Ropefish

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Veacane

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 13, 2008
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Pennsylvania
Still kinda new to aquaria so I was wondering if it would be ok to get a ropefish or some kind of bichir for my 90gal which will have 2, 6" oscar. Also I was wondering if anyone knew the name of a certain substrate, it is small brown and black chips of stone I belive it started with a "R" thanks for the help. :)​
 
ropefish can get to be a rather long fish, albeit very slender. i would think a 90 would be ok depending on the footprint of it, but larger is always better.

make sure your tank is covered as tightly as possible with no openings. ropefish are the houdini of fish and will find any and every opening they can. as far as oscars for mates, it will depend on the oscar. they could view it as a very long worm, and thats gonna be it. i lost a rope to an oscar, so i personally dont reccomend it. you could try a polypterus which i do have luck with oscars with, as long as the poly is much bigger than the oscar and has some girth it seems
 
i have a ropefish and i havnt seen it eat in 5 months but its still alive ? ?
 
i_love_fish;2033542; said:
i have a ropefish and i havnt seen it eat in 5 months but its still alive ? ?
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he's got to be eating something. may just be shy. drop food in before you turn the lights out, and dont worry. a fish would be dead if not insanely skinny and weak if he was lucky to be alive after no food that long (had a betta literally go for 6 months no food, swear to god. wasent pretty looking)
 
Veacane;2033482; said:
Would a Delhezi or Weeksi be ok? Also the oscars are pretty mellow but they might surprise me.
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they would be possibly, but there expensive to try with. try a senegal, since their generally easier to find at a larger size, and still wont be much money. ive seen some nice fat sens around 6-7" for only $10-20.

and yes indeed, oscars can very well surprise you. mine was extremely mellow, but he decided my 13" ropefish looked good enough for dinner the first night. yet he leaves my 2" breeding cons alone, as well as my 3" delhezi. so go figure......*knock on wood*
 
I have 4 ropes with a 3 inch baby oscar. Haven't seen any aggression yet. But i think it is a matter of time. I don't like the way my oscar stares at my ropes. He also eyes up my needlefish throughout the day. The oscar is currently one of the smallest in my 150 gallon, so I think he just wants to look like a hard a**

As for eating habits of the ropes....they eat when they feel like it. They are not like oscars. They eat on their time, not because there is food around. When i first got mine I never seen him eat and he seemed bored and depressed. I bought 3 more ropes and they all became very active. Just make sure your water is good and no one is picking on the ropes. I got mine to start eating by popping in some tiny sinking food made by Tetra. It is litterally a bunch of sinking crumbs. Now I can feed them veggie wafers by hand. They have to feel comfortable enough to come out during the day. Make sure no one is picking on it and make sure there is always going to be food by his home when the lights go out. They seem to take a while to get adjusted to new tanks, get another rope and I guarentee you see a whole different scenario.
 
Keeping a rope in a 90 is fine, but I can almost guarantee the oscars will eat the rope once they get larger.
 
Two oscars in a 90gal with a ropefish? I wouldn't do it.

1. The oscars will grow up and eat the ropefish.....and possibly choke on it.

2. I really think that 90gal is enough for one oscar but not two, but that's just my unexperienced opinion.

razzle dazzle
 
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