Rope Fish or Peacock Eel? (Or neither)

[brandon_rss18]

So i am in the process of setting up a 65 gallon and am doing some livestock planning. I REALLY like Fire Eels but they get pretty large and I dont think my tank is big enough. I know that the Peacock Eel stays a little smaller, so might be more doable. Or if neither of those work, I was thinking about a Rope Fish. Here are my main concerns. Which one of these is going to make it more difficult to keep plants in the substrate? Also, is my tank big enough for any of these choices? Any other suggestions are very much welcome.

[eklikewhoa]

Did you plan on having other inhabitants?

All the above will go after most planted tank type fish or the norm. I would go with the peacock out of the three.

[brandon_rss18]

Yeah, I have thought of other fish, but haven't truly decided on what yet. I do know that I am pretty set on wanting one of the above. I am more interested in the semi-aggressive type fish. Like I said, ANY suggestions are greatly appreciated. Keep them coming!

[troy tucker]

I know there are many eels on the prohibited list. I would check that list befor buying. As for what I like. Ghost knifes are one of my favorite. Not an eel but still cool fish.

[brandon_rss18]

Thanks Troy. Yeah, I like Ghost Knifes also, but MAN they get huge! If I still had my 125 I would get one in a heartbeat. I was thinking about a Peacock Eel and maybe a couple of Angels. I REALLY like the African Leaf Fish but I think they might be TOO aggressive.

[brandon_rss18]

I went into the local Fish store today, and they had a little Palmas Bichir. It was very hard to tell myself NO! lol

[mnemenoi]

Ropefish are the best choice in my opinion. Peacock eels prefer sand and burrowing and can be tricky to feed, some do fine with bloodworms and others will not eat anything unless it is live. They do well in groups and size wise you'll be fine with either.

Ropefish can consume smaller fish that could fit in their mouths, but my only concern would be feeding. They are generally very timid fish and need very little competition or otherwise their tankmates can starve them. They do best in groups and 3-5 would be a very good start, possibly working the tank into an african reed enbankment. Good choices for inhabitants could be Morymids (with excellent water parameters) Adonnis tetra or african barbs, African butterfly fish or even some larger African Killifish. Cameron/Vampire shrimp would do well in such an enviroment. They do well in densely planted tanks and it would be a stunning biotope slice of riverine Africa. I've thought about using non dyed reeds from Hobby Lobby in that sort of set up and think it would look terrific.

[brandon_rss18]

That is a REALLY good idea! I was stuck on South American, but I think there are more African species I like. Its funny that you mention the African Butterfly as that is one of the Top fish on my want list!

[mistahoo]

I went into the local Fish store today, and they had a little Palmas Bichir. It was very hard to tell myself NO! lol

what fish store would this be? care to share?

[mnemenoi]

They would work very well paired in your tank and it gives enough room for both species to have a small group. I had some success with feeding my ropefish bloodworms and vary their diet with live ghost shrimp, smaller endlers guppies, Gammarus, and I bet they would go wild for live blackworms. Butterfly fish I have had worked well on floating pellets supplemented with live crickets, guppies, and anything that floats. It sounds like a cool tank and am looking forward to seeing it come together.

[brandon_rss18]

Mistahoo, PM sent.

[brandon_rss18]

They would work very well paired in your tank and it gives enough room for both species to have a small group. I had some success with feeding my ropefish bloodworms and vary their diet with live ghost shrimp, smaller endlers guppies, Gammarus, and I bet they would go wild for live blackworms. Butterfly fish I have had worked well on floating pellets supplemented with live crickets, guppies, and anything that floats. It sounds like a cool tank and am looking forward to seeing it come together.

Thanks so much for the advice! i really am wanting to do an African set up now. Do you know anything about African Leaf Fish? Also, I am really wanting an African Butterfly, but have heard they are not that easy to keep happy and healthy. Do you know why some might say this? Thanks again.

[mnemenoi]

I have kept Ctenopomas (African Gourami or sometimes referred to as 'leaf fish'/Ctenopoma acutirostre ) and they are a simple ambush predator and are terrific fish that are well behaved if nothing can fit in their mouth. If you are referring to the true African Leaf Fish (Polycentropsis Abbreviata) I have never seen them for sale ever and have no experiance, though what I have read suggests that they are similar to most Nandids. If size is an issue, I have seen microctenopoma for sale occasionally and they act similar to their larger cousins.

I had an African Butterfly fish for years when I had just started fish keeping and it was terrific and very simple to keep. It did start me to trying a various diet and trying non-traditional food items from flake and pellets. It would eat pellets, but relished the hunt of live prey and was excited when a moth or cricket hit the water, nearly leaping out to catch it in the air before gulping it down whole. Try getting freeze dried crickets or even live crickets at nearly any store, they will love you for them. Be wary of any fin nippers in the tank, but with your previous tankmates you'll be terrific. They are all very pleasant and none ever nipped or acted aggressive in any of my tanks to anything they did not view as food.

[jeb102385]

If your looking for an eel I would go with a tire track eel. I had one for a long time and loved it...that would be my suggestion

[brandon_rss18]

Thanks everyone! The type of African Leaf Fish I was referring too is Ctenopoma acutirostre. But it appears those can get to 8 inches so that is kinda large. Are there any spiny eels native to Africa that can be had here?