Rope fish ???

[Goose3080]

I have a fluval Roma 240 litre tank at the moment, im interested in adding a couple of rope fish to the tank, its no where near over crowded at the moment, in fact it looks quite bear apart for the plants etc, although there are quite a few fish in there, I do know that I would have to get rid of some of the fish and my LFS is willing to take them in, mainly 15 neon tetra's and 5 glow lights, they said they wouldnt give me anything for them, but id rather they have a new home than be eaten.

The remaining fish would be:

2 clown loaches
2 weather loaches
4 marble mollies
10 khuli loaches (if your lucky you'll see 3 at feeding time)
1 bristlenose pleco
4 dwarf suckermouths (apparently they get on with these although these are fairly small which is why I dont understand why I have to get rid of the neons as they are bigger)
4 Siamese flying foxes
3 neon gobbys
2 hill stream loaches
4 5 banded pentazona's
2 swordtails (female)
4 bleeding heart tetra's
1 elephant nose fish

Would this be OK and can I keep 2 in this tank or should I reduce to 1 only ?

​

 

[Boundava]

The rope fish will eat your khulis. They may be slow and blind but they will still eat them. That tank is pretty well stocked I don't know if you should put rope fish in there. What are the dimensions on the tank if it's not long enough you definitely should not put rope fish in there.

 

[jaylach]

I agree that, with what other fish would be there, ropes would over populate.

 

[Goose3080]

The rope fish will eat your khulis. They may be slow and blind but they will still eat them. That tank is pretty well stocked I don't know if you should put rope fish in there. What are the dimensions on the tank if it's not long enough you definitely should not put rope fish in there.

This is the tank, I have 2 external filters running on it, they are hooked together so they work in tandem with each other: https://urmstonaquatics.com/aquariu...2vQOGutMIT4W4qq1Lop1o2j8G7z0jkN4aAmPmEALw_wcB

Rope fish and Khulli's are apparently tank mates: https://www.google.com/search?q=rop...0i390i650l5.5696j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[Wills]

Rope fish are predatory so any small fish will be at risk. As well as the tetras you mentioned and the Khuli Loaches, the dwarf sucker mouths (or Otos) and neon gobies would be at risk too.

You also have a lot of species in the tank and are not keeping them in the right kind of numbers. Both of your larger loaches would appreciate greater numbers but will long term cause problems for you due to adult sizes, so maybe reassess them at some point soon... Your Otos, Pentazonas and Bleeding Hearts need to be in groups of at least 10 and your Hill Stream Loaches and Neon Gobies would also appreciate bigger groups, but you will end up over stocked if you did all of this.

A specialist fish like your Elephant Nose concerns me too, tough to keep and really needs a dedicated, specific set up rather than a community set up.

You mentioned that your tank feels quite bare too and I dont think adding rope fish is going to solve your problems. I'd personally really figure out what you like in your tank and keep more of a few species than a handful of each. Bigger schools and groups are always more confident in a tank and will show them selves more, colour up better and make a better display.

Wills

 

[jaylach]

To add to what Wills said just above could you supply a picture of your current tank so we can see what you are working.

 

[Goose3080]

A specialist fish like your Elephant Nose concerns me too, tough to keep and really needs a dedicated, specific set up rather than a community set up.

Theres nothing to worry about there, shes quite happy, ive had her a year, she eats every feeding time which is every other day and always see her swimming around, it recommended to only keep one as 2 or more fight with each other.

heres a couple of picts, the elephant nose is usually sleeping in the wisteria or the house on the end.

 

[Boundava]

As mentioned before and above, rope fish are carnivores/predatory so will go after the khulis.

The fish you currently have are either lower/bottom level or not schooling. What you seem to be looking for is a schooling fish. You can look for one that matches the tank water parameters.

I agree with the comment that some of your current stock needs to be either bumped up or rehomed.

Clown loaches are social and will become large loaches, too large for your current tank. They would be best in a group of at least 6.
As mentioned, the weather loaches are cold water and also social, best in groups of at least 4-6.

You should up your tetras to at least 12, they will beore active on the tank.

Never had an elephant nose, so can't remark on their needs/behaviors.

 

[ExotixMom]

I have a fluval Roma 240 litre tank at the moment, im interested in adding a couple of rope fish to the tank, its no where near over crowded at the moment, in fact it looks quite bear apart for the plants etc, although there are quite a few fish in there, I do know that I would have to get rid of some of the fish and my LFS is willing to take them in, mainly 15 neon tetra's and 5 glow lights, they said they wouldnt give me anything for them, but id rather they have a new home than be eaten.

The remaining fish would be:

2 clown loaches
2 weather loaches
4 marble mollies
10 khuli loaches (if your lucky you'll see 3 at feeding time)
1 bristlenose pleco
4 dwarf suckermouths (apparently they get on with these although these are fairly small which is why I dont understand why I have to get rid of the neons as they are bigger)
4 Siamese flying foxes
3 neon gobbys
2 hill stream loaches
4 5 banded pentazona's
2 swordtails (female)
4 bleeding heart tetra's
1 elephant nose fish

Would this be OK and can I keep 2 in this tank or should I reduce to 1 only ?

​

As a Rope Fish Mom, I can tell you, they will eat any fish they can fit in their mouths. They are the cutest-face deadly predators you’ll know. So, while your rope fish is a juvenile, you may lose 1-2 fish. As your baby grows, I suggest only fish much larger than their mouth be matched with it.
I recently moved mine to a 20g tall tank with just Tomato Fish…

I have a fluval Roma 240 litre tank at the moment, im interested in adding a couple of rope fish to the tank, its no where near over crowded at the moment, in fact it looks quite bear apart for the plants etc, although there are quite a few fish in there, I do know that I would have to get rid of some of the fish and my LFS is willing to take them in, mainly 15 neon tetra's and 5 glow lights, they said they wouldnt give me anything for them, but id rather they have a new home than be eaten.

The remaining fish would be:

2 clown loaches
2 weather loaches
4 marble mollies
10 khuli loaches (if your lucky you'll see 3 at feeding time)
1 bristlenose pleco
4 dwarf suckermouths (apparently they get on with these although these are fairly small which is why I dont understand why I have to get rid of the neons as they are bigger)
4 Siamese flying foxes
3 neon gobbys
2 hill stream loaches
4 5 banded pentazona's
2 swordtails (female)
4 bleeding heart tetra's
1 elephant nose fish

Would this be OK and can I keep 2 in this tank or should I reduce to 1 only ?

​

As a rope fish mom, I can tell you that they will eat anything they can fit in their mouths. Juveniles may be ok in your tank, but keep counts on your fish bc their numbers will dwindle. I would not suggest keeping an adult with any creatures smaller in diameter.
I just moved my “mid-aged” female into a 20g upright tall tank with my rainbow fish. I’ve given her tall sculptures with holes she can sit in and lots of plants. I drop a few shrimp in after regular feeding and she hunts all night.
Though my rope fish has brought me many laughs and endless smiles, leaving her in my community tank just 4 days too long cost me 12 of my other fish and I had to literally grab her as she went for one of my half-beaks. I love my rope fish, and you will, too. Just make proper accommodations now, before your community takes losses.