Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
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Solenostomus

Solenostomus paradoxus

(Pallas, 1770)

Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Harlequin Ghost Pipefish

Not Reef Tank Suitable

Not Suitable for Fish-Only Tank

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Red Sea and East Africa to Fiji, north to Southern Japan, and south to Australia and New Caledonia.

Size: 4 inches (10 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits areas containing gorgonians on coastal reefs and is found at depths between 15 - 100 feet (5 - 30 m) where it feeds strictly on benthic invertebrates.

General Husbandry: Has a variable colored body, e.g., from a mottled black to red and yellow with an assortment of bands and spots. Not collected for the hobby.

Taxonomy:

    Order: Gasterosteiformes

    Suborder: Syngnathoidei

    Family: Syngnathidae

    Genus: Solenostomus

FYI: Unsuitable for home aquariums.

A public aquarium species.

Must have a steady diet of ‘live’ foods, i.e., fortified live brine shrimp, grass shrimp, and/or copepods/amphipods and be fed four or five times a day.

Shown here for identification only.

 Solenostomus paradoxus (Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Harlequin Ghost Pipefish)
Photo © John Randall
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Eco Tech Marine