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By Bob Goemans
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Syngnathoides

Syngnathoides biaculeatus

(Bloch, 1785)

Alligator Pipefish, Double-ended Pipefish

Likely Reef Tank Suitable

Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Red Sea to South Africa, east to Samoa, north to Southern Japan, and south to New South Wales.

Size: 11 inches (27 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits seagrass beds or algal flats on protected shallow lagoons and bays at depths between about 3 - 30 feet (1 - 10 m) where it feeds mainly on zooplankton.

General Husbandry: Ocassionally seen in the trade and quite attractive, having a greenish to yellowish green body and a prehensile tail.

Best maintained in small aquariums with minimum water currents, as this is a slow moving species. Aquarium environment should have sufficient caves and crevices that they can explore or take shelter as needed and have copious amounts of macroalgae. Quite shy, especially when first introduced into the aquarium. Tankmates must be quite peaceful, as pipefish make good targets for fin-nipping species.

Even though only a live food consumer in the wild, a meaty diet such as enriched live adult brine shrimp and/or enriched frozen brine shrimp, mysis, and krill will usually suffice and should be offered twice daily by dispensing it up stream so the water current will slowly carry it towards the species.

May be difficult to feed in the early days in the aquarium and if so, live enriched adult brine shrimp and/or tiny live glass/grass shrimp should be offered several times daily. Over time, it may learn to accept various frozen foods.

Taxonomy:

    Order: Gasterosteiformes

    Suborder: Syngnathoidei

    Family: Syngnathidae

    Subfamily: Syngnathinae

    Genus: Syngnathoides

FYI: This is a slow moving fish that can easily get sucked into an open intake siphon; therefore these type intakes must have a strainer on their intake areas.

This species used in Chinese medicine.

Has been reared in captivity.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Temperament: Peaceful

Diet: Carnivore

Coral Safe: Yes

Fish Safe: Yes

Invertebrate Safe: With caution

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish only aquarium

Tankmates: Peaceful

Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons

Temperature Range: 72 - 80°F (22 – 27°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5

 Syngnathoides biaculeatus (Alligator Pipefish, Double-ended Pipefish)
Photo © John Randall
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