Look what the cat dragged in

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Spiritofthesoul

Spiritofthesoul

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Dec 3, 2010
4,692
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Singapore
Ok I was getting some Hikari Sinking Pellets from my LFS as I was running out of them (can't help if i have pigs in my tank). And I happen to stumble upon this beautiful fish.

Because right infront of me, in a 10g tank is a large ropefish. Its about 10". Now under normal circumstances, I wouldn't get any more fishes as my tank is quite stocked. But here in SG, ropefish are very hard to find.

So I asked the shop keeper how much was it. It was only 9 BUCKS!!! So I just grab it and bag it.

Here are some acclimation pictures. Sorry for poor quality, this fish just won't stay still for a decent shot.

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Just a few questions

  1. How large do they get?
  2. Can it co-exist peacefully with an Ornate of a similar size
  3. Will they eat Hikari Sinking pellets?
  4. Are they active and sociable?
  5. Will this be enough to prevent them from escaping? [Pictures below]
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I have mine with x3 Sens, and mine only eats Bloodworms I've never seen mine eat a pellet. They are fun and amazing fish to watch though.
 
20-30'' in captivity, probably not a good idea to keep with ornates as ropes grow very slow. they are very active and social and best kept in groups, right now i have 4 in a 55 gal growout and they spend all their time together hangin out in a clump of roots i have hanging in the tank

cheers
Jordan
 
12" is the largest I have ever seen, but you often read that they get 36" in the wild. I've never heard of anyone seeing one that size though.
It should be OK with and ornate while smaller. Once the ornate starts to grow though, the rope will be in danger.
My 3 eat NLS pellets very eagerly, as well as shrimp.
They are very active and seem to prefer being in groups. I've never kept one alone for more than a week or so.
That should keep them in, but always with polys, there are no guarantees. :)

Congrats on the pickup. They're still one of my favourite fish, and are my wifes fav.
Any idea on whether it's a male or female?
 
No, How do you identify the gender? I know that polys can be identified by their anal fins, but what about ropefish?
This is my first time keeping one. Now I know why they are so addictive. They look like freshwater snakes. Even the way they swim, in the zig-zag manner.

And also do you think it would find company with bichirs? They are from the same family after all. I think my rope has been accepted by the other polys. The senegal nudge at it for awhile, the delhezi ignored it, and now the rope shares the same "cave" as the ornate, they even bichir pile together.

Here is a pic of him and the ornate

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Sex them the same as bichirs. It's even more pronounced in ropes. Females anal fins are incredibly small. Mine get along fine with the dels, but they pretty much ignore each other. The ropes are usually together. Looks pretty cool when you have three of them all intertwined in the middle of a bolbitis with just their heads sticking out.
 
Ok I'll try to sex him tomorrow. He is still shy and hiding in the cave. In fact i think he is bullying the ornate. My ornate is kind of a timid one. He got chased out of his cave by the ropefish. :ROFL:
 
the six that i have some are very active and out swimming all day long and some hide..i think it just depends on the fish...i havnt had any try too escape i think if you keep your water good it helps with that...
 
  1. How large do they get?
  2. Can it co-exist peacefully with an Ornate of a similar size
  3. Will they eat Hikari Sinking pellets?
  4. Are they active and sociable?
  5. Will this be enough to prevent them from escaping? [Pictures below]
1. Guys, as many people has comment as they grow to 30 plus inches... THAT IS NOT TRUE!!! They can grow to a max of only 12 inches. People most commonly state that they grow to 3 feet (36 inches). Not true as i said earlier! For one rope, you can easily put it in a tank smaller than you expected (30 gal would be good for a few ropes).
2. Yes, they can co exist with ornates and other bichir. Ropes are faster than you think.
3. Obviously the WILL! They are related to the bichir. If they won't somehow, strve him for a few days. The only issue is, some ropes have eating problem which they won't eat for a very long time. There is a guy that have a measly old rope that would eat any food until after 3 months!!!
4. i'm not that sure on this one. But the ones in the LPS are pretty active and sociable (they won't fisht or any thing).
5. never heard of a rope excape. They have the bad eyesight. just sucure the lid it something heavy. It take a large one to just slightly pop open the lid. Just a small openning on ur lid doesn't mean ur rope will escape.

NOTE: In my LPS the ropefish sometimes rest on the floating thing on it's tank (I know its weird). mybe U should put a floating platform for your ropefish.

Hope it helps!
 
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