Sorry if this is in wrong section but.......

[QuestionSleep]

I recently went to a pet store that I trust. I had wanted a rope fish for a while, and had never really seen one there before, so when I saw it, I asked her "Would it be okay in a 10 gallon tank?" she said "yes, as long as it was the only rope fish" and she said she would get the shortest one for me. So I trusted her since that pet store has given me good advice before.
When my dad came home and noticed it(he knows more about fish than I do) he said that the fish looked a little big for the tank, and that I at least needed a 30 gallon one. So I looked up information on the internet, and all the information said to get a large tank.

So, my question is:
Will it be harmful for the rope fish to live in the 10 gallon tank untill I get a bigger one? and how many gallons should I get?

 

[sky.eyes.woman]

The species profile here-
http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0490&view_records=1
It says minimum tank size is 90 gallons. (Ouch!) :thud:
If this fish will grow to 36" like the profile says, you'll want to put it in the biggest tank you can afford as soon as you can afford it.

 

[qtaquaman]

tank size

A 40gal long would be a decent tank for more long term. The problem is the difference between short term care information(10gal being sufficent) and long term care info,( a 40gal being more appropriate). I suspect the issue of long term vs. short term was not addressed properly. Many of us with multiple tanks like LFS employees take the switching up of tanks for granted and don't think too much about it. The beauty of the ropefish is that is does not need alot of water to live in the sense that you can keep a big,long fish in a low gallonage tank. Go for shallow long tank to upgrade to in the future.

 

[StreetCypher]

I think a ropefish would do good in a 55g. I think the AC profile overestimates their max size in aquariums, although i wouldn't doubt they reach that size in the wild.
The bigger the better, but i'd say min 55g for life.

Oh yeah, how long is it? If its still a baby a 10g will be ok for months, but if it already looks cramped i'd say don't put any other fish in there and get a larger tank soon.

 

[ArkyLady]

Be sure to keep the top of your tank very secured or he'll escape and you won't have to worry about getting a larger tank

Seriously though, they are notorious escape artists. I lost both of mine that way and I thought it was secured lol