Ropefish and Bichirs

[kno4te]

If i remember correctly don't ropefish prefer a slightly acidic ph too. They've been in three sets of parameters in the space of a short time. If those ph parameters were all over the place could you be looking at some kind of mild to severe ph shock which may have left them vulnerable. It really could be anything though. I hope your remaining three pull through, good luck.

The water can be soft to hard. No preference to pH. Likely were sick and not well ropes to begin with.

 

[Cigfloyd96]

Just curious, how large is the tank?

Also, it definitely does sound like it could have been a stress issue. All of the LFS in my area hold fish at least 24 hours after getting them in before they sell them. A lot of them don't quarantine them though, because they get so many fish in so often that they don't have enough room to do so.

It's a 55 gallon. Long, not overly tall. I know it's a bit small for the amount of fish but I do 25-40% changes 2 or 3 times a week depending on how much I've been feeding

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

I certainly won't be the first to tell you that tank is WAY too small. It might be ok for the rope fish only but in combination with the other fish the tank is very crowded.

Of course, the tire track eel gets way too big for a 55 gallon tank. They can get nearly 36-40" long. If you have had it for three years then I'd say it is very likely stunted already.

In all honesty, I would strongly recommend you rehome some of those fish or get a larger tank, at least a 180, immediately.

 

[Cigfloyd96]

I certainly won't be the first to tell you that tank is WAY too small. It might be ok for the rope fish only but in combination with the other fish the tank is very crowded.

Of course, the tire track eel gets way too big for a 55 gallon tank. They can get nearly 36-40" long. If you have had it for three years then I'd say it is very likely stunted already.

In all honesty, I would strongly recommend you rehome some of those fish or get a larger tank, at least a 180, immediately.

My friend, ive been saving up for one. I'm a college student working for $11 an hour. And my fish seem to get more of my paycheck than I do haha, I swear they eat better than me. But of course I'm doing my best. I have two other tanks (a 35 and a 30) that I'm going to try to move some of the smaller ones over to until I can get a big one. But a good 180 gallon is gonna be out of my price range for a while.

 

[Cigfloyd96]

So, the remaining ropes seem to be doing fine for now. That leads me to believe them some of them were either unhealthy when I purchased them, or the stress of environmental change damaged their health. I appreciate everyone's input! And if anything further happens I'll update you guys.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

Just a thought, have you checked Craigslist? There are usually always some good deals on there for tanks around the 200 gallon range.