Tiny pipefish feeding-HELP!!!

[Marinefish]

I ordered a bluestripe pipefish online and it just arrived. It's only ONE inch long! Any idea what to feed it? It's picking at rocks, so I know it'll eat, but what? I have frozen brine and frozen plankton. It's supposed to eat frozen food, but it's so TINY! Help please!

[chrisfont23]

The African Bluestripe Pipefish (Doryrhamphus excisus) is a fish that requires specialized care and conditions, and is recommended to be kept only by expert level fish keepers who have set up an aquarium specifically to keep Pipefish and/or Seahorses. These fish are extremely peaceful and should not be house with anything other than seahorses, other pipefish, and non aggressive invertebrates. Stinging corals and anemones could potentially harm pipefish and should be avoided in a habitat designed for these interesting fish.

Pipefish are carnivores, requiring meaty foods as their diet, and usually they will accept only live foods at first. Live brine shrimp and live baby guppies are two foods that Pipefish will generally not have an issue eating. Frozen food should be offered in an effort to get them to take a wider variety of foods, but often Pipefish will not switch to a frozen food diet. Frozen Mysis shrimp would is one frozen food item that Pipefish could possibly be tempted to eat, along with frozen brine and frozen mosquito larvae. Plan on always having to feed live foods, even if the fish does accept some frozen.

[Jessie Nicoletti]

Freshly hatched brine shrimp available at most pet stores as eggs. i would say sea monkeys are a ok replacement if you cant find baby brine shrimp sold as baby brine shrimp HOWEVER i am unsure about the chemicals associated with sea monkeys as a toy type deal and they may be harmful to the tank if so. try ordering brine shrimp eggs online or at the pet store

[Mad Mead]

Freshly hatched brine shrimp should not be the only thing you feed. It should be used sparingly..(you should look on lee post on feeding) This will be a test to your saltwater ability. i would try larger tiger pods in a jar ever time you feed. or freshly hatched live baby guppies like chrisfont23 said.
Good luck hope he gets bigger for you

[Original Fin]

One of the rules of thumb on marine fish nutrition is not to feed what doesn't come from the sea. That means that terrestrial vegetables are out, as well as FW feeder fish and brine shrimp.

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

One of the rules of thumb on marine fish nutrition is not to feed what doesn't come from the sea. That means that terrestrial vegetables are out, as well as FW feeder fish and brine shrimp.

So I guess a Big Mac and fries are out?

Kidding aside, its best to research what and how the fish eats in the wild and try to replicate that in your home aquarium ( preferably in a QT by itself).
I've never had a pipe fish but have trained a mandarin fish to eat prepared foods fairly easy. It takes time and special care but I'm sure it can be done.

[Marinefish]

HEY EVERYBODY!!! this pipefish ate frozen BBS and grew 1/2 in in 5 weeks!!! Also, it was very bold and peaceful. Alas, he was killed when the shooting claw of a big pistol shrimp snapped shut on him. I recommend this small (3" full size!) pipefish to any intermediate reefers with peaceful tanks. (also reef safe!)