All fish / Syngnathidae

Freshwater Pipefish

Doryichthys martensii

Also known as martens pipefish, freshwater pipefish, borneo pipefish, long-snouted pipefish, pipefish, ドリクティス・マルテンシー, 淡水海龙

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A very slender, stick-like relative of the seahorses with a tube snout, armoured body rings and a small rounded tail, usually brown with reddish or banded markings. It is kept as an unusual curiosity for quiet, planted tanks where its slow hovering and hunting behaviour can be watched up close.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

15 cm

Temperature

23 to 28 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

60 litres

Keep as

Pair or small group of 3 to 6

Diet

Carnivore: live foods such as daphnia, cyclops, baby brine shrimp, small bloodworm and grindal worms

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 4 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Borneo, Sumatra, Malay Peninsula and Thailand (river basins of Sundaland)

Breeding

The male carries the eggs on a brood area under his trunk until they hatch as tiny free-swimming young. Spawning happens occasionally in well-fed groups, but raising the fry is difficult because they need very small live foods such as rotifers and newly hatched brine shrimp.

Good to know

Most specimens refuse dried foods and starve without a steady supply of small live food, and they cannot compete with fast or nippy tankmates. Some fish sold under this name may be other Doryichthys or Microphis species, which can need brackish water.