New to Rope Fish - help on set up

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
jaws7777 said:
Man im being lazy lol whos gettong the pearsei ? Read a couple posts back and cant figure it out
Click to expand...

is your pearsei named hulk? if so, it is me asking :) i seen it on another thread somewhere and love it. i think you have it in a tank with poly's? was wondering how big the fish is and what size tank it needs. i looked up the pearsei and that is the one i seen, beautiful fish :)

been trying to plan out what "wow" fish to put in with poly's and ropes. i don't have them yet, just the one rope. but will be getting a 55 sooner than expected. would it fit in there until summer/winter next year? i'll be setting up a 150 at that point. all the others that have interested me are either not a good fit or too small. other fish suggested are nice but not fully catching my attention.
 
There are plenty of tankmates you can keep with polys, don't be discouraged. And you have plenty of time to figure it out! One thing that doesn't help you right now is that they're only in a 10 gallon tank which is really small.

The persei cichlids here are Hulk ( J jaws7777 ) and Porkchop ( DMD123 DMD123 ) and I believe they are in 300 gallon tanks. Not sure a 150 will do it.

The Severums don't appeal to you? I think they're really pretty, and you could get a variety of colors.

You might consider Heterospilus cichlids - they're pretty and you could keep a group of them.

What about Blue Acaras, Sajicas, or Green Terrors? Do you like those? I'm not a cichlid expert but if you do maybe others can confirm they'd be OK and how many in a 150. If you think you might want a cichlid of some sort you should go in the CA/SA cichlid subforum and ask for ideas of something that is colorful and could live for life in a 150 with ropefish.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: DMD123
(I would recommend Paratilapia Polleni / Bleekeri because I want one however I think the ropes would eventually become a potential snack once the Polleni got large enough.)
 
Last edited:
magpie said:
There are plenty of tankmates you can keep with polys, don't be discouraged. And you have plenty of time to figure it out! One thing that doesn't help you right now is that they're only in a 10 gallon tank which is really small.

The persei cichlids here are Hulk ( J jaws7777 ) and Porkchop ( DMD123 DMD123 ) and I believe they are in 300 gallon tanks. Not sure a 150 will do it.

The Severums don't appeal to you? I think they're really pretty, and you could get a variety of colors.

You might consider Heterospilus cichlids - they're pretty and you could keep a group of them.

What about Blue Acaras, Sajicas, or Green Terrors? Do you like those? I'm not a cichlid expert but if you do maybe others can confirm they'd be OK and how many in a 150. If you think you might want a cichlid of some sort you should go in the CA/SA cichlid subforum and ask for ideas of something that is colorful and could live for life in a 150 with ropefish.
Click to expand...


forgot to tell you, i did look up the severums, beautiful fish and i would totally go for that one. from what i found though, the ph they need is in the 6. and my tank runs 7.8 to 8.1 ph. so it would be too high for it. if not for that, that would be the winner hands down.

Heterospilus is another beauty, but the tank temp it needs is higher than the temp my tank is at (didn't think to ask, what temp do poly's need? my tank runs at a steady 77 room temp). if they will need a heater for higher temps, then the heterospilus will work. blue aracas needs a different temp as well. sajica "might" work but the ph it needs is right at my low level to just lower than what my tank ever reaches. depends on how hardy they would be with a slightly higher ph. green terrors would work all the way around as well.

i just looked those all up, just to see their pic and temp/ph needs. so there are some possibilities there. i never even looked to see if the poly's needed a heater and it just occurred to me while typing that several people mentioned them getting stuck or the possibility of them getting stuck behind heaters. think i will go look at that now lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: magpie
Polys seem to be pretty happy around 80-82 IME, and I find they're more active when it's a bit warmer. I think heaters are important for consistency, so would recommend them for any fish you own, particularly with a larger tank.

Severums could work in a pH of 8, especially if you're going for tank-raised vs. wild caught. Steady pH is more important than the actual number with some exceptions and I think discus are one of those exceptions. Wild caught fish in general would be more specific, or it might matter more also if you were going to breed.

Where did you get the info on Sevs needing 6 pH?

Once again, go to the cichlid forum, mention the ropes, the 150 size and your pH. There are a lot of really knowledgable peeps in there. They're not quite as awesome as the poly peeps but that goes without saying. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: bottomdweller72
magpie said:
(I would recommend Paratilapia Polleni / Bleekeri because I want one however I think the ropes would eventually become a potential snack once the Polleni got large enough.)
Click to expand...


*drool* wow that is one beeeeuuuuttttiiifffuuullll fishy!!!! and my tank would meet its needs too. very slow growers, if i got it as a baby, would be safe for a year or 2, i would totally do a second large tank with out ropes just for one of those. now THAT is a "WOW" fish!
 
  • Like
Reactions: magpie
Hahaha I agree!

You know you could get a 75, keep the ropes in it and maybe some smaller upper jaws and then do your 150 with the Polleni with larger upper jaws or lower jaw bichirs... just sayin'.

;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: bottomdweller72
magpie said:
Polys seem to be pretty happy around 80-82 IME, and I find they're more active when it's a bit warmer. I think heaters are important for consistency, so would recommend them for any fish you own, particularly with a larger tank.

Severums could work in a pH of 8, especially if you're going for tank-raised vs. wild caught. Steady pH is more important than the actual number with some exceptions and I think discus are one of those exceptions. Wild caught fish in general would be more specific, or it might matter more also if you were going to breed.

Where did you get the info on Sevs needing 6 pH?

Once again, go to the cichlid forum, mention the ropes, the 150 size and your pH. There are a lot of really knowledgable peeps in there. They're not quite as awesome as the poly peeps but that goes without saying. ;)
Click to expand...


i will venture over there later tonight or tomorrow :)

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/GoldenSeverum.php#Aquarium Setup

this is where i got the info. it wasn't a full on research, it was a "google the name and click the first link not an ad" type search.
 
magpie said:
Hahaha I agree!

You know you could get a 75, keep the ropes in it and maybe some smaller upper jaws and then do your 150 with the Polleni with larger upper jaws or lower jaw bichirs... just sayin'.

;)
Click to expand...


hmmm me thinks you are onto something ;) nothing is ever set in stone! would the ornate work in the 150 with the polleni?
 
  • Like
Reactions: magpie
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom