rope fish
 

i saw a rope fish in the lfs it was in a tank with african cichlids, i was wondering if this is a good combination, as i was thinking of gettin one.

Re: rope fish
 

first question what is your tank size? basically rope fish duh as the name it gets very long and id say a good tank size would be a 75gallon thats my guess i doubt you could do less than that....

Actually, a smaller tank would be fine, as long as it's long. Rope fish don't need very deep water as they need to surface to breath the air. They are excellent escape artists though- you'll need a well secured lid with no holes or ability to open. A 40 long or 45 long would be more than sufficient.

As for tankmates- they thrive in a species only tank. While the water parameters are probably compatible, the rope fish would be picked on and out competed for food, as they are actually quite docile creatures. They are social fish and should be kept in groups. Some fish that would probably go well are birchir and plecos, provided their sizes are compatible so no one fits in anyone else's mouth. They come from a range of water parameters, so they're pretty adaptable to that.

ahh well where i read thats where it says a 75g was minimum but umm okay

well i only gt a 55 gallon tank.

a 55 will be fine for a rope fish

Hello, Im a new member and this topic intrigues me.

My mother had a rope fish and i Loved it, but as of now I have a 20g tank with 3 African Cichlids, I was wondering if I were to move up to a 55g tank and put 2 rope's in would they coincide with one an other or would they starve out?


Also I understand that ropes eat feeder guppies, but so do my African Cichlids so would a combination of guppies and flake food be alright?

I have 2 rope fish in my 120 gal community tank, and they are doing really well. I have neon tetras, zebra danios, upside down catfish, algae eater, bala shark, rainbow shark...to name a few of their mates. Rule always is, if the fish is small enough to fit in their mouth, they will eat it. Although, I have had my 2 rope fish for about 4 months now and they have never eaten, or even attacked another fish.

If they aren't aggressive cichlids, it might not be a problem. The thing is, with the shape of a rope fish, they can become very attractive to aggressive cichlids. As long as they are peaceful, I dont see a problem.

I wouldn't do that at all. First of all, African rift lake cichlids are very aggressive and will probably terrorize the rope fish. Secondly, rope fish need water kept at a lower pH than the water your Africans should be in. Third, ropefish are known to be picky eaters and many will only eat live foods like feeder fish and live worms until they can be weaned onto frozen foods. This is a problem, because most African cichlids are mainly herbivores and should be on a spirulina based diet for best health. However, they will certainly eat feeder guppies, which isn't at all a good diet for them. So, it would be impossible to give both types of fish a proper diet if kept in the same tank.

rope fish ciclids
 

i have a 72 dome front and i have about 40 to 50 fish, 2 plecos and a rope fish who is now been in that tank for 5 to 6 years and is so far 1 foot long fat and heathy he eats during normal time (same time the other fish are) and eats alot i have not had a problem yet in the years i had the tank
his name is lassooooo:-D