Ropefish eating small tankmates

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mcdeali

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Jun 20, 2004
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OK OK OK...I know I was warned...I tried to get rid of them and no one will take them....now we are looking for another tank...meanwhile I am trying to persuade the ropefish from eating the expensive decorative fish, i.e. platys and tetras.

Now my question is will feeder fish mess up the nitrites in the tank. And what kind of feeder fish do I get these pigs and how many do I get at a time? I am down to two mickey mouse platys and three tetras and the mickey mouse platys are my 5 yr old's (for obvious reasons) and she is going to be so heartbroken.

They are eating frozen bloodworms for now and it is definetly not enough.
 
feeder fish are like any other fishes and will generate ammonia, which will be converted to nitrite and nitrate eventually. If you don't overstock then it isn't a problem.

What can be a problem is disease. Feeder fishes are raised in poor conditions and are susceptible to diseases and carrying them.
 
Agreed with phanmc, If you do use feeders (not a bad option aside from the disease possibility) I would go with something much smaller than the fish in the tank. Probably guppies, or maybe rosy reds. Feeders tend to create higher nitrate levels do to the waste generated through digestion f the feeders, but not to an extent that it's a huge problem, you may have to up your water changes a bit untill you resolve the situation with another tank, but it might save your ornamental fish. BTW have you looked at a tank divider for the time being, it may be an easy quick fix until the new tank arrives
 
Thank you so very much...the divider was an awesome idea....I feel silly for not thinking of it myself.

How many feeder fish for 2 ropefish per week? Or should I do more so my nitrites will even out without me messing it up weekly?
 
I'm not familiar with a ropefish's diet but I'd imagine a couple of feeders per day would be enough for one and wouldn't throw your water chemistry out of whack.
 
ok..cool..my husband suggest we buy 20-25 feeder fish a week...put them in a goldfish bowl and throw in 3-4 per day...I have two ropefish that I am going to segregate via a divider this weekend.

thanks so much for the answers and the divider was truly an awesome idea.
 
Make sure you at least aireate the goldfish bowl a filter would be nice if possible. if temp is low use rosy reds, they are essentially fat head minnows, and will survive better in cooler temperatures.
 
My lfs has these cute plastic goldfish bowl setups...they have everything you need to set up a goldfish tank. That was what we were going to get. My temp in my beta tank and in the 55g are 75 F. Is that too cold for the rosy red's?
 
If I were you I would just buy a 10-20 gallon rubbermaid bucket. They are usually under $5.

Also consider getting rid of those balas. They will eat your smaller fish when they get large.
 
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