LOL! I remember a cichlid tank I had in Ohio that also had a rope fish. Ropes are escape artists and, being a lung fish, can survive quite a while out of water. No matter how much I tried I could never seal the tank hood enough to prevent escapes... never did figure out how the thing got out... One night (I worked 2nd shift) I got home from work and no rope in the tank. Looked everywhere and no luck. I gave up and figured that the dog got it. Then and now I use under gravel filtration with air risers. Had to be close to a month later I'm looking at the tank, just chilling, after work and here is my rope swimming up one of the under gravel filtration air risers and back in the tank. It had been living under the filter plates for all that time. It was no worse for wear and just went back to his stacked slate cave. It was like nothing ever happened from his view and he even came up to the surface to take a meal worm out of my hand when I tapped the water surface, ya, he ate from my hand. Needless to say I went out the following morning and got some slotted caps for my air risers. I have zero idea as to how he got past the air stones in the risers but he did.
Oddly my Blue and Yellow Acaras became MUCH more active for a day or two after the rope came back. It was like they were welcoming back a gang member. The Blue was about 5 inches and the Yellow about 4 inches while the rope was around 8 inches. The rest of the cichlids showed no difference. Don't know how to explain that other than food sources as the Blue, Yellow and rope were usually in the same area especially when giving live food such as feeder golds for the cichlids and meal worms for the rope. I think the rope liked what was left of the feeder golds and the cichlids liked getting the meal worms.
Sorry, I'm nostalgic rambling but that was beyond a doubt my favorite tank. Even built a cave system on the back glass that the convicts liked. I probably spent a month building before even adding any water. Pulled off the supposed impossible having Blue and Yellow Acara, convicts, Jack Dempsey, Green Terrors and a rope all living in peace in the same tank without issue. The 'trick' was that it was a large tank and all the cichlids went in as juveniles of about half an inch and had time and space to set up their territories. Sigh, I SO MUCH wish I could have another 100 gallon plus tank in my apartment. I could probably move my cockatiel's penthouse and arrange to fit such a tank but am just too afraid of putting a tank that is going to weigh at least half a ton on the floor of a third floor apartment...
