mogurnda August 21, 2015 August 21, 2015 I have wanted to try pikeblennies for years now. KP Aquatics had some in stock, so I had them send me a pair with my last order of slugs and plants. They are like cute little snakes, and have been chowing on the overpopulation of amphipods in one of the slug tanks. They are only about 3-4" long, and would make great nano inhabitants. Here's the male He and the female seem to spend a lot of time swapping places. Here she is, in the same spot. Love those eyes
Matt LeBaron August 21, 2015 August 21, 2015 They look awesome! Are they only eating live food right now?
Squishie89 August 21, 2015 August 21, 2015 Love that last photo, they look quite similar to pipefish.
mogurnda August 22, 2015 Author August 22, 2015 (edited) They look awesome! Are they only eating live food right now? They are pretty cool, eh? At this point, I haven't tried prepared foods. Stay tuned. I expect they will at least go for frozen. Love that last photo, they look quite similar to pipefish. They seem to have similar behavior, but have huge, rather than small mouths. Do they have "pike" type mouths? Yep, looks like they could swallow quite a mouthful. Edited August 22, 2015 by mogurnda
mogurnda August 22, 2015 Author August 22, 2015 Very interesting... Indeed. Very cool. They look like little dragons to me. I am waiting for the male to start displaying. Then they are really supposed to look like dragons. Do the go after shrimp or small fish?? It's hard to get across how small these guys are. They are more likely to be a meal than a predator for most fish. They are wrestling with the large amphipods in the tank, and I have trouble imagining one eating a shrimp as large as a sexy shrimp. I would worry more about a peppermint or coral banded shrimp eating one of these guys.
khh27 August 22, 2015 August 22, 2015 Indeed. I am waiting for the male to start displaying. Then they are really supposed to look like dragons. It's hard to get across how small these guys are. They are more likely to be a meal than a predator for most fish. They are wrestling with the large amphipods in the tank, and I have trouble imagining one eating a shrimp as large as a sexy shrimp. I would worry more about a peppermint or coral banded shrimp eating one of these guys. Awsome looks like they'll be on my wish list.
mogurnda August 22, 2015 Author August 22, 2015 They look awesome! Are they only eating live food right now? Had to try a few prepared foods today. Totally scarfed frozen brine, but did not seem to figure out the flake. We'll see how things evolve.
Prunfarm August 22, 2015 August 22, 2015 Just google imaged these things. Holy big mouth!!! Almost like a gulper eel! Me want an orangethroat now. Thanks for this thread.
L8 2 RISE August 25, 2015 August 25, 2015 What size tank do you have them in? How small do you think they would be ok with? Seems like they don't need a lot of swimming space...?
mogurnda August 25, 2015 Author August 25, 2015 (edited) What size tank do you have them in? How small do you think they would be ok with? Seems like they don't need a lot of swimming space...? The two are quite comfy in a heavily planted 10 gallon right now. I imagine they would be fine in a smaller tank, but this is all pretty new. No matter what, they will want places to hide, even if they spend most of their time out hunting. They are sit-and-wait predators, so they just hang in one spot and wait for food to go by. The female is eating flake like a pig now. The male still prefers frozen. PS. Note that these are Caribbean pikeblennies, probably yellowface, which only get about 4". Places like Liveaquaria tend to sell a Mexican species that gets significantly larger. Edited August 25, 2015 by mogurnda
mogurnda August 28, 2015 Author August 28, 2015 Wow, very good to know. Are they coral safe? They only seem to eat food in the water column, so I do not expect them to pick at corals.
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