rope fish help

[onah]

i cant get him to eat anything
i put shrimp in the tank incase he wanted a snacK

but he hasnt touched them, nor anything else in the tank! u think he is just still stressed?

 

[WaterPond]

probably. I have read they can be tricky fish. Try some frozen brine shrimp. That is what i feeder fish that won't eat anything else anfd they always do for some reason.

 

[hc8719]

bloodworms or feeder fish may work. oddball fish take awhile to adjust to new foods, but dont be surprised if it doesnt eat shrimp, ive never heard of them doing so, im not saying they wont...

also, ive heard that keeping needy fish on a diet of shrimp isnt good in the long run, constipates alot of fish.

 

[toddnbecka]

If all else fails, find a few live crayfish and/or ghost shrimp. They are part of their natural diet. A live earthworm occaisonally may also be appreciated.

 

[Toirtis]

I will second the earthworm and ghost shrimp suggestion...I have found both to be highly relished by every ropefish that I have kept over the past 25 years. I would also suggest live blackworms and frozen mysis shrimp.

 

[onah]

....

cool, i have 2 ghost shrimp in there right now, and there still in tact, unfortunatly. but i guess he may need a but of time.....

 

[hc8719]

is he big enough to swallow them, fish dont chew mostly

 

[onah]

.....

he is like 9-10" fairly long, they look like they fit in his mouth. my neihbor is an ex owner of a mom and pop lfs here in town and said there notorious for stuffing stuff in there mouths. ehhhh, it looks like time will tell with this one peps.....

 

[toddnbecka]

Any other fish in the tank? Keep the top completely covered, or it will escape the tank.

 

[ChickenMan]

I kept Ropefish for quite some time. What size tank do you have him/her in? How long have you had it?

 

[onah]

.....

i got him on fri i think, i have him in a 10g with some snails and a betta. hes seems cool right now, i am going to put him and the residents in a 20g tall, i am cycling as we speak the way the readings are coming in dosent look like it will be much longer.....

 

[toddnbecka]

They can grow to 36", 55 gallon tank is minimum recommended size to keep one.

 

[onah]

.....

yes this is something i agree with when there 36", but at the moment he can span the tank comfortably, and he will do great in the 20g for a few months considering he is really only sharing it with the betta. i will be getting a larger tank(hoping christmas), but at the moment he dosent appear to not like his temp home, he spends most of his time coiled in half any how, and i really doubt he will be bothered by a 20g, if he starts to show any signs of stress, ill just have to speed up on getting my 55. i did a bit of research on him, i really wanted to make sure he would be ok, especially since the only person in town that sells them stopped. but here are some pics...

 

[toddnbecka]

Ropefish are mainly active at night, it will be swimming all around the tank when the lights are off. If the betta is still there when the 20 is cycled, I'd leave it in the 10 for it's own safety.

 

[Toirtis]

They can grow to 36", 55 gallon tank is minimum recommended size to keep one.

Supposedly, however, after 25+ years experience with them, and having seen thousands, I have yet to see one in captivity that exceeded 26".