Banded pipefish
Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus
FishSaltwater
- Care level
- Demanding
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Reef safe
- Yes
- Recommended tank
- 150 L
- Maximum size
- 18 cm
- Temperature
- 24–27 °C
- pH
- 8–8.4
- Diet
- Carnivore
Care at a glance
The banded pipefish looks like a slender seahorse pulled straight: a long, rigid body with black-and-white rings that usually moves slowly among rock crevices and coral branches. Like seahorses, it sucks up small prey with a long snout.
It eats almost exclusively live food such as newly hatched brine shrimp or copepods, and quickly loses the competition for food against faster tankmates. A calm, mature tank without boisterous eaters, plenty of hiding spots and a steady population of live food is the only realistic way to keep it alive.
Good to know
Related species
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Values are mainstream hobbyist guidance, not gospel — always watch what your own animals need.