|
|
FAQs on Ropefish Foods/Feeding/Nutrition
Related Articles: Bichirs &
Ropefish, Family Polypteridae,
Related FAQs: Ropefish 1,
Ropefish 2, &
Ropefish ID, Ropefish Behavior,
Ropefish Compatibility,
Ropefish Selection,
Ropefish Systems,
Ropefish Health,
Ropefish Reproduction, & FAQs on:
Bichirs
1, & Bichir Identification,
Bichir Behavior,
Bichir Compatibility,
Bichir Selection,
Bichir Systems, Bichir Feeding,
Bichir Disease,
Bichir Reproduction,
|
|
Questions Regarding Rope Fish, hlth., fdg., sys.
8/3/09
Dear Sir / Madam,
I hope all is well !
My name is Kush and I'm from India.
<Hello,>
I have 6 Rope Fishes in a 3 Feet ( 40 Gallon Tank ) with plenty of
hiding caves and pipes for them. Just wanted to request you to kindly
guide me on a few questions that I have regarding these wonderful fish.
<Fire away.>
Sir, one of the Rope Fish that I purchased recently, seems to have a eye
problem. I can't say that its eyes are cloudy, but it looks more like a
"white dot in the center" of both the eyes.
<Often mechanical damage. These fish are burrowers, and in tanks with
gravel can injure themselves. Smooth silica sand is better. But smooth
gravel usually works okay, too. In any case, treat as for Finrot, and
hope for the best.>
All other ropes that I have, have clear and beautiful eyes. Is this some
kind of an eye disease ? If yes, how do I treat this. Somebody suggested
to use Tetracycline in the tank water, as this could be a Bacterial
Disease - just wanted to know if this is safe and effective, and how
much dosage is recommended. Also the only Tetracycline I get here are
Capsules labeled as Oxy tetracycline - is this the same as the normal
Tetracycline ?
<An antibiotic should work safely, but observe the fish, and if
possible, treat it in its own quarantine tank.>
Another of my Rope Fish has a few White Spots on its body. They look a
little (very little) protruding (like very tiny ulcers) - I have a
feeling that its Ick (White spot disease) - I have raised the
Temperature to 31C
and added a little salt. The fish seem to be comfortable but they still
have the white spots. Kindly guide me on treating this.
<The salt/heat method should work well. Ropefish live in slightly
brackish water sometimes, and they have a good tolerance for salt. 2 to
3 teaspoons of salt per gallon (3.75 l) of water should work well. It
will take 1-2 weeks to wipe out all the parasites.>
Regarding Nutrition for my Rope Fish, I feed them Live earthworms
everyday, and they really eat them well. Just wanted to know if this is
ok for them as a standard diet.
<Yes.>
I'm not able to 'train' them to eat anything else. I fed them Chopped
prawn meat and pellets, but they don't even touch them.
<They will eat chopped prawn and other seafood eventually. They hunt by
smell, mostly at night. So offer the food in the evening, and if
necessary, starve them a couple of days before adding these foods.>
I worried that they aren't getting any vitamins in their diet and wanted
to know if there is any way, I can make them ingest some vitamins.
<Variety is the key! If you have earthworms, prawns, mussels,
bloodworms, squid, and small piece of white fish (such as tilapia) you
have a nice, varied diet. These fish will eat most fresh or wet-frozen
foods, though
they have little interest in dried foods or pellets.>
Will adding some vitamins directly to the tank water be effective ?
<No.>
Lastly, Just wanted to know if my current tank ( 3 feet - 40 Gallons )
be enough to house these 6 Ropes that I have or do they need a larger
tank.
<Should be fine. These fish rarely get above 45-50 cm in captivity. Your
main issue is escaping: these fish VERY COMMONLY escape from fish tanks.
A secure lid is essential. In the wild they move across land at night,
from one pond to another, like eels. They are very, very good at
squeezing through tiny holes. Be careful!>
Kindly guide me on the above questions, Sir - I really have nobody else
to guide me. Thanks for reading and for caring, Lots of Regards and
Wishes, Kush
<These are wonderful fish. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/polypterids.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/ropefishfaqs.htm
And follow the linked articles for more. Good luck with them! Neale.>
Re: Columbian Shark help!! (follow-up question). Ropefish fdg., comp.
3/16/2007
<<Hi, again, Andy.>>
Great idea, thank you for your assistance! I did as you suggested last night
and it already appears to be helping. They ate last night for the first time in
3 days!!
<<Glad to hear it, Andy.>>
One more question for you. In this tank (55gal in the process of being
transferred to brackish), there are also 2 spotted puffers, 2 Dalmatian mollies,
and one Ropefish (Yes, they all get along!).
<<Still a good idea to keep a watchful eye here.>>
The sharks, mollies, and puffers gobble EVERYTHING I put in there for food
rather quickly. I'm afraid the Ropefish won't be able to get any food and will
eventually starve as he doesn't seem to come out at all during feeding (I know
he's nocturnal). My question is this: Is there any foods that are specific to
Ropefish or anything I can put on the bottom that he'll find when he comes out
at night?
<<Unfortunately, Andy, the Columbians are going to be every bit as interested in
whatever foods you select as your Ropefish would be so, it might be more a
matter of “when” than “what”. Live foods are preferred by both but I would offer
that you should stay away from small feeder fish of any description with your
current stocking arrangement. (We almost universally advise against this anyway
from a nutritional standpoint, however, it can/will “trigger” predatory
responses in both of these fish that the other fish, particularly the Mollies,
don’t need awakened.) You might try a food like sinking shrimp pellets later in
the evening. These make it to the bottom rather quickly and might not get
“picked off” on the way down by the others. The Sharks, as you know, are
scavengers but changing up feeding times may give the Ropefish a chance to feed
while the others are less active.>>
Thank you again for your assistance, I love this website and you guys are a HUGE
help!
Andy
<<Thanks, Andy. We certainly appreciate that. If I may, while you’ve just
recently “upgraded” your tank, you’ll need to keep in mind that your Columbians
will need even more room down the road. These guys grow very large and the
typical recommendation is about 50 gallons per fish. I suspect you are already
aware of this but I like to point this out when the opportunity presents itself
for our other readers. Keep up the good work and good luck with your new tank.
Tom>>
What Should I Feed My Ropefish? 9/16/06
<Hi Cera, Pufferpunk here>
We recently were sold a bunch of fish from a crappy pet store owner.
A blue lobster ate an angel fish already and snipped the fin off the
tail of a Bala shark.
<Ouch!>
I'm wondering if the fin will grow back or not. He seems to be ok.
<It should be fine. Add Melafix to the water.>
Also he sold us a rope fish and told us it eats flakes. About a week
later we noticed he wasn't moving & wasn't eating. Looked him up on
the net and found out it eats live worms and fish.
<Correct but I'd stick with the worms.>
We fed it worms we dug up and he bounced back quickly.
<Be sure there are no pesticides or fertilizer being used, where
you're digging up the worms from. Best to get black/bloodworms from
a reputable shop. Be sure to rinse them thoroughly in a brine
shrimp net. You might want to put them into a cone worm feeder, so
they don't all crawl into your gravel.>
The pet store owner insists we shouldn't feed it worms only tropical
flakes. What is your opinion?
<I think you have figured that one out on your own...>
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
<Be sure to cover any & all openings in the top of your tank & never
leave the top open. Every single ropefish I've ever had (even with
taping up all openings) has figured it's way onto the floor & dried
up. They also like the company of other ropefish. As far as your
Bala shark, they grow quite large & are schooling fish. ~PP>
Thank you, Cera H
Oh no! Maybe it wasn't dead!! Ropefish, the lack of utility of "vacation
feeding blocks" 6/29/05
Hello, I'm writing on behalf of my husband. He's really the aquatic
enthusiast. I've spent the last hour or so reviewing your site and reading over
the BichirFAQ's. Before I get to my dilemma, I want to commend you on a
spectacular and informative site.
<Welcome>
Also, I am glad to see someone demand better grammar in their postings. This is
the first time I've ever taken the time to post on any site as I am usually
quickly turned off by the sheer volume of grammatical errors.
<Me too... err, I as well!>
My husband and I were on vacation about two weeks ago and had my mother in law
come to feed our pets. Because his mother would not be able to feed the fish
for the first weekend we were away, we purchased a 7 day feeder for the fish.
<Mmm, most of these are bunk nutritionally... as well as caustic to water
quality>
He has a Bala shark, two bottom feeders, and two other semi-aggressive fish, but
I'm not sure what they are. Until we went on vacation, he also had a rope fish
approximately 12 inches in length. This was by far my favorite fish. A few
days into our vacation, his mother called and said that the fish appeared
dead. She said it was floating on the top with its head down and the fins were
not moving.
<Perhaps just "natural behavior">
After reading the information on the site, I am astonished at what hardy fish
they are! I am afraid that my husband's rope fish was not in fact dead, but
simply ill. Is there anything you can tell me that would indicate if this was
the behavior of a sick rope fish?
<That it did not move at all... would not respond to the top being lifted, being
prodded... That (ultimately) white, reddish marks occurred on its body>
Tragically, she removed the fish from the tank and disposed of it, so it's too
late now to save it, but we are trying to replace it and wouldn't want to have a
repeat performance. I was hoping you could tell me the likelihood that the
feeder was the culprit.
<It was at least a contributor, I agree>
The feeder made the water very cloudy. We changed the filters right away and
this seemed to remedy that problem.
We usually fed it frozen bloodworms and pellets. Is it possible it didn't like
the new food and starved?
<To some extent, yes>
The other fish all seem unscathed.
<They likely just went w/o food as well...>
My husband is very upset because he has only lost one fish in over two
years. He also changes the water and vacuums about once a month. Thank you for
your help.
Danielle
<A lesson learned re "feeding blocks"... I will post your input... know that you
have saved many other organisms through your writing. Thank you, Bob Fenner>
|
|
