|
|
FAQs on Ropefish Systems
Related Articles: Bichirs &
Ropefish, Family Polypteridae,
Related FAQs: Ropefish 1,
Ropefish 2, &
Ropefish ID, Ropefish Behavior,
Ropefish Compatibility,
Ropefish Selection,
Ropefish Feeding,
Ropefish Health,
Ropefish Reproduction, & FAQs on:
Bichirs
1, & Bichir Identification,
Bichir Behavior,
Bichir Compatibility,
Bichir Selection,
Bichir Systems, Bichir Feeding,
Bichir Disease,
Bichir Reproduction,
|
|
|
Re: Questions Regarding Rope Fish
8/5/09
Dear Sir,
Just wanted to thank you for the kindness and for caring, and for taking
the time to reply to my questions. Your website is truly awesome and
very-very informative. If I may speak personally here, it is really a
boon
and a gift for beginners and learners like me. Thanks again !
<Happy to help.>
Sir, just wanted to request you for one last favor ( please forgive me
if I'm bothering too much ) I've attached 2 pics of the tank in which
I've housed these 6 Ropes. It will be a great help if you can kindly
have a look at the same and guide me if the aquascape looks ok for them.
I've tried to imitate a 'forest-floor' like environment for the ropes,
with plenty of hiding caves, pipes etc I've even ordered a few catappa (ketapang)
leaves for them ( to make the water slightly acidic and to enhance the
forest floor look )
<Looks quite nice in terms of hiding places. I'd actually recommend
silica (lime-free) sand rather than gravel, but apart from that, no
obvious problems. If you can, adding floating plants would reduce the
risk of them jumping out, and would encourage them to swim about during
the day.>
Sir, please guide me if I can have them as it is in this aquascape or do
I just keep one big clay pot as a cave for all 6 ropes and leave the
rest of the base empty with just the gravel for them browse around. I'm
asking this because 2 of my ropes are pretty big and I'm afraid that
they may find the tank too cramped up with the pipes, driftwood, rocks
etc...
<Ropefish are gregarious, and seem to like sharing hiding places. So
while there should be other caves available, I wouldn't be concerned if
mostly they just bundled up together in one cave.>
Please guide me and help me decide between the existing aquascape or the
empty one with just one cave. Kindly let me know if these fish (in the
wild) like open spaces with very few hiding caves or do they live in
such cramped environment with many caves.
<If you add some floating plants for shade, you could add some
characins.
Congo Tetras are ideal if you have space, but anything else in the 5-10
cm size bracket would work, too. Just avoid "nippy" species that would
bit the fins of your Ropefish.>
Thanks again for all the help and for showing the way to beginners like
me. Lots of Regards and Care to everybody there, Kush
<Cheers, Neale.>
|
|
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.>
Ropefish, Really not a Brackish Fish 3/18/07
Hello everyone,
<Hi Andy, Pufferpunk here>
I want to start by thanking you for providing such a valuable resource to
fish/aquarium enthusiasts like me!!
<We try our best!>
Here is my issue: I am in the process of transferring my Colombian Sharks to
brackish water in a 55gallon tank with 2 emperor 400's for filtration. The
water parameters are great except for the hardness. I'm not sure what the exact
measurement is but the hardness is very high. I have been slowly adding salt to
raise the salinity and it is still very low (1.007 SG). In this tank I have: 2
Colombian sharks (only about 3 inches each), 2 spotted puffers, and 2
mollies. All the fish seem to be doing well. Then, I added a
Ropefish and he
died within 3 days. When dying, he was jerking violently around and then
pausing, jerking again, pausing. He did this until he was dead. It was very
sad. Thinking it may have just been a sick fish to begin with, I went and
purchased another to replace him. I have been doing 25% water changes bi-weekly
because I know the aquarium is not established yet. Two days after getting the
second Ropefish, I purchased another from the same
store to give the second one company. Now, the Ropefish purchased after the
first one died had just done the same thing (jerking violently, laying on his
back, dying, etc). I noticed what looked like some blood marks on his stomach
also. He then died. Anyway, needless to say, I'm quite distressed at these
poor guys dying and now feel it is something I'm doing wrong. I'm pretty sure
the 3rd Ropefish is next unless something is changed. Please help! Any advice
is greatly appreciated! Again, the other fish are doing fine.
<It sounds to me like the fish are suffering from osmoregulation problems, from
being placed in brackish water. Did you do a very long acclimation? Ropefish
are generally considered a freshwater fish & are best kept in
freshwater. Raising any fish from FW-BW requires a slow drip acclimation of
raising the container they are in by .001/hour.
I hope you are aware that eventually you will need to upgrade the fish you
already have, to a much larger tank. The GSPs require a minimum of 30g
each. The Columbian sharks can grow to 18" & require at least a 125g tank
(which actually is only 18" wide). ~PP>
Thank you again for your assistance, I do appreciate it.
Andy, Cincinnati, Ohio
Rope Fish Tank Size 9/15/06
Hello,
<Hi Ren, Pufferpunk here>
Just wondering, I have a rope fish (around 4 inches long, male) with
two African clawed frogs (pretty small themselves at the moment,
maybe 1 and a half inches) in a 20 gallon tank. I know the tank is
going to be small in the long run but they seem to be doing fine for
the time being. I was just wondering, what size tank should I save
up for?
<Since these are social animals, they are best displayed in multiple
numbers together. I would keep at least two to a tank. That being
said, I'd save for at least a 40 gallon tank. I'd keep the frogs in
the 20g. They get large (around the size of your fist) & will eat
anything they can fit into their huge mouths! ~PP>
Thanks a lot, Ren.
(P.S. He has dens/caves too)
Ropefish
I live at college and all we're allowed to have is fish, so I decided to
bring my tank with my Ropefish and a few others. Recently, my Ropefish escaped
during the middle of the night.
<Very common... aquatic Houdini's...>
I'm not entirely sure how, because I felt that I had covered the tank very well,
but needless to say, I've now closed practically every square centimeter of the
tank.
Anyway, when I awoke in the morning, the janitor came by and said "Hey, did
anyone lose a lizard?" I followed him to a closet where he had it sitting
inside an empty Gatorade bottle (Poor thing). He was sitting in a circle, so I
had to cut open the bottle to let him out. I immediately put him back in the
tank, where he struggled for a while to remove some
whitish residue that had been building up around his head and part of his
body. Now though, he just sits at the top of the tank in a half circle, with
his head and tail end pointing downward, and his midsection partially out of the
water. Though it has only been a little under a day since I found out about
this, it would like to err on the side of caution, particularly because I can't
stand to see an animal die, especially on what it most likely my error. If you
have any recommendations that you could give me, I would greatly appreciate it.
<I have seen many Ropefish incidents as you cite... among them my own. I would
leave the animal as it is for now, and hope that it recovers (many do). If yours
develops red sores and/or obvious fungal (white, mycelious) patches, I would
elevate the system temperature (to about mid 80's F.) and prescribe an
anti-microbial (likely a Furan compound). Bob Fenner>
My new Clown Knife & Ropefish
I just purchased a Clown Knife (about 6"). I put him in a 25 gallon hex with
a Rope fish and they seem to be doing fine. I've been told that both can grow
quite large. Do you think they'll be ok or should I return them.
<Return them....
My clown knife grew to a length of 25 inches long! It is now living quite
comfortably in a 650 gallon tank... It was originally living in a 150 gallon
tank but outgrew that! The clown knife will reach 18 inches long in about a
year and a half, this fish will NOT be able to live in a 25 gallon tank.
As for the Ropefish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus) These fish will get over 36
inches long as adults... and require a 90 gallon tank. So, that to will not be
able to live in a 25 gallon tank.
I suggest you do some research before purchasing fish, there are many fish that
will do quite nicely in a little 25 gallon tank. Many of them are just as
interesting as these fish. Trust me it's no fun having a fish that is in a tank
too small for it. These fish are sick all the time, and you have to constantly
be changing the water to keep up with the waste output. Good luck. -Magnus>
Ropefish setup question
Hi Bob,
<Hello Bryan>
I somewhat impulsively purchased a Ropefish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus, ID'd
thanks to your excellent page on Polypterids). The folks at the pet store told
me that he ate regular tropical flake food (which I was skeptical of but I guess
I really wanted to fish) I've had mixed success raising fish that require live
food in the past.
<Yes... I'd like to see the people who told you this live on flake food for a
while>
Anyway, not knowing what to do, I bought some cubed freeze-dried Tubifex. He
doesn't seem terribly interested in these, even when I hold them in front of his
face. I wedged them under some rocks and they stayed put for about 20 minutes
before floating. I don't want to just leave them in there if he's not going to
eat them.
<Not likely to accept... You might try some earthworms if you can dig them up,
buy them from a "fishing store", or mealworms... or chunks of cut up beef...>
So my question is, can you describe a setup for feeding these guys? Are we
talking live worms in a feeding cone?
<Larger worms, cut meats (once accustomed to the latter they take same with
gusto>
Is it best to feed them at night or in the morning?
<Toward dark is best>
Do they prefer their food near the surface or at the bottom?
<The bottom>
Is there anything I can put in the tank in the way of habitat (pipe, whatever)
that might make him happy and ease the feeding situation?
<Like plants, driftwood, perhaps a bit, length of plastic pipe>
Any help you can render will be greatly appreciated by me and, I presume, my
Ropefish ;)
Happy holidays!
<You as well my friend. Do try the live worms, mealworms (larval beetles) for
now... training the Rope on to cut meats. Bob Fenner>
Bryan
|
|
