# Question regarding Ropefish



## DutchMuch (26 Jan 2019)

ill make them simple:

Can i have a Ropefish in a 40b? Heavily planted, high tech high light tank.

Will it eat my smaller fish? (i dont mind to much if he does)


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## foxfish (26 Jan 2019)

I think they grow pretty big, 12’ or more and eat any small ish they can catch at night.
I would think 200l would be a minimum size tank.
They were really popular where I live around 10 years ago but I have not seen one for sale in recent years.


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## DutchMuch (26 Jan 2019)

huh i did a google search and there were plenty for sale lol...

says they get around 16" max. (inches)

I also read the need a 55g. I wouldnt have mind if they ate my smaller fish, maybe one day ill get another large tank again but most likely not lol. im 20 gallons short!


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## nel.pogorzelska (26 Jan 2019)

Ropefish are rather social fish. I would get at least 75g and 3-4 ropes. They really behave different (and less skittish) when kept in a group.


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## akwarium (26 Jan 2019)

they can grow up to 36 " . So they won't fit in there for long.  They don't like bright light, and are strong enough to destroy a delicate aqauscape.


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## DutchMuch (27 Jan 2019)

nel.pogorzelska said:


> Ropefish are rather social fish. I would get at least 75g and 3-4 ropes. They really behave different (and less skittish) when kept in a group.


thank you! as said before, will hold off


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## Hendre (27 Jan 2019)

Definitely not a fish for smaller tanks as mentioned above. But they are lots of fun to watch, I keep mine in a 250l.


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## nel.pogorzelska (27 Jan 2019)

90 cm is a legend, no scientific information on such a long ropefish. They reach 40 cm easily though, still big fish. They can get used to something around medium-high light over time. I agree that they can destroy scapes easily. Uprooting plants is like a hobby for them. I have to replant some plants weekly. They absolutely love heavily planted tanks, so it's worth the work.  
I got my ropefish a bit by chance, but now after 12 years of observing them I adore them completely. They're interacting in fascinating ways and are really clever.


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## DutchMuch (27 Jan 2019)

nel.pogorzelska said:


> 90 cm is a legend, no scientific information on such a long ropefish. They reach 40 cm easily though, still big fish. They can get used to something around medium-high light over time. I agree that they can destroy scapes easily. Uprooting plants is like a hobby for them. I have to replant some plants weekly. They absolutely love heavily planted tanks, so it's worth the work.
> I got my ropefish a bit by chance, but now after 12 years of observing them I adore them completely. They're interacting in fascinating ways and are really clever.


i remember your tank, you are the ropefish God haha thank you for the help i appreciate it. I think i am now leaning towards a trio of pearl gourami's.


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## nel.pogorzelska (27 Jan 2019)

You can try nano-noodles - kuhli loaches are really cute and you could get 10 of them in a 40b. Not ropefish, but it's something


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## Hendre (28 Jan 2019)

nel.pogorzelska said:


> You can try nano-noodles - kuhli loaches are really cute and you could get 10 of them in a 40b. Not ropefish, but it's something


I own both, and they are both similar!

Have you ever had breeding activity? I have a M/F pair of ropes and P senegalus so I'm curious to see what happens there!


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## DutchMuch (28 Jan 2019)

You guys ever hear of Pangio pangia

Those seem interesting.... think maybe... i could like.... get one... LOL



*im kiding*


Do kuhli loaches need a group of 6+?


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## foxfish (28 Jan 2019)

Kuhils are beautiful fish but you probably need 100 to be able to see one!
They must be one of the most elusive fish out there, if there is place to hide they will find it.
 There will the odd occasion you do get a glimpse of one with the lights on but don’t expect full daytime activity.
Still having said that, I have always found them irresistible.
The weather loach is another eel shaped fish that I have kept and breed.


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## DutchMuch (28 Jan 2019)

foxfish said:


> Kuhils are beautiful fish but you probably need 100 to be able to see one!
> They must be one of the most elusive fish out there, if there is place to hide they will find it.
> There will the odd occasion you do get a glimpse of one with the lights on but don’t expect full daytime activity.
> Still having said that, I have always found them irresistible.
> The weather loach is another eel shaped fish that I have kept and breed.


aight nvm kuhli's are now out of the question >.>


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## Hendre (28 Jan 2019)

Strange, despite a mop and tubing pile I often see a kuhli out and about. Perhaps their age makes a difference, I adopted the fish at 2-7 years old and they had bred before...


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## Conort2 (28 Jan 2019)

My kuhlis are often out and about too, if I put food in they always show themselves.


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## Hendre (29 Jan 2019)

Conort2 said:


> My kuhlis are often out and about too, if I put food in they always show themselves.


+1
Mine are very food orientated.


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## nel.pogorzelska (31 Jan 2019)

Hendre said:


> I own both, and they are both similar!
> 
> 
> Have you ever had breeding activity? I have a M/F pair of ropes and P senegalus so I'm curious to see what happens there!


Ropefish don't really breed in captivity. There are maybe two documented times when they really bred and no records of fry reaching adulthood. That being said... Yes, my ropefish were breeding for some time, my biggest female passed though. They breed only when old enough, mine started being around 8-10 years old. My biggest fry ever was 5 cm long. It passed soon after I took this photo. It's interesting because  breeding polypterus is going rather well and ropes are closely related to them.


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## DutchMuch (31 Jan 2019)

i wonder why rope babies dont make it long in captivity?


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## Hendre (31 Jan 2019)

DutchMuch said:


> i wonder why rope babies dont make it long in captivity?


Polypterus larvae are finicky... On another forum a member has great success using tubifex worms for his babies. 


nel.pogorzelska said:


> Ropefish don't really breed in captivity. There are maybe two documented times when they really bred and no records of fry reaching adulthood. That being said... Yes, my ropefish were breeding for some time, my biggest female passed though. They breed only when old enough, mine started being around 8-10 years old. My biggest fry ever was 5 cm long. It passed soon after I took this photo. It's interesting because  breeding polypterus is going rather well and ropes are closely related to them.


Looks like I have a while to wait. Big fry though! Mind sharing some details? I have some sens that may eventually reach maturity


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## nel.pogorzelska (31 Jan 2019)

I've tried live BBS, micro worms and daphnia and... the fry ate absolutely nothing. I made a mistake though. I found it this big in my main tank and I should have left it there. I don't know what it was eating there, but it was alive and big. After moving it to a separate cycled tank it ate nothing and ultimately died. 
The interesting thing is I don't think ropefish eat their fry. Other fish will try to get it by any means, but I never saw a rope eat one of them. I've never set up a tank for breeding, so my fry was coming and going as other fish were devouring them. This one somehow survived for quite a long time. As per this site information it was probably 5-6 months old at the time.


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## Hendre (1 Feb 2019)

Perhaps a ropes-only system is in order


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