Dreaming of Ropefish

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
C

Cat Fish Mama

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 19, 2018
23
9
3
40
Hello, everyone! My name is Misty aka Cat Fish Mama (because I have both cats and fish at home). I am new to MFK and also to the aquarium hobby (3 months). I have 2 heavily planted tanks with livebearers at the moment. I may be a newbie, but I'm not a total n00b. Before adding fish to a tank, I always do exhaustive research to ensure I'm set up for success. Which brings me here...

I recently saw a ropefish at my LFS and was mesmerized by its unique beauty. I have kept reptiles in the past, so maybe that's part of the fascination. I was interested in keeping some of these amazing creatures, but then I read that they need a lot of floor space in their tank and they are quite the escape artists. I dismissed it, since I thought I couldn't set up a suitable aquarium in my home. :(

Then, I started talking to the people at my LFS. They said I could keep a ropefish in a tank with a 36 x 18 inch base to start with. They might grow slowly, depending on feeding and environmental conditions. So I got excited about the possibility and started doing more research. I found conflicting information. I know the people at my LFS are knowledgeable but they also want to make a sale, so I have come here to ask for advice. Here are my questions. If you can share your experience, it would be much appreciated!

1) What tank size would you advise for keeping 2 or 3 ropefish in, to start? I can fit a 36" tank in my home office, but anything bigger and I would have to start looking at displacing non-essential furniture. (Honey, do you really need that dresser for your clothes?) We plan to move in two years, so it would be easy to upgrade at that time. I am considering a biotope setup in a 65 gallon tank so that I can keep the water level 6" below the top, making it harder for the ropefish to escape.

2) I have read that you need to secure the lid and the filter so that ropefish will not escape or die in the filter. I have kept snakes in the past and I used clamps on the lid, but I'm not sure that would be enough. I have cats too, so I don't want to take any chances that the fish would get out and suffer a terrible fate. Can some of you post pictures so I have better idea of how to make the aquarium safe for ropefish?

3) What tank mates would you recommend? Obviously, nothing bite-sized. I am considering gouramis (1M, 2F), angelfish (1), and big Congo tetras (8), possibly a big pleco. Would a pair of Apistogramma cichlids be OK or too risky, considering their cost?

Thanks for your thoughts!
 
  • Like
Reactions: clm08k, magpie and tlindsey
how tall is the 36"x18" footprint tank?

1)50 gallons would be the minimum and getting 3 is better than 2 they are social. As far as keeping the water level low that won't stop them. To give you an idea of the jumping ability of this shape of fish last week I was moving my tank to a new location and my 16" eel was in a cooler with 4" of water all of a sudden I heard a splash and looked over and my eel was 3 feet in the air before falling back into the cooler where I ran over and closed the lid.

2) As far as lids with ropefish you don't need to use clamps or weights they just don't have the mass to knock aside a lid like say a bichir. The big thing is gaps in the lids around cords and filters. Some actually use duct tape over any gaps but I haven't found that necessary in my case. I did lose 2 ropes before my current lids and it really sucks.

3) As far as tankmates the only thing on your list I have experience with are plecos and almost any pleco would work with ropefish however I would stay away from the Pterygoplichthys Genera they are more likely to suck on slimecoats and get HUGE. Truthfully bristlenose would work and depending of size and price your looking for I can make recommendations. The general rule for tankmates with ropefish is as long as it doesn't fit in their mouth and won't harass them it will work.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cat Fish Mama
The 65 gallon tank I am considering is 36 x 18 x 24. Do you have a picture of the lid on your tank, so I can get an idea of how to make the lid secure?
 
Cat Fish Mama said:
Hello, everyone! My name is Misty aka Cat Fish Mama (because I have both cats and fish at home). I am new to MFK and also to the aquarium hobby (3 months). I have 2 heavily planted tanks with livebearers at the moment. I may be a newbie, but I'm not a total n00b. Before adding fish to a tank, I always do exhaustive research to ensure I'm set up for success. Which brings me here...

I recently saw a ropefish at my LFS and was mesmerized by its unique beauty. I have kept reptiles in the past, so maybe that's part of the fascination. I was interested in keeping some of these amazing creatures, but then I read that they need a lot of floor space in their tank and they are quite the escape artists. I dismissed it, since I thought I couldn't set up a suitable aquarium in my home. :(

Then, I started talking to the people at my LFS. They said I could keep a ropefish in a tank with a 36 x 18 inch base to start with. They might grow slowly, depending on feeding and environmental conditions. So I got excited about the possibility and started doing more research. I found conflicting information. I know the people at my LFS are knowledgeable but they also want to make a sale, so I have come here to ask for advice. Here are my questions. If you can share your experience, it would be much appreciated!

1) What tank size would you advise for keeping 2 or 3 ropefish in, to start? I can fit a 36" tank in my home office, but anything bigger and I would have to start looking at displacing non-essential furniture. (Honey, do you really need that dresser for your clothes?) We plan to move in two years, so it would be easy to upgrade at that time. I am considering a biotope setup in a 65 gallon tank so that I can keep the water level 6" below the top, making it harder for the ropefish to escape.

2) I have read that you need to secure the lid and the filter so that ropefish will not escape or die in the filter. I have kept snakes in the past and I used clamps on the lid, but I'm not sure that would be enough. I have cats too, so I don't want to take any chances that the fish would get out and suffer a terrible fate. Can some of you post pictures so I have better idea of how to make the aquarium safe for ropefish?

3) What tank mates would you recommend? Obviously, nothing bite-sized. I am considering gouramis (1M, 2F), angelfish (1), and big Congo tetras (8), possibly a big pleco. Would a pair of Apistogramma cichlids be OK or too risky, considering their cost?

Thanks for your thoughts!
Click to expand...



Welcome aboard
 
Welcome aboard, i sure you’ll be fine to have 3 ropefish in that foot print, ropefish are like snake that they are flexible, even they get long they dont get to much grith so turning and swimming around wont be a problem.
 
Yes magpie magpie kept hers in a 65g. They are absolutely huge too. That tank would be fine. Duct tape is your friend. Ropes will go anywhere they can so watch them closely. I was doing a waterchange and left my gravel vac with both ends in the tank while I was dumping a bucket. When I came back I had two ropes in the vac one on each end and it was a pain to get them out I had to cut the vac hose in half.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cat Fish Mama, magpie and Polyaddict86
A 65 would work for a long while, though I think they would eventually appreciate a 4-ft footprint. They are one of the few fish who would actually use the height of the 65 that I had. If you need to get the 36" footprint, go for the 65 so they have more space to swim in.

Don't bother keeping the water low. As I said, mine used all of the height. Instead, as twenty mentioned, duct tape around the back of your tank, every tiny gap. I think I have a photo somewhere of mine - will try to find it.

Ropes really like plants, more so than other polys IME so you should seriously consider either live plants or at the least fake ones.

Don't get any fewer than 3 ropes.

I love them! They are the most graceful swimmers and have perpetual 'smiles' on their faces. If you look in my long thread about my tank (now since taken down, ropes now live with twentyleagues twentyleagues ) you will see videos of mine eating from my fingers.
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/udon-soba-and-the-noodles.681772/
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cat Fish Mama, twentyleagues, Polyaddict86 and 1 other person
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom