Dr. Carole C. Baldwin, USA
Info
Cosmocampus profundus is a deep-water pipefish from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
The majority of all pipefishes are found at depths that snorkelers or divers can easily reach, but Cosmocampus profundus has chosen a different strategy to fulfill its purpose in the ocean.
Its presence at greater depths will help it to avoid food competitors and typical shallow-water predators such as seabirds.
The body of the pipefish is slender and elongated, with the typical male's breast pocket located under the tail rings 18 - 20.
The pipefish is pale pinkish-red in color, showing; 7 dark brown, eye-sized spots along the flanks and on the front of the tail and ~10 narrow white stripes on the upper side of the back.
The lower third of the body and tail are whitish, mottled red, the fins of the pipefish are clear.
Not an animal for a saltwater aquarium.
Synonym: Corythoichthys profundus Herald, 1965
The term "reef safe" is often used in marine aquaristics, especially when buying a new species people often ask if the new animal is "reef safe".
What exactly does reef safe mean?
To answer this question, you can ask target-oriented questions and inquire in forums, clubs, dealers and with aquarist friends:
- Are there already experiences and keeping reports that assure that the new animal can live in other suitably equipped aquariums without ever having caused problems?
- Is there any experience of invertebrates (crustaceans, hermits, mussels, snails) or corals being attacked by other inhabitants such as fish of the same or a different species?
- Is any information known or expected about a possible change in dietary habits, e.g., from a plant-based diet to a meat-based diet?
- Do the desired animals leave the reef structure "alone", do they constantly change it (boring starfish, digger gobies, parrotfish, triggerfish) and thus disturb or displace other co-inhabitants?
- do new animals tend to get diseases repeatedly and very quickly and can they be treated?
- Do known peaceful animals change their character in the course of their life and become aggressive?
- Can the death of a new animal possibly even lead to the death of the rest of the stock through poisoning (possible with some species of sea cucumbers)?
- Last but not least the keeper of the animals has to be included in the "reef safety", there are actively poisonous, passively poisonous animals, animals that have dangerous biting or stinging weapons, animals with extremely strong nettle poisons, these have to be (er)known and a plan of action should have been made in advance in case of an attack on the aquarist (e.g. telephone numbers of the poison control center, the treating doctor, the tropical institute etc.).
If all questions are evaluated positively in the sense of the animal(s) and the keeper, then one can assume a "reef safety".
The majority of all pipefishes are found at depths that snorkelers or divers can easily reach, but Cosmocampus profundus has chosen a different strategy to fulfill its purpose in the ocean.
Its presence at greater depths will help it to avoid food competitors and typical shallow-water predators such as seabirds.
The body of the pipefish is slender and elongated, with the typical male's breast pocket located under the tail rings 18 - 20.
The pipefish is pale pinkish-red in color, showing; 7 dark brown, eye-sized spots along the flanks and on the front of the tail and ~10 narrow white stripes on the upper side of the back.
The lower third of the body and tail are whitish, mottled red, the fins of the pipefish are clear.
Not an animal for a saltwater aquarium.
Synonym: Corythoichthys profundus Herald, 1965
The term "reef safe" is often used in marine aquaristics, especially when buying a new species people often ask if the new animal is "reef safe".
What exactly does reef safe mean?
To answer this question, you can ask target-oriented questions and inquire in forums, clubs, dealers and with aquarist friends:
- Are there already experiences and keeping reports that assure that the new animal can live in other suitably equipped aquariums without ever having caused problems?
- Is there any experience of invertebrates (crustaceans, hermits, mussels, snails) or corals being attacked by other inhabitants such as fish of the same or a different species?
- Is any information known or expected about a possible change in dietary habits, e.g., from a plant-based diet to a meat-based diet?
- Do the desired animals leave the reef structure "alone", do they constantly change it (boring starfish, digger gobies, parrotfish, triggerfish) and thus disturb or displace other co-inhabitants?
- do new animals tend to get diseases repeatedly and very quickly and can they be treated?
- Do known peaceful animals change their character in the course of their life and become aggressive?
- Can the death of a new animal possibly even lead to the death of the rest of the stock through poisoning (possible with some species of sea cucumbers)?
- Last but not least the keeper of the animals has to be included in the "reef safety", there are actively poisonous, passively poisonous animals, animals that have dangerous biting or stinging weapons, animals with extremely strong nettle poisons, these have to be (er)known and a plan of action should have been made in advance in case of an attack on the aquarist (e.g. telephone numbers of the poison control center, the treating doctor, the tropical institute etc.).
If all questions are evaluated positively in the sense of the animal(s) and the keeper, then one can assume a "reef safety".
