Dragon-faced Pipefish

The Dragon-faced Pipefish is a captivating species named for its elongated, dragon-like snout and intricate facial markings that give it a distinctly mythical appearance. Its slender, rigid body is covered in bony armor plates and displays variable coloration ranging from reddish-brown to tan with a complex network of darker lines and markings. At approximately 7 inches, this is a moderately sized pipefish that commands attention with its unusual appearance and deliberate, searching movements along the substrate and live rock surfaces.

In the wild, Corythoichthys haematopterus is one of the most widely distributed pipefish species, found across the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea to Australia and throughout Indonesia and the Philippines. It inhabits shallow reef flats, lagoons, and rubble areas, where it moves slowly across the bottom, constantly probing crevices and surfaces with its tubular snout in search of tiny copepods and other microfauna. Unlike the Doryrhamphus pipefish that tend to hover in mid-water near cave overhangs, this species is primarily a bottom-dwelling forager.

Keeping the Dragon-faced Pipefish is an expert-level endeavor due to its extremely specialized feeding requirements. Like all pipefish, it feeds exclusively on tiny live crustaceans, primarily copepods and amphipods, which it sucks up through its tubular snout. An established aquarium of at least 30 gallons with extensive live rock and a productive refugium is essential to maintain the microfauna population needed to sustain this delicate feeder. It must be housed only with extremely peaceful, non-competitive tankmates, as even moderately active fish will outcompete it for food. The reward for meeting these demands is an endlessly fascinating species with behavior unlike anything else in the aquarium hobby.