{"product_id":"lm-bluestripe-pipefish","title":"Lightly Medicated | Bluestripe Pipefish (Doryrhamphus excisus)","description":"\u003ch3\u003eWhat “Lightly Medicated” means\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is the same animal as our non-quarantined listing, held briefly in our systems and given one short prophylactic course — a light treatment for ich and for internal and external worms — then observed eating in front of us before it goes home.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA light course knocks the parasite load down. It does not guarantee full removal, and we will not pretend otherwise.\u003c\/strong\u003e Ich is only killed in its free-swimming stage, and a short treatment window can miss cysts entirely; worm burdens can survive a single dose. Clearing an animal takes the full quarantine window — 40 to 90 days depending on the species — which is exactly what the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/quarantine-program\"\u003eQuarantined listing\u003c\/a\u003e is for. This tier buys you a lower parasite load and a fish we have watched eat, not a cleared animal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWe condition the fish on our end.\u003c\/strong\u003e Every animal we medicate is brought back onto prepared food on our own systems and is eating before it leaves — in practice it is rare for a lightly medicated fish to ship out and arrive sick. Do the same at your end: get it eating in your aquarium before you count it settled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhen it ships\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlan on \u003cstrong\u003e5–7 days\u003c\/strong\u003e on our systems for the treatment course, and it does not leave until it is eating. \u003cstrong\u003eIf the animal is not already in our systems we source it first — allow up to two weeks for it to reach us before that clock starts.\u003c\/strong\u003e From the day you order, plan on roughly three weeks in total.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe guarantees\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShipped orders:\u003c\/strong\u003e 24-hour live guarantee from confirmed delivery.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIn-store pickup:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7-day live guarantee — bring a water sample from your aquarium so we can test it before your livestock goes home with you.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWant the full program — treated, observed, confirmed eating, and covered for 28 days on pickup? That is the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/quarantine-program\"\u003eQuarantined listing\u003c\/a\u003e. Run your own quarantine and just want the fish this week? The \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/non-quarantined-livestock\"\u003enon-quarantined listing\u003c\/a\u003e is cheaper still. The whole ladder is explained in \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/quarantined-vs-non-quarantined\"\u003eQuarantined vs Non-Quarantined\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDoryrhamphus excisus\u003c\/em\u003e, the Bluestripe Pipefish, is a seahorse relative in the family Syngnathidae — sharing the same fused tubular jaw that sucks in prey whole, an armored body of fused bony rings, and a slow, deliberate movement style that makes it look more like a floating reed than a fish. Where a seahorse coils a prehensile tail around structure to anchor, the pipefish hovers horizontally, using pectoral fins for precise positional control in low-flow environments. In the wild, it’s found hovering near rubble, ledge overhangs, and coral structure across the Indo-Pacific, picking off small crustaceans and zooplankton drifting past.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe critical thing to understand before acquiring this species is feeding. Pipefishes in this genus are obligate micro-predators with almost no capacity to chase prey — they need food delivered at the right size, in the right density, in water moving slowly enough that particles drift past the snout rather than blowing past too fast to strike. In practice: live baby brine shrimp (\u003cem\u003eArtemia\u003c\/em\u003e nauplii) or frozen Cyclops fed multiple times daily in a low-flow system, ideally with macroalgae or ledge structure nearby for hunting perches. A healthy pipefish eats constantly and in small amounts. One that isn’t eating declines quietly over weeks rather than dramatically overnight — which is the most dangerous kind of decline because it looks fine until it isn’t.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is not a casual reef addition. It belongs in a species-specific setup or a carefully managed section of a larger system with isolated low-flow feeding zones. Hobbyists who build that properly and commit to the feeding schedule get one of the most fascinating animals in the marine hobby.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScientific name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Doryrhamphus excisus\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Indo-Pacific — coral rubble zones, reef slopes, and ledge microhabitats from East Africa to Hawaii\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater parameters:\u003c\/strong\u003e Temp 72–78°F · Salinity 1.023–1.025 · pH 8.1–8.4\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTank requirements:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20 gal minimum, very low flow; species-specific or calm fish-only setup strongly recommended\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDiet:\u003c\/strong\u003e Carnivore — live baby brine shrimp and copepod nauplii; frozen Cyclops and Tigger Pods with dedicated acclimation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompatibility:\u003c\/strong\u003e Reef safe; completely peaceful; must be isolated from aggressive feeders that outcompete for food\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHusbandry note:\u003c\/strong\u003e Feed multiple times daily in small amounts. A connected refugium exporting live copepods into the display provides a constant low-level baseline food source that significantly improves long-term survival with this species.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"YoCamron's Aquatics","offers":[{"title":"Wild-Caught","offer_id":50610285445357,"sku":"SWFSH-BLUEST-PIPEFI","price":122.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0806\/1032\/8813\/files\/lg-89300-bluestripe-pipefish.jpg?v=1784692428","url":"https:\/\/www.yocamronsaquatics.com\/products\/lm-bluestripe-pipefish","provider":"YoCamron’s Aquatics","version":"1.0","type":"link"}