I have a 55 gallon tank with 3 Ropefish. A little back ground. I've had the fish for close to two years. When I purchased them, they were all in the same tank at the store, and not wanting to break up the group, I took all three. There were 2 larger fish(about 10" each), and one smaller fish(about 4-5" long, the smallest Ropefish I had ever seen). They all appeared to be in generally good health, other than being very skinny. Once properly acclimated to the tank, I waited a couple of days I tried to feed them some cut silverside, which they wouldn't eat. Over the next couple of days, tried brine and mysis shrimp with still no interest. On the third day, I tried bloodworms, which they eagerly ate. Once they began eating, I began to feed them the bloodworms every other day, at the same time every day. I also began to mix in some brine and Mysis shrimp, cut silverside chunks, and earthworm, on a rotation to try and round out their nutritional needs. They eat at the same time every feeding. It might be important to note that they share the tank with two Farlowellas(algae control), that each get 1/2 an algae wafer every other day, which I have seen the Ropefish grab, but am not sure they do on a regular basis, as I feed the Farlowellas in the morning before work, and it's still dark in the room. Everyone was eating great until about 2 months ago when the smallest rope stopped eating, and became somewhat inactive. The 2 bigger ones seemed fine. After about 2 weeks of not having seen it eat, and with no outward signs of infection, I medicated the tank with 2 courses of Kanapelx, in case it was an internal problem, and as precaution against other types of infection. Now over the last 2 weeks, the 2 bigger fish have gone from eagerly eating, to picking, to also not eating. Here's a list of the tank set up and chemistry:
55 Gallon tank, naturally planted with Amazon swords, and driftwood for fish to hide under. 1/3 water changed every week, with new water being allowed to sit for 24 hours, and Acid Buffer is added for ph control.
Filtration: Marineland C-220 canister filter. Filter media is changed every 3 months. Tank also has a Fluval U2 submersible. media is also replaced every 3 months. I don't use the ceramic rings in the Fluval, as I use that space for Phosguard, which is replaced weekly, for algae control.
Air pump: Fusion dual port, with air stones at each end of the tank
Heat: Set at 78 degrees
Water Chemistry:
PH- 6.8
Nitrite- .0 ppm
Nitrate- .0 ppm
Phosphate- 0.25 ppm
Ammonia- .0 ppm
The only other thing I can add, is that something similar happened to my previous group of Ropefish, but have been lead to believe that their problem was the result of too much animal fat from a diet that was comprised mostly of beefheart, combined with over feeding.
Hopefully someone can offer some suggestions about a course of action. I read the article above about Ropefish hunger strikes not being uncommon, but the suddenness has me concerned. Thanks in advance for any help!
55 Gallon tank, naturally planted with Amazon swords, and driftwood for fish to hide under. 1/3 water changed every week, with new water being allowed to sit for 24 hours, and Acid Buffer is added for ph control.
Filtration: Marineland C-220 canister filter. Filter media is changed every 3 months. Tank also has a Fluval U2 submersible. media is also replaced every 3 months. I don't use the ceramic rings in the Fluval, as I use that space for Phosguard, which is replaced weekly, for algae control.
Air pump: Fusion dual port, with air stones at each end of the tank
Heat: Set at 78 degrees
Water Chemistry:
PH- 6.8
Nitrite- .0 ppm
Nitrate- .0 ppm
Phosphate- 0.25 ppm
Ammonia- .0 ppm
The only other thing I can add, is that something similar happened to my previous group of Ropefish, but have been lead to believe that their problem was the result of too much animal fat from a diet that was comprised mostly of beefheart, combined with over feeding.
Hopefully someone can offer some suggestions about a course of action. I read the article above about Ropefish hunger strikes not being uncommon, but the suddenness has me concerned. Thanks in advance for any help!
