My Reedfish & Conflicting Info

[danrogy]

Hi all! I'm new here and am glad to find this valuable resource. I purchased a reedfish a couplea weeks ago and he is cool! Now my cat can see the action from across the room and it has become cat TV! My reedfish lives with 2 Buenos Aires Tetras and 2 Sunset Gouramis in a 20 gallon standard-shaped tank. The reedfish is about 10" long and about as thick as a finger. It took him about a week to start eating but now he can get a couplea bloodworms in before the rest of the fish hone in on his chow. I feed him one frozen bloodworm cube a day and I feed flakes 2-3 times a day for the others. I've done a lot of reading and I'm still not sure the best course of action. One website said he'd stay small if I only fed him small bloodworms, but there seems to be disagreement. I won't be getting a larger tank and I don't intend to get another reedfish, but I don't wanna make the creature miserable. Do I have to get another reedfish? Do I have to get rid of this one because my tank is too small? Do I really have to worry about him eating my tetras even though its physically impossible? Thanks in advance for your help!

-Dan

 

[jayjay]

You asked alot of questions there, yes they can eat small fish, yes IMO they need bigger tanks, as for a diet try things like earthworms, bloodworm, shrimp etc. try and feed different things, to vary it's diet.

 

[nmonks]

Reedfish are very nice, but they are sociable, so I'm not sure keeping one alone is a good idea. They are best in groups of three or four, when they become very much more outgoing.

In the long term, yes, as JayJay says, a bigger tank will be desireable. They typically get to about 50-60 cm in captivity. They can eat neon-sized tetras, but otherwise tend to be fairly well behaved (I've kept them with platies, for example).

They're nocturnal, so throw in a few bloodworms or a few chunks of prawn or mussel every night. Once settled in, they'll become a bit more day-active. They normally ignore flake and that sort of stuff.

These aren't the easiest fish to keep. While extremely hardy, they do have a tendency to escape. Make sure the tank is completely covered without even the smallest gap. If there are gaps, eventually, it'll wind up on the carpet. They can survive a fair while out of water (they breathe air) but you don't want to chance your luck.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Fruitbat]

I'll add my thoughts to this thread because Erpetoichthys calabaricus the Reed (or Rope) Fish, is one of my favorites.

I have personally had an E. calabaricus that reached about 24 inches (61 cm) before I donated him to the local city aquarium and he was perfectly capable of taking down a fish about the size of a half-grown Congo Tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus). I've had other Reed Fish that would actively stalk and bite fish the size of a typical tetra or rasbora...even if they couldn't successfully swallow the fish..

That being said....you can house a Reed Fish in a typical 20 gallon aquarium for many years (and they can live to be over 20 years of age), though a larger aquarium would certainly be appreciated. Underfeeding any fish will keep it smaller than its average size but will also result (eventually) in malnutrition, susceptibility to disease and perhaps malformed growth. As a responsible aquarist I'm sure you wouldn't want to subject your fish to that kind of risk. I'm disappointed that any fish-related web site would suggest such a thing.

As for being sociable...E. calabaricus certainly seems to enjoy the company of its own kind more than some other Polypterids but I've never had any Reed Fish develop obvious psychological problems if it was kept without other Reed Fish. Once again...it would be NICE to have more than one but it isn't absolutely essential. Oh...and if your tetras are not at risk now then they will be once the Reed Fish gets large enough to start viewing them as snacks rather than as flashy tank-mates.

nmonks' caution about E. calabaricus being an escape 'artist' is right on the money. This is often the cause of many a Reed Fish loss and you might be surprised at how small of an opening they can get out of.

-Joe

 

[nmonks]

Indeed. Mine lived in a recycled marine tank, and would spend several days of the month in a the tricklefilter until I found a way to stop them getting in there. Provided they were constantly wet, they seem to slither about in there quite happily. Well, maybe not happily, but not fatally anyway.

Cheers,

Neale

nmonks' caution about E. calabaricus being an escape 'artist' is right on the money. This is often the cause of many a Reed Fish loss and you might be surprised at how small of an opening they can get out of.

 

[danrogy]

Thanks for all the advice everybody! I think I've decided to keep the reefish and perhaps I'll get him a stablemate. If in a couplea years I have to get rid of 'em I will. Ya never know, maybe by then I'll have space/interest in a larger tank. I got a 20 gal. all-included kit with a filter that hangs on the back of the tank(so quiet!). The reedfish slithers into & out of the filter but I really don't mind. The lid came with perforations so I could "snap off" the peice so the filter/heater could fit, but there's probably a good 4-5 square inches of escape space. How do you suggest I block off the top of the tank without it looking "ghetto"?

Thanks again

-Dan

P.S. Babylon 5 - miss it

 

[beblondie]

Fiberglass window screen and a cpl dabs of silicone should do the trick-Anne





I don't miss B-5 I have the dvds

 

[pica_nuttalli]

while we're on the subject... do you think a reedfish would eat khuli loaches spagetti-style?

 

[danrogy]

I didn't even know of the existence of fiberglass window screens. Thanks again for the advice! By the way, does anybody besides myself name their fish?

-Dan

 

[Scykotic Belief]

I feed him one frozen bloodworm cube a day and I feed flakes 2-3 times a day for the others.

is it just me or does he sound like hes feeding too much?
your putting alot of waste into your system feeding a cube a day plus 2-3 flake feedings
generally you feed a cube one day and miss the next, its generally more healthy for all the other fish
as for flake feeding, once or maybe twice a day is generally enough. as for bloodworm, have you ever considerd beef hard i find that brilliant food for my Polypterus...^^

 

[pica_nuttalli]

beef heart should only be feed sparingly, if at all. most fish are not adapted to a steady diet of terrestrial proteins.

 

[Scykotic Belief]

beef heart should only be feed sparingly, if at all. most fish are not adapted to a steady diet of terrestrial proteins.

again as i said, feed like the bloodworm not everyday
before i get conflicted again, i fed mine beefheart once every 3 days ^^

 

[danrogy]

I'm gonna do like you guys say and reduce the feedings to twice a day. I've overfed fish in the past and it was evident by the filth at the bottom of the tank. I don't seem to have that problem. The other fish FAR prefer the bloodworms and I feel like the reedfish only gets like two worms per cube before it gets decimated. I try and "bait" the other fish away with flakes so they'll leave the cube alone long enough for it to sink so the reedfish can eat SOMETHING. Am I being overly worried? He looks healthy enough after a month of ownership. I really can't see myself buying all sorts of exotic meats for my fish. Bloodworms or perhaps some other frozen food is really all I have time for.

-Dan

P.S. At this rate I really am becoming a responsible aquarist!