Phil Edwards
Member
- Joined
- 16 Oct 2013
- Messages
- 201
Congratulations on your success! Breeding any fish inadvertently just by taking proper care of them is quite exciting, isn't it? What do you think of Vitamarin as a food supplement?
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pipefish B&B
- Thread starter killi69
- Start date
killi69
Member
Hi there,
However, soon after, things went sour when I lost both parent pipefish within a short space of each other. One of the fish got caught on the top of the filter during a water change and went berserk after it freed itself, knocking into the sides of the tank quite violently and dying a few hours later.
I think it was a water quality issue that killed the other parent, along with two of the fry. In an attempt to improve the water quality, I tried a 'clip-on' filter, or whatever these things are called;
I thought that by fitting a shrimp protector on the inlet, that the filter would be safe for my pipefish fry. It was safe for my fry but what I failed to notice was that the baby brineshrimp were being sucked into the filter at feeding time. They were decomposing inside the filter and by the time I noticed the tell tale sign of white froth on the water surface, it was too late and I found the body of the dead parent among the plants.
This was obviously a big blow. The frustration was compounded by the fact that this was now the SECOND time I had lost fish because of my choice of filtration. Because of the way pipefish hunt (ambushing instead of chasing prey), they need to be 'surrounded ' in food at feeding time, which means quite a bit of dead brineshrimp left over hours after feeding. It was with this in mind that I was trying to improve water conditions through using something more powerful than sponge filters. In hindsight this was a mistake and I should have relied on sponge filters, ram snails and water changes.
I was now left with only two surviving fry, which grew considerably over the next couple of months.
When I went on holiday in May, I was fortunate that a killi keeper friend of mine offered to look after my pipefish. He always has a steady supply of baby brineshrimp on the go which made it quite straightforward for him to look after them.
When I dropped off the pipefish, I asked if he might be interested in looking after them permanently. He said he would think about it and the holiday accommodation soon turned into their new B&B;
I bumped into my friend at a killi auction in September and he told me that the pipefish are still alive and well - even though he only catches a glimpse of them every few weeks.
I am obviously very pleased that the pipefish have survived and feel a little bit less guilty for buying the original pair on impulse about one year ago.
Breeding these interesting and delicate creatures has been a rewarding experience but, if I am completely honest, I am happy that someone else now has the responsibility of looking after them
.
Thanks for your interest. Regards, Andre
Thanks Phil, yes it was rather exciting when I first spotted the fry - I could not believe what I was seeing. With regards to Vitamarin, I cant really tell you whether I know if it made a difference. I used to soak live glassworm in it before feeding to the fish in an attempt to boost the nutritional value. I just read about this and someone recommended it to me but I have no evidence first hand on the difference it made.
Sorry for the long absence. In the weeks following my last post back in February, the pipefish fry came on well.
However, soon after, things went sour when I lost both parent pipefish within a short space of each other. One of the fish got caught on the top of the filter during a water change and went berserk after it freed itself, knocking into the sides of the tank quite violently and dying a few hours later.
I think it was a water quality issue that killed the other parent, along with two of the fry. In an attempt to improve the water quality, I tried a 'clip-on' filter, or whatever these things are called;
I thought that by fitting a shrimp protector on the inlet, that the filter would be safe for my pipefish fry. It was safe for my fry but what I failed to notice was that the baby brineshrimp were being sucked into the filter at feeding time. They were decomposing inside the filter and by the time I noticed the tell tale sign of white froth on the water surface, it was too late and I found the body of the dead parent among the plants.
This was obviously a big blow. The frustration was compounded by the fact that this was now the SECOND time I had lost fish because of my choice of filtration. Because of the way pipefish hunt (ambushing instead of chasing prey), they need to be 'surrounded ' in food at feeding time, which means quite a bit of dead brineshrimp left over hours after feeding. It was with this in mind that I was trying to improve water conditions through using something more powerful than sponge filters. In hindsight this was a mistake and I should have relied on sponge filters, ram snails and water changes.
I was now left with only two surviving fry, which grew considerably over the next couple of months.
When I went on holiday in May, I was fortunate that a killi keeper friend of mine offered to look after my pipefish. He always has a steady supply of baby brineshrimp on the go which made it quite straightforward for him to look after them.
When I dropped off the pipefish, I asked if he might be interested in looking after them permanently. He said he would think about it and the holiday accommodation soon turned into their new B&B;
I bumped into my friend at a killi auction in September and he told me that the pipefish are still alive and well - even though he only catches a glimpse of them every few weeks.
I am obviously very pleased that the pipefish have survived and feel a little bit less guilty for buying the original pair on impulse about one year ago.
Breeding these interesting and delicate creatures has been a rewarding experience but, if I am completely honest, I am happy that someone else now has the responsibility of looking after them
.Thanks for your interest. Regards, Andre
hey andre, good to see you back on the boards. Shame about the pipefish issues but can imagine what hard work they must have been. What is the pipefish tank you planned now doing, hopefully not sitting empty?!
Would be great to see a killi tank update while your here i would bet im not the only one that loves that tank!
Would be great to see a killi tank update while your here
i would bet im not the only one that loves that tank!
krazypara3165
Member
superb! this was one of the last posts i was reading before i went away and its one of the first few ive read since returning. its been brilliant to see how you have done with breeding them and its been an interesting read!
killi69
Member
Thanks! Looks like we both have been absent from the forum for around the same time then
.Hi Iain!
The pipefish display tank never materialised. I used the piece of wood which was to form the centre piece of the pipefish tank, to help with the underplanting in my main tank;
Seen here in bottom right corner (funny how it just almost disappears in a big tank);
I have been uploading images to photobucket over the last few days, so I hope to bring my other journal up to date very soon.
Regards,
Andre
