Holy crap my Ropefish is crazy...

[illuminum]

I was mindong my own business when I started hearing some very bizarre noises coming from my 30 gallon tank. I turn on the lights to see what's up and I see chunks of algae everywhere. Then I start checking to see if all my fish were there. I couldnt find my ropefish...

I opened the hood of the tank and I caught my ropefish hanging around ontop of the filter media in the filtration system! He had climbed up through the return, dislocated the bio-wheel, and climbed into the compartment where the filter cartridge is. That's not all. When I opened the hood, he immediately peeked out of the tank and wiggled its way out of the tank and onto the cabinet. I panicked and tried to grab him but he was too slippery. He fell to the floor and I was at a loss as of what to do so I took off my shirt, grabbed him with my shirt and threw him back into the tank. This fish is seriously out of control.

This is my 3rd ropefish. The first literally disappeared while I was on vacation never to be found again. The second I found dried up on the floor one morning (I thought I had pludded the escape hole but I was wrong). After I patched every conceivable hole one could crawl out of I purchased my third. He had escaped once when I left the room duting water changes and left the hood open. He has a death wish or something. He's about 1 foot long now.

Just thought I'd share this story with you all. Any ropefish owners have any similar stories?

 

[Mofo2713]

Geez....your tanks overstocked a wee bit?

 

[grimlock3000]

12 gallon Eclipse: 6 cherry Barbs, 5 Columbian tetras, 3 glass shrimp, 2 amano shrimp, 2 neon tetras, 1 one in. pleco, 2 otos, 1 dojo loach

30 gallon tall Eclipse II: 4 Praecox Rainbow Fish, 3 Australian Rainbowfish, 3 zebra snails, 2 Clown Loaches, 2 Congo Tetra, 2 Boesemani Rainbowfish, 2 flying foxes, 1 Blue (German) Ram, 1 Celebes Rainbowfish, 1 Red Irian Rainbowfish, 1 Pictus Catfish, 1 Bronze Corydora, 1 Rummy Nose Tetra
1 Golden Panchax Killifish, 1 Aplocheilus lineolatus Killifish, 1 Common Pleco (~5 in.), 1 candystripe Pleco (~1 1/2 in.)

Sweet baby jesus! 8O 8O 8O 8O

Anyway, Ropefish are escape artists. You need to weight down the lid to your tank and seal it so the fish can not get out. Otherwise, the fish will likely excape again, and one day you will find it dried up on the floor

 

[Fruitbat]

Illuminum...

Not an unusual story where Polypterids are concerned...whether the rope fish or the other bichirs. They're ALL escape artists and will find any conceivable opening to wriggle their way through.

I almost lost my favorite albino P. senegalus about a month ago. I had just introduced it to a brand new, cycled 20 gallon long the night before and I was really tired when everything was set up so I decided to go to bed...leaving a tiny opening in the corner of the tank unplugged. Of course....the bichir found the hole and out he came. I found him on the floor the next morning covered with dust bunnies and a few cat hairs. He was dried out and curled into a U-shape. I figured he was not long for this world but there were still a few flickers of life so I dropped him back in the aquarium. Within 30 seconds his gills were working, within five minutes he had straightened out, and within 30 minutes he was swimming around the aquarium looking for food (still with some cat hairs and carpet fibers stuck to him).

Another fun incident occurred many years ago when I first began keeping bichirs. I had a foot-long P. senegalus that escaped from his aquarium. My big tomcat spotted him as he was squirming his way across the floor and immediately moved in for the kill. Much to the cat's surprise (and mine), the bichir was having none of the feline's nonsense and began to lunge aggressively at the cat, mouth open. Needless to say, I scooped the fish up fairly quickly and returned him to his aquarium. The fish was none the worse for wear and the cat had a new appreciation of long, snaky-looking fish!

 

[QTOFFER]

I was told that if you can fit your little finger in it, a ropefish can escape through it.
My only ropefish escape occurred as soon as I got the fish home and was acclimating the bags. Both ropefish jumped out of the bag and into the tank (at least they didn't choose the floor).

I hope you have more success than I did - my ropefish refused to eat and starved themselves to death.

 

[Toirtis]

I have only ever had a single ropefish escape...even with some fairly wide open areas in my canopies....the trick seems to be to provide lots of wood, lots of plants (particularly grassy sorts), and keep he water-level a couple of inches below the tank top.

 

[illuminum]

My ropefish has been doing great in the tank though. He eats every feeding session and enjoys the plants and driftwood. He's been swimming actively alot more recently.


Oops, I haven't updated the list of livestock in my sig in a while. There aren't as many fish in there anymore. I gave some back to the lfs. Yes, it is overstocked but I can't help myself.

 

[Fishalicious]

The amount that you had in there at that time was seriously insane 8O

-Dan

 

[Mofo2713]

still seriously insane if you ask me...

 

[illuminum]

Does anyont think that he gets hurt going in and out of the filter?

 

[QTOFFER]

Does anyont think that he gets hurt going in and out of the filter?

Well, if he can get into the filter through the return, eventually he may use that escape route to go exploring the carpet under your sofa! 8O

I think you have to either lower the water level a few inches, or construct some kind of mesh barrier that will prevent him from entering the filter.

Putting some hollow decorations or rock caves in the tank may curb your ropefish's desire to cozy down inside the filter compartment.