Also Known As: Yellow Multibanded Pipefish, Ringed Pipefish

Compatibility and Behavior
The Many Banded Pipefish (often listed as Doryrhamphus multiannulatus) is one of the most boldly patterned pipefish in the hobby. A needle-thin body encased in bony rings is marked by dozens of narrow brownish-red to reddish bands over a pale cream to yellowish-white background, and the banding is remarkably fine and numerous, considerably more so than on the Banded Pipefish, with four to six dark bars crossing the gill cover and a golden-yellow cast under the long tubular snout. The fan-shaped caudal fin is the finishing touch, flaring out in red with a black center and crisp white margin. In the wild it shelters under overhangs and inside small caves on Indian Ocean reef slopes, usually in pairs, and it works as an active cleaner, picking parasitic crustaceans directly off passing client fish rather than setting up a fixed cleaning station. In captivity it often hovers just inside a crevice, sometimes upside down against a cave ceiling, swimming in a gentle hovering flutter driven by the tiny dorsal fin. It's completely reef safe with corals, clams, and cleanup crew, though the vulnerability runs the other way, so exclude anemones, corals with strong sweeper tentacles, large hermits, crabs, and big shrimp, any of which can injure a slow-moving pipefish. Companions must be gentle and unhurried, with seahorses, other pipefish, mandarin dragonets, small peaceful gobies, firefish, and cardinalfish making ideal matches, while tangs, damsels, dottybacks, and active wrasses will simply take every meal before it can react. It's gregarious and does well in a group of its own kind. One encouraging note: Dunckerocampus species are among the more adaptable syngnathids and tend to accept frozen foods more readily than most pipefish, and specimens can live 5 to 10 years in a well-run system.

Aquarium Requirements
A mature tank of 30 gallons will house a single specimen, though 55 gallons or more is preferable for a group, and the real prerequisite is maturity, ideally six months or more of running time so a self-sustaining copepod and amphipod population is established. Aquascape with abundant live rock arranged into caves, overhangs, and shaded vertical crevices that mirror the sheltered reef walls it naturally occupies, and add plenty of colorful macroalgae to harbor microfauna and give the pipefish structure to hover near. Subdued to moderate lighting suits it, since it naturally avoids direct sun. Low, gentle flow is essential, as these are weak swimmers that tire quickly, and all filter and overflow intakes must be covered with fine mesh so the fish can't be drawn in. A connected fishless refugium continuously seeding live pods into the display is the single best investment for long-term success. Feed small portions three to four times daily, delivered slowly with a pipette or baster at a consistent spot so the fish learns where to wait, and starting new arrivals on live copepods and enriched live baby brine before transitioning to frozen cyclops, small mysis, and fish eggs works well. Many keepers also briefly shut off pumps during feeding so food lingers in the water column. 

Specifications
Approximate Size: 2–4"
Diet: Carnivore; live copepods and amphipods as the foundation, plus vitamin-enriched live baby brine shrimp, transitioning to frozen cyclops, small mysis, and fish eggs, fed 3–4 times daily
Origin: Western Indian Ocean
Care Level: Expert
Reef Safe: Yes
Temperament: Peaceful and shy; gregarious with its own kind and best kept in a group with equally deliberate tankmates
Special Considerations: An expert-only fish that thrives best in a mature, refugium-supported system with an established pod population and only slow, gentle tankmates that won't outcompete it at feeding. Vulnerable to anemones, stinging corals, crabs, and large shrimp, so leave those out.