Freshwater Pipefish
Microphis deocata
The Deocata Pipefish is a fascinating freshwater seahorse relative. This stealthy ambush predator requires a dedicated, slow-moving tank and a constant supply of live micro-prey.
Température de l’eau
22 - 28 °C
Valeur du pH
7 - 8
Type d'eau
Eau douce
Niveau dans le bac
Fond et milieu
Taille adulte
15 cm
Volume minimal du bac
>= 180 L
Groupe minimal
>= 1
GH
10 - 20 dGH
KH
5 - 10 dKH
TDS
200 - 400 ppm
Conductivité
313 - 625 uS/cm
Description de l'espèce
Geographical Origin and Habitat: India (Assam, Bengal) and Bangladesh. Inhabits clean, fast-flowing rivers, hiding among submerged roots and dense riparian vegetation.
Taxonomy and Morphology: Deocata Pipefish (Microphis deocata). Freshwater pipefish. Closely related to seahorses (Syngnathidae family). Armored, tubular and extremely elongated body, pipette-like mouth.
Social Behavior: Peaceful, slow and methodical. Spends the days peering at every single leaf with its independent eyes (similar to those of chameleons) in search of micro-prey.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Females are the showy sex (a rare thing): they present a spectacular rainbow-colored ventral "sail" (red, green, blue, yellow) that they unfold during courtship. Males are gray/brown and equipped with a ventral brood pouch.
Soins, reproduction et cohabitation
Aquarium Setup: Long tank (at least 80-100 cm / 32-40 inches) with little current, densely planted (Vallisneria gigantea, Ceratophyllum) to offer vertical holds. Soft sand bottom.
Diet and Feeding: micro-predator. Accepts EXCLUSIVELY live food. Needs a constant supply of brine shrimp nauplii, daphnia, moina or tiny mosquito larvae. Will categorically ignore dry food.
Water Quality: Hard and moderately alkaline water (PH 7.2-8.0). Suffers in excessively soft and acidic waters. Requires highly oxygenated water but with low mechanical flow (sponge filtration or spray-bar directed to the glass).
Compatibility and Cohabitation: Best kept in a dedicated tank (Species tank). Any other fish would steal the food before the very slow pipefish can fixate on the prey. Only static companions (Otocinclus) or small snails are tolerated.
Aquarium Breeding: Very complex. The female exhibits the iridescent sail; after the dances, she transfers the egg filaments into the male's ventral pouch. The male incubates the eggs and "gives birth" to tiny fry that need live infusoria.
Risks and Diseases: Guaranteed starvation in inadequate tanks. If placed in community tanks, they will waste away in a few weeks. Not having a real stomach (like seahorses), they must eat continuously all day long.
Origine et répartition géographiques
India (Assam, Bengal) and Bangladesh. Inhabits clean, fast-flowing rivers, hiding among submerged roots and dense riparian vegetation.
Origine
Océans tropicaux et récifsAmérique centrale et CaraïbesAsie du Sud et du Sud-EstAsie de l'Est
Profil de poisson
- Tempérament
- Semi-aggressive
- Deocata Pipefish are incredibly peaceful, timid, and methodical in their movements. They rely entirely on stealth and camouflage rather than speed to hunt or evade perceived threats. They do not tolerate stress well and require an aquarist dedicated to meeting their highly specialized environmental and dietary needs.
- Régime alimentaire
- Omnivore
- They are strict micropredators and arguably one of the most challenging freshwater fish to feed. They often refuse any prepared or frozen foods, requiring a constant supply of live micro-foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, or copepods. Establishing a thriving culture of live foods is absolutely mandatory before attempting to keep this species.
- Espérance de vie
- 3-5 years
- Taille adulte
- 15 cm
- Ratio des sexes
- Pair
- Sexing is relatively easy as mature males possess the distinctive abdominal brood pouch, and females often display a more colorful belly during courtship. Keeping them in pairs or small groups with a balanced sex ratio is recommended. They are completely peaceful towards each other and display intricate courtship dances.
- Fréquence d'alimentation
- Twice daily
- Due to their tiny digestive tracts and constant hunting behavior, they need to be fed small amounts of live food multiple times a day. Ideally, the aquarium should have a continuously self-sustaining population of microfauna for them to hunt throughout the day. Infrequent feeding will quickly lead to starvation.
- Charge biologique
- Medium
- The Deocata Pipefish produces a very low bioload due to its slender body and small size. Despite this, they require absolutely pristine water conditions with virtually zero nitrates to survive in captivity. Over-filtration is highly recommended not to handle waste, but to ensure water quality remains exceptionally high and stable.
- Courant
- Stagnant
- They originate from the gentle, heavily vegetated streams of India and require very slow-moving water in the aquarium. Strong currents will batter their delicate bodies and prevent them from hunting effectively. Gentle filtration like a carefully baffled sponge filter is the best way to maintain water quality without creating turbulence.
- Risque de saut
- Yes
- While not notorious jumpers, their long, slender bodies allow them to easily slip through surprisingly small gaps if startled. A secure lid is recommended, primarily to prevent them from accidentally launching themselves during a feeding strike near the surface. Ensure all openings around filter outputs are covered.
- Reproduction
- Oviparous
- Like their seahorse relatives, pipefish exhibit a fascinating reproductive strategy where the male carries the eggs. The female deposits her eggs into a specialized brooding pouch on the male's abdomen, where he fertilizes and incubates them. The male will eventually release fully formed miniature pipefish after several weeks of gestation.
- Compatibilité et compagnons
- Semi-aggressive
- This is a highly delicate and slow-moving species that must only be kept in a dedicated species tank or with extremely docile tank mates. Fast-swimming or aggressive fish will easily outcompete them for food and cause them severe stress. Small, peaceful snails or very timid nano fish are the only potentially viable companions.
- Niveau dans le bac
- Middle/Bottom
- They utilize all levels of the aquarium, frequently orienting themselves vertically to blend in with tall plants or hardscape. They are ambush predators that rely on their camouflage, spending hours hovering motionless near vegetation waiting for prey to pass by. A densely planted tank is an absolute requirement for them to feel secure.
Modèles et paramètres scientifiques
FishBase
Fenêtre sur les données scientifiques officielles de l’espèce
FishBase v25.04Données synchronisées le : 15/06/2026
- Niveau trophique
- 3,3 ± 0,4 se
- Résilience
- Élevée (moins de 15 mois)
- Singularité phylogénétique (PD50)
- 0.5
- Relation bayésienne longueur-poids
- a = 0.00098, b = 3.05
- VulnérabilitéVulnérabilité faible (10 / 100)
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