Rope Fish Questions

lost d plot

Quick stats:
Name:
Erpetoichthys calabaricus
Origin:
West Africa
Size:
Up to 35" (90cm) Total Length
Tank:
400 L
pH:
6.0 to 7.5
Hardness:
Soft to hard. dH range: to 22.0
Temp:
79ºF to 86ºF (26-30°C)

Classification: Family:
Polypteridae
Order:
Polypteriformes
Class:
Actinopterygii
Genera:
Erpetoichthys
Species:
Calabaricus

Common name:
Reedfish, Ropefish

Distribution
Africa: Cameroon and the Niger river. Ogun River mouth in Nigeria to Chiloango River in Congo Brazzaville

General Body Form:
Long and snakelike, there are no Ventral fins. The dorsal fin is broken up in a series of ten or eleven individual small finlets which is usually not extended so rarely seen. The anal fin is similar with the males having twelve to fourteen rays and the female nine to twelve

Coloration:
Not a striking fish the body is basically green, with the exception of the belly being yellow and the Black spots at the base of the pectoral fins

Maintenance:
The most important aspect of keeping the reedfish is a very tight fitting cover, they are escape artist and will fit out of the smallest holes. If they do manage to escape they have been known to survive for several hours out of water and it may be possible to save it if found in time. The aquarium should be heavily planted and provide plenty of hiding areas among roots or driftwood. Good filtration and the addition of some sea salt is beneficial. Try to keep a minimum of two fish. Generally peaceful and will get along with most fish, try to avoid keeping them with large Cichlids. The reedfish is a nocturnal eater and can be easily fed on crustaceans and insect larvae and can adapt to the more meat like available foods such as tubifex, bloodworms and earthworms. They will eat smaller fish if given the chance

Biotope:
Heavily vegetated Swamp or marsh areas of the Niger river delta

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile90.html

crazy4fish

that was so helpful. will they eat flake food? and last thing. are guppies small enough to be eaten by them?

lost d plot

Like a lot of species they will eat anything that will fit in their mouths..

They may eat flake but mine does not even get the chance to try it...

Reedfish hunt by smell and have poor vision so if kept in a communal tank like mine is rarely get a chance at feeding times..

I feed mine bloodworm, tubifix, muscles etc.. I've read they like nitecrawlers but have yet to find any for him..

One trick for feeding is to place some food in the bottom of a bottle and sink it to the bottom of the tank the reed fish can swim into the bottle and have a feast whilst the other fish wish they were slim enough to fit through the bottle neck.. Make sure you use a clear bottle it's quite entertaining to watch..

Other than that I would place some food in the same place in the tank ever night whilst the other fish are resting. With the tank in darkness he would have a much better chance of sniffing out his meal and would also learn where to go for his meals..

crazy4fish

thats a really good idea! thanks. but will they eat guppies?