will ropefish eat live?

[elykyelsna]

ive had my ropefish for about a year, it's well over a foot long now, but ive never seen it eat live food, not even ghost shrimp. are they just not hunters? it loves bloodworms and beefhearts. does anyone have a ropefish that eats live food? if so, what?

 

[Mem]

ive had my ropefish for about a year, it's well over a foot long now, but ive never seen it eat live food, not even ghost shrimp. are they just not hunters? it loves bloodworms and beefhearts. does anyone have a ropefish that eats live food? if so, what?

Comes down to this... never did own one but I did witness a poor senegal being pulled from the mouth of a 12+inch rope at a LFS. Didnt make it. When I asked the kid when it was in there to begin with he said he thought it would be ok since they looked the same! So perhaps that answers your question some

 

[elykyelsna]

wow, i just couldnt imagine... mine seems so docile, i guess in situations where they dont have a good food source, they eat what they can, ive seen too many skinny sickly looking bichirs in stores

 

[messiner]

yeah they will take about anything. including feeders if they can catch them

 

[Fruitbat]

I had a 24 inch Erpetoichthys many years ago that would wolf down any small fish. It was fascinating to watch it strike at them almost snake-like as they passed by its 'lair'. One of my current Rope Fish (about 13 inches) repeatedly grabbed a Yellow-tailed Congo Tetra and held on to it even though the tetra was too big for it to eat. They are every bit as predatory as their stouter Polypterus cousins but their smaller (proportionally) head means relatively smaller prey.

-Joe

 

[ninoe]

i guess so, well how else would they survive in the wild.

 

[Kuda]

yeah they will eat live just like there ornate and senagal cousins

 

[elykyelsna]

mine must be spoiled, all he'll eat is frozen

 

[beblondie]

Let it go hungry a few days it'll hunt -Anne

 

[sandtiger]

Most fish will eat live, I've fed molly fry to my betta before.