Bootsmann
Info
Dunckerocampus pessuliferus Fowler, 1938
This pipefish is often confused with Dunckerocampus multiannulatus. However, Dunckerocampus multiannulatus has white transverse bands on a reddish background!
The caudal fin of Dunckerocampus multiannulatus also has a white border on both sides. Only Dunckerocampus pessuliferus has the distinctive white upper edge, but Dunckerocampus pessuliferus has a yellow central spot in the caudal fin.
The body is orange, rust-brown to black with narrow yellow rings. Like all flag-tailed pipefish, the caudal fin is fan-shaped. The snout is long and pipette-shaped. In the wild, the pipefish prefers a muddy seabed near solitary coral stalks, as well as areas that are calmer, i.e. not affected by waves. It feeds on small crustaceans, mainly copepods. As an adult, the Sulu pipefish usually lives together in pairs, with the male taking care of the brood and carrying the spawn around on the sponge-like modified ventral side until the larvae hatch.
Feeding intake.
The fish take a long time to eat at the beginning, before the food is taken up, a close inspection is carried out. After acclimatisation, the offered frozen food is eaten without problems. It should be noted that wild-caught fish behave differently than offspring when it comes to food intake. In the case of offspring, the size of the fish purchased also plays a role in the choice of food.
A delicate pipefish that has already been bred.
Should be kept in a tank with fish that are not too large, the more live rock there is in the tank to begin with, the better. Otherwise you should make sure that the pipefish accept food.
Breeding information:
Young male pipefishes need some time or mating before they carry the attached eggs to maturity.
The spawning interval* is approx. 12 days; the color of the attached eggs** indicates when the young pipefish hatch.
* The water temperature influences the number of fertilized eggs and the spawning period (with a difference of e.g. 1° C, the difference can be ± 2-3 days) and, in the case of gonochoristic (separate-sex) fish or shrimp, the sex. If the temperature is below the usual regional temperature, mainly female larvae will hatch from the clutch, above this temperature mainly male larvae will hatch. Furthermore, the aquarium conditions (e.g. light duration, density) can also influence the sex.
** The spawning size or the number of larvae depends on several factors - age and condition of the parent animals, water conditions, food quality, stress factors and the dissolved oxygen content.
Synonym: Doryrhamphus pessuliferus (Fowler, 1938)
This pipefish is often confused with Dunckerocampus multiannulatus. However, Dunckerocampus multiannulatus has white transverse bands on a reddish background!
The caudal fin of Dunckerocampus multiannulatus also has a white border on both sides. Only Dunckerocampus pessuliferus has the distinctive white upper edge, but Dunckerocampus pessuliferus has a yellow central spot in the caudal fin.
The body is orange, rust-brown to black with narrow yellow rings. Like all flag-tailed pipefish, the caudal fin is fan-shaped. The snout is long and pipette-shaped. In the wild, the pipefish prefers a muddy seabed near solitary coral stalks, as well as areas that are calmer, i.e. not affected by waves. It feeds on small crustaceans, mainly copepods. As an adult, the Sulu pipefish usually lives together in pairs, with the male taking care of the brood and carrying the spawn around on the sponge-like modified ventral side until the larvae hatch.
Feeding intake.
The fish take a long time to eat at the beginning, before the food is taken up, a close inspection is carried out. After acclimatisation, the offered frozen food is eaten without problems. It should be noted that wild-caught fish behave differently than offspring when it comes to food intake. In the case of offspring, the size of the fish purchased also plays a role in the choice of food.
A delicate pipefish that has already been bred.
Should be kept in a tank with fish that are not too large, the more live rock there is in the tank to begin with, the better. Otherwise you should make sure that the pipefish accept food.
Breeding information:
Young male pipefishes need some time or mating before they carry the attached eggs to maturity.
The spawning interval* is approx. 12 days; the color of the attached eggs** indicates when the young pipefish hatch.
* The water temperature influences the number of fertilized eggs and the spawning period (with a difference of e.g. 1° C, the difference can be ± 2-3 days) and, in the case of gonochoristic (separate-sex) fish or shrimp, the sex. If the temperature is below the usual regional temperature, mainly female larvae will hatch from the clutch, above this temperature mainly male larvae will hatch. Furthermore, the aquarium conditions (e.g. light duration, density) can also influence the sex.
** The spawning size or the number of larvae depends on several factors - age and condition of the parent animals, water conditions, food quality, stress factors and the dissolved oxygen content.
Synonym: Doryrhamphus pessuliferus (Fowler, 1938)
