Ropefish growth rate, suggestions

[bagh33ra]

I've just started researching for a tank that I may set up in my new place. I've got a couple of general questions that might narrow my research a bit, and since I just found this place I thought I would go ahead and drop a quick post.

A little background; I used to have a very nicely setup 30gal freshwater tank a few years ago; but due to a return to school and other issues I gave it to a friend of mine with more space/time to care for the fish. It was your basic starter community tank with some cool loaches and gouramis (sp?) and whatnot. Basically fish that my ex-gf and I could agree upon.

Anyway, I'd like to setup another tank, larger this time - probably around 90-130gal or so. I'm considering setting it up with Ropefish as my primary inhabitant, but I've found some conflicting info in researching the species. AC's species profile lists their max size as being 36" - but most other sites describe them as been 12" or so. Does anyone have experience with fully grown ropefish that could help me out? Any notions as to how long they'll take to reach full size?

Anyway, more questions from me to follow; right now I just want to make sure that I plan the tank so that they have room to grow. I would like to have a small community of ropefish with other supporting fish in the tank. I've even considering normalizing (cycling) the tank with a really small and really cheap schooling fish - then leaving a small school resident for the ropes to hunt at night; but maybe this is not a good idea?

:help:

 

[sivic]

As far as stocking with small fish to start the cycle then unleashing ropefish to eat them this when putting them in my new tank. I just bought a couple dozen of rosy reds and let them sit for a week and then let my ropefish have fun. I had my one ropefish for alittle less than a year and it got pretty long, sorry i couldnt tell you how long he got cause i never really tried to accurately guess. I think it depends on the food you feed it that makes it grow faster or not. I could be wrong but if i fed alot of live fish it seemed to grow faster than with feeding it frozen foods, but regardless you do need to mix up their food. Hopefully someone else could give you some information on their growth rates. But thats awesome to have a tank full of them, i wish i still had my 2 but i wanted more fish and decided to sell them. Good luck and send pics when the tank is done

 

[bagh33ra]

Thanks for the quick info on the feeding. The more I read about them the more I want to set up the tank. Will still be a bit before the setup is done; but I'll probably take a series of pics throughout the process since I'm inheiriting a tank that will need some TLC.

Just curious, did you keep your ropes in your 55? (nice pics BTW).

 

[sivic]

When i first got my original one i was new to the hobby and kept him in my smaller hexagon aquarium which might have been overstocked. Once i saw the light( aquarium central ) i moved towards a bigger tank and got rid of some of my fish. And after putting my ropefish in my 55 gallon you could easily tell that he was very happy and alot more active. I enjoyed it so much i bought another one shortly after as they like to be kept together.

When they say ropefish are hard to take care of i think they refer to the fact that so much work needs to be done to feed them. They arent like normal fish that just eat the food. You have to make sure they get the food and be patient trying to feed them frozen foods. Its almost an art. My tank got insanely dirty from all the frozen brine shrimp pieces shredded everywhere and other foods i tried to feed. Since ropefish are blind they arent the best navigaters and get scared off extremely easy.

I would recommend keeping them only if you have the time and patience to dedicate to them cause you need to mix up their diet and it seems tempting to always just throw in a dozen or 2 feeders in, but then when you get some sick feeders and your ropefish eats them, you have a bigger problem then.

 

[Calico Goat]

Same with the bichirs, although those are much better hunters. Personally, I suggest using guppies instead of goldfish: the feeder guppies i have seem to be much more likely to be healthier...and they're also easier to breed. I like looking at the ropefish in the stores, they're so pretty...

 

[bagh33ra]

I would recommend keeping them only if you have the time and patience to dedicate to them cause you need to mix up their diet and it seems tempting to always just throw in a dozen or 2 feeders in, but then when you get some sick feeders and your ropefish eats them, you have a bigger problem then.

Ironically I'm sort of looking forward to the whole feeding process. I was considering the presence of a feeder school as one of the variety of items to feed them. I hadn't thought of the transfer of illness if they were to eat a sick fish though - that's a good point. :thm:

It sounds like the tank I'm getting is going to be more than ample in size, I'll measure it this weekend, then water test it after I move. Then the real fun begins.

 

[XSeaNX]

I actually dont mind target feeding fish especially after youve had them long enough that they develop their own personalities.

feeding my 2 stingrays by hand is fun. my Reticulas I just trained a few weeks ago to take food by hand so I usually have to get right up to him with it....then he "plops" onto my hand a starts to eat everything in sight....I know theres no more food left when he starts sucking on my finger. With my Leopoldi I normally dont get that far in the tank with his food before hes all over me. Its cool because the Leopoldi is more used to me and allows me to "pet" him where as my reticulas is still a little skittish to anything else my hand is doing (unless it has food )

If you do start target feeding remember that you have to feed by hand EVERY time when training that way it becomes use to you as a linked association to food. This might work against you however when cleaning the tank....I cant get my leopoldi off my hand when Im vacuuming the tank's sand. Once they are trained feeding should become a simple task.

Also if hand feeding doesnt work then I suggest a turkey baster or forceps (for feeder fish) for feeding.

 

[StreetCypher]

Since ropefish are blind they arent the best navigaters and get scared off extremely easy.

Just a small correction, ropefish aren't blind. They may seem blind though because their main sense is smell.

I'd stay away from LFS feeders, too much disease and aren't generally very nutritious anyways. Once accustomed to the tank as soon as food hits the water they should be out and about trying to find it.

Try feeding it small chunks of market fish, prawn, squid, scallops, anything seafood, as well as pellets.