places. It should also have very good lighting since they are visual eaters, badly lit aquariums will make it hard for them to find food. They can be kept in a species only tank or in a tank with seahorses, they shouldn’t be kept with any other species.

This species is carnivorous. In the wild they feed on small crustaceans, plankton, shrimp and copepods. In captivity, they should be fed with live foods from marine environments since freshwater live foods don’t have the acids these fish need to survive. Frozen food isn’t recommended since they may refuse to eat it.

The males are the ones to carry the eggs and give birth to the young.

This species is native to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.