FishExpert care30g minimum
Banded pipefish reef compatibility check
Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus
Elegant slow feeder for a mature, peaceful tank.
Minimum tank
30 gallons
Care level
Expert
Reef safety
Caution
Bioload score
0.6
Stocking stage
Late
Flow need
Low
Light need
None
Compatibility warnings
- Needs a mature tank with pods or daily target feeding.
- Only calm tankmates; anything boisterous outcompetes it.
- Check adult size against the final tank, not the fish or coral at purchase size.
- Add livestock slowly so the bioload and nutrient export can keep up.
- Use the planner when this animal changes the tank-size, flow, lighting, or stocking plan.
Professional planning context
- Use the 30 gallon minimum as an adult-planning floor; display length, aquascape, and existing tankmates can raise that floor.
- Hold this entry until the system has at least 6 months of maturity or equivalent stability evidence.
- Professionals should model aggression by territory and introduction order, not only by care level.
Tank fit and maturity gate
Tank minimum
30 gallons
ReefCrafter uses 30 gallons as the planning floor for adult size, swimming room, nutrient load, and aggression margin.
Maturity gate
6 months
This animal should wait until the tank has enough age, food web stability, or parameter history.
Care notes
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Reef safety
- Caution
- Adult size
- 7 in
- Placement
- Open caves and overhangs in a mature, peaceful tank.
- Diet
- Live and frozen copepods and small mysis; target-feed daily.
- Flow
- Low
- Light
- None
- Bioload
- 0.6