Ansorge's pipefish (Enneacampus ansorgii): how big does it get?

Up to 13.6 cm standard length (SL).

Ansorge's pipefish (Enneacampus ansorgii): what water temperature does it need?

The atlas records 24–28 °C for this species.

Ansorge's pipefish (Enneacampus ansorgii): what water chemistry suits it?

pH 7–7.5, general hardness (GH) 10–18 °dH.

Ansorge's pipefish (Enneacampus ansorgii): where does it come from?

It is recorded from Gambia and Angola.

Oddballs & Brackish · Freshwater pipefish · Enneacampus

Enneacampus ansorgii

(Boulenger, 1910)

Ansorge's pipefish, West African freshwater pipefish

Formerly known as Syngnathus ansorgii.

Full synonymy (3)

Syngnathus ansorgii Boulenger 1910 · original combination
Syngnathus olssoni Johnels 1954 · junior synonym
Syngnathus pulchellus Boulenger 1915 · junior synonym

Source: Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (Fricke, Eschmeyer & Van der Laan, eds.), California Academy of Sciences.

3 cited sourcesName checked against Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, update of 21 Sep 2026

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2016

EXEWCRENVUNTLC

CARESNOT LISTED

EWCRENVUNTnot on the priority list

Type localityQuanza River at Dondo, Angolaper Catalog of Fishes

Scientific size5.5 in13.6 cm standard length

Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C

pH7–7.5neutral

Hardness (GH)slightly hard to hard179–321 ppm

Depth—not recorded

DietLive foods such as baby brine shrimp and small crustaceans

BreedingEgg layer; male carries the eggs in a brood pouch

Sexual dimorphismYesMales carry the eggs in a brood pouch

PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

Enneacampus ansorgii is a freshwater and brackish pipefish of the West African coast, from the Gambia to the Cuanza River in Angola. FishBase gives a maximum of 5.5 in SL, and the male carries the eggs.

What's in the name

Enneacampus ansorgii — en-ee-uh-KAM-pus an-SOR-jee-eye

ansorgii

AnsorgeLatinised surname — William John Ansorge, a British collector who worked in Angola

Taxonomy & naming

Boulenger described the species in 1910 as Syngnathus ansorgii from the Quanza River at Dondo, Angola. It sits in Enneacampus, a small genus of freshwater pipefishes in the family Syngnathidae, and is sometimes called Ansorge's pipefish.

Morphology

A slim, rigid, armoured fish with a long tubular snout and no pelvic fins. FishBase gives a maximum length of 5.5 in SL.

Habitat

FishBase lists it as a demersal fish of fresh and brackish water in tropical conditions at 24 to 28 C, with a pH of 7.0 to 7.5 and a hardness of 10 to 18 dH. It ranges along the western coast of Africa from the Gambia River drainage to the Cuanza River in Angola.

Feeding

Pipefish eat small live prey. FishBase does not give a wild diet for the species; in aquaria it needs live foods such as baby brine shrimp and small crustaceans.

Mating

Courtship has not been described for this species. Pipefish pairs usually bond and display to each other.

Breeding

The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch, as FishBase records. Brood size and development time are not recorded for this species.

In the aquarium

A difficult fish that depends on live food, a quiet tank and no fast competitors. Its range of 24 to 28 C, pH 7.0 to 7.5 and 10 to 18 dH comes from FishBase. Many fish sold under this name have been wild caught and do best in slightly brackish water.

Conservation

The IUCN assessed Enneacampus ansorgii as Least Concern in 2016, reflecting its broad coastal range.

Common questions

Ansorge's pipefish (Enneacampus ansorgii): how big does it get?: Up to 5.5 in standard length (SL).
Ansorge's pipefish (Enneacampus ansorgii): what water temperature does it need?: The atlas records 75–82 °F for this species.
Ansorge's pipefish (Enneacampus ansorgii): what water chemistry suits it?: pH 7–7.5, general hardness (GH) 10–18 °dH.
Ansorge's pipefish (Enneacampus ansorgii): where does it come from?: It is recorded from Gambia and Angola.

Biotope tank mates

Atlas fish recorded from the same waters, whose recorded temperature and pH ranges overlap this one’s and whose adults are within twice its size. A shortlist to research, not a stocking plan: temperament, territory and diet are not checked. Other genera only; this genus is compared below.

Striped AlestesBrachyalestes taeniurus
Shares Lower Guinea · ranges overlap 75–82 °F, pH 7–7.5 · adults 4 in SL
Tailspot ctenopomaCtenopoma kingsleyae
Shares Lower Guinea · ranges overlap 75–82 °F, pH 7–7.5 · adults 8 in TL
African fat sleeperDormitator lebretonis
Shares Lower Guinea · ranges overlap 75–82 °F, pH 7–7.5 · adults 3 in SL
Brichard's barbEnteromius brichardi
Shares Lower Guinea · ranges overlap 75–79 °F, pH 7–7.5 · adults 3 in TL
Coptodon margaritacea
Shares Lower Guinea · ranges overlap 75–82 °F, pH 7–7.5 · adults 7 in TL
Spot jewelHemichromis elongatus
Shares Lower Guinea · ranges overlap 75–82 °F, pH 7–7.5 · adults 7.5 in SL

Sources

Naming authority: Enneacampus ansorgii in Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes ↗

Last reviewed 2026-10-05.

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Enneacampus ansorgii. Aquarist Atlas.https://www.aquaristatlas.com/oddballs/enneacampus-ansorgii/

Add this species card to your site

Paste this into a product listing, club page or blog post. It shows this species’ size, water ranges and conservation status, kept current from the atlas, with a link to this page. Free to use; keep the link intact, as it is the attribution. How the card works.

<div data-atlas="species/enneacampus-ansorgii"><a href="https://www.aquaristatlas.com/oddballs/enneacampus-ansorgii/">Ansorge's pipefish (Enneacampus ansorgii) on Aquarist Atlas</a></div>
<script src="https://www.aquaristatlas.com/embed/v1/card.js" async referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></script>

Where it has been recorded

50 georeferenced records (GBIF). Each point is a field observation or museum specimen — pan and zoom to explore where this species turns up. The coordinates come straight from GBIF and are often rounded or tied to the nearest town or river landing, so a dot can sit just beside the actual water rather than in it.

← All oddballs & brackish fish