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FAQs on Bichirs and Ropefish, Family Polypteridae Health/Disease

Related Articles: Bichirs,

Very sick Bichir.

Re: Bichir, hlth.
WWM/Neale,
Appreciated that you gave me a list of sicknesses related to it, but the fish died. Thank you anyway for trying and sorry for not providing a photo or responding earlier.
<Too bad. Sorry to hear this.>
Since the tank is rather empty, aside from my Ornate Bichir and Oscar, my sister asked if keeping another Ornate Bichir is advisable. Go for it or don't?
Thanks. Gene
<Depends on the size of the tank. Polypterus ornatipinnis is a reasonably big species (to 60 cm in the wild, and easily 50 cm in captivity) as well as territorial. So unless your tank is upwards of 300-400 litres, I wouldn't even think about mixing two specimens. Even in a big tank, you'll need to take care that there are ample hiding places for each specimen. Cheers, Neale.>

Please tell me how to help my Polypterus ornatipinnis 5/23/08
Sick Polypterus
I hope you can point me in the right direction to save my Polypterus ornatipinnis. We have had this guy for about 5 years now. He is about 18 inches long and he lives in a 90 gallon tank. His tank mates are 2 very large Oscars, a African water frog, a gar pike and a very large algae eater (Pleco I think) Anyway...yesterday I noticed the algae eater sucking on the Polypterus. Today, he is covered in whitish spots (seems like he is losing his color) and it appears as though he is bleeding under his scales. He has been out of his normal "spot" in the tank a lot today. I am at a loss for what to do or what is wrong with him. Everything seems to be ok. He gets fed mostly Rosies and occasionally frozen brine shrimp. But this has been his main diet for all his life. Can you help us? He seems to be getting worse very quickly. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. Karyn
<Ropefish and Bichirs sometimes come down with this weird bacterial infection. This usually occurs while acclimating wild fish but I guess it could happen to a long term captive if the conditions were less than ideal. The best medication is Oxolinic acid. Very expensive and difficult to come by but wholesalers find it very effective when getting wild shipments in. I would recommend a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filters in the meantime. If you cannot find this medication then try Nitrofuranace with Metronidazole together.-Chuck>

Ornate Bichir may be dying... 9/10/07
My boyfriend and I were just cleaning the tank and we moved some decorations and found our ornate Bichir laying on his back
<Bad>
at the bottom of the tank. He is still breathing and every once in awhile he starts to "spaz" out and do barrel rolls and jerk around. Could he have gotten hit by something slipping in the tank like a rock and gotten stunned?
<Possibly>
Could this be a sickness??
<Mmm, yes>
He did not eat for the last two days. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!
--
Thank you,
Stephanie Beetsch
<What re the water quality here? Is there much in the way of ammonia, nitrate? What did it feed on? How long have you had it? What else... decor and livestock is in this system? Bob Fenner>

Re: ornate Bichir may be dying.. 9/11/07
He ended up dying last night but just so I can get an idea what it could've been....the water was 7.8 to 8.0 ph, no ammonia or nitrate when I tested it last night. The temp. is about 80. I have him in a tank with African cichlids and some silver tip sharks. There was no marks or bites on him as far I could tell. He was eating thawed out silverfish. This is what the fish store told us to feed. He had no interest in worms or beef heart, was really the only thing he would eat.
I wanted to get another one because he was so fun to watch. What would you recommend.
Thank you for all your help, really appreciated!
<Hello Stephanie. Bichirs are basically very, very hardy animals, so to lose one tends to imply something has gone wrong. Since all your other fish are fine, you can probably rule out water quality. I'd expect (and have observed) cichlids to become distressed from such things well before Bichirs. Diet may be a factor. Feeding a fish just one thing is never a good idea. Bichirs are not really fish eaters by specialisation, since they move too slowly to catch them. Fish are a bonus most of the time. Rather, they feed on a variety of invertebrates, particularly insect larvae, large aquatic insects such as beetles, worms of all types, crustaceans, and so on. River shrimp, earthworms, and mealworms all seem to be especially good (and completely safe) live foods for Bichirs. On the frozen food front, shelled prawns, mussels, bloodworms, and krill should be accepted without complaint. There's no need for a Bichir to eat every night, and if it didn't eat a meal one night, remove the food and try it again the next night: often hunger improves a fish's willingness to try something new! Once trained and settled in, Bichirs will also take good quality pellets, like Hikari Gold, and these sorts of foods are excellent "vitamin boosters" to really optimise your fish's health. Rotating the menu from one item to the next is important because it allows a fish to get all the different nutrients it needs. This isn't to say whitebait were a bad food item, but if the only thing the Bichir ate month after month, you can't expect the fish to stay in good health. Now, in terms of trying again, the two Bichirs that recommend themselves as being excellent aquarium fish are Polypterus senegalus and the fish sold in the trade as 'Polypterus palmas' (but almost certainly one of any number of look-alike species). Both of these are small (~30 cm), placid fish that feed primarily on invertebrates. Juveniles thrive on bloodworms and similar foods, while adults happily take various small items of seafood. Neither is expensive or difficult to find. P. senegalus is perhaps the easiest to keep, and the one species that breeds fairly regularly in aquaria. 'P. palmas' is perhaps marginally more testy but is a bit prettier to look at. Both would work well in your tank, assuming the cichlids were not aggressive. Bichirs are easily bullied. I wouldn't mix them, for example, with Hemichromis, Pseudotropheus, or Melanochromis type things but they get along fine with Pelvicachromis, Nannochromis, Pseudocrenilabrus, etc. I hope this helps, Neale>

Polypterus palmas problem! – 08/31/07
Hey crew,
I had bought a polypterus palmas from a pet shop around 3 months ago. I had started off feeding it sinking pellets, but it wouldn't eat those anymore so I decided to buy some earthworms and blood worms. These worked perfectly until now. My palmas usually finds his food and bumps into it, but now he sometimes passes over it or hovers near it and chomps around that area but still completely missing it. I looked closer and I noticed his two nostrils/antennae have shrunk a huge amount. What used to be nostrils are just small bumps where the nostrils should be. He hasn't been able to successfully get his food for days, and I'm worried he might starve to death because he isn't able to smell his food anymore. The water isn't cloudy at all and is pretty clear. The only decor he has is a small ceramic temple where he lounges under. I think it might of been ammonia burning off his nostrils, I just changed the ammonia remover from my filter (Aquaclear) recently, the instructions on the filter told me to change the ammonia remover every 3 months (When I bought the box with the ammonia remover it said to replace it every month). Hope by replacing the ammonia filter with a new one he'll be able to grow bank his nostrils. He's around 4.5 inches and lives in a 4 gallon tank.
Hope you can help me,
Worried palmas owner.
<Greetings. Polypterus are lovely fish, and generally very hardy. However, I think your problem here is finrot or something similar, caused by problems with water quality. There is simply now way you can keep these fish in a 4 gallon (15 litre) tank. None. Nada. Nix. They are all fairly large creatures (even the smallest species gets to around 30 cm). The species sold in the trade as "Polypterus palmas" can actually be one of a whole group of things, including Polypterus teugelsi (~40 cm), Polypterus mokelembembe (~34 cm), Polypterus retropinnis (~34 cm), or one of three subspecies of Polypterus palmas (from 30-35 cm). At the very least you need a tank not less than 100 litres (about 26 US gallons) in size simply to provide even basic water quality and space requirements, let alone "good" conditions. Anyway, ammonia does indeed cause problems similar to burning; specifically, its necrosis of the delicate tissues causes by poisoning. Left untreated, such wounds commonly become sites of finrot and fungal infections. Now, let's expand this a little. Ammonia remover has no place in an aquarium containing large predatory fish -- unless you're using large amounts of the stuff and replacing it weekly, it simply cannot deal with waste produced. You need a proper biological filter for the Polypterus aquarium providing at least 4x the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. A large external canister filter would be the best choice, but a decent undergravel filter would also work. Polypterus are hardy and somewhat tolerant of immature aquaria, which is why your fish is wounded rather than dead. But still, you're imposing on this hardiness, and there's only one possible eventual outcome: death of the fish. So, here's what you need to do to save this fish: buy a tank at least 6 times bigger than what you have. Then, install a proper filtration system. While the filter matures, perform large water changes: 50% ideally daily, but not less than every two days. This will likely take about 6 weeks to mature the aquarium to the point where you cannot detect ammonia or nitrite in the water. Once you're done, your Polypterus should heal quickly, and will live happily for another 10+ years (they're quite long lived animals normally). You may decide to treat for finrot/fungus as well, but if you do, choose a brand of medication safe with sensitive fish, because Polypterus are quite distantly related to the mainstream bony fish groups, and their reaction to medications can be unpredictable. Ideally, choose something deemed safe for use with stingrays and invertebrates. That said, if moved to good conditions, I would expect this fish to heal quite readily by itself. If you can't do ALL of these things, then re-home the Polypterus: you clearly don't have an aquarium that can house this wonderful fish, and keeping it would be cruel, end of story. I hope this helps, Neale>

Re: Polypterus palmas problem! – 09/01/07
Thank you and thank god you answered, you saved it's life :)
<Cool. And perhaps you should thank Dagon the fish-god as well. Cheers, Neale>

Rope Eel Problem 6/30/07
Hello,
<Greetings.>
My fiancé and I bought a rope eel/fish two days ago and we're worried about him. The "capture" was shockingly rough, I don't think the two boys knew what they were doing - they seemed to be afraid of the rope fish. When we left we noticed that his (our rope fish) left fin - by his head - was injured. A small piece was missing, but he was the only one they had so we decided to take him home anyway since he was so lively.
<Ropefish, Erpetoichthys calabaricus, are indeed fascinating animals. But there are a few things to bear in mind. First, they are sociable, and really don't do well kept alone. 3-4 is a much better number, and increases your chances of seeing them swimming about. Second, they get big. Almost a metre in the wild, though ~50-60 cm is more typical in aquaria. Finally, they are predators despite being otherwise peaceful. Anything guppy-sized or smaller is food as far as a ropefish is concerned, especially if they aren't otherwise well fed on the stuff they like, worms and insect larvae. They don't eat dry food, and certainly aren't "scavengers".>
Last night we were watching him as he was "floating/hovering" at the top of the tank, his tail sinking downward, causing his body to take a L shaped form. We thought he was sleeping, since every now and then he'd move to another part of the tank and continue to lay in this position. About two hours passed before he began to swim around again, however, we began to notice that he was having trouble reaching the bottom of the tank. At first we thought it was because of his injured fin, but the longer we watched the more certain we are that its because of his tail.
<Very odd. How deep is this tank? Ropefish are obligate air-breathers that live in swamps: they drown if they cannot easily gulp air. They do not like deep water. A tank around 30-45 cm is about right for a juvenile.>
When he reaches the bottom his tail will pull him back towards the top of the tank. Were wondering if it has something to do with his "lung-like swim bladder". If so is there any way we can fix the problem. My fiancé thinks that he just swallowed to much air, since our last rope eel would "burp" water every now and then.
<The swim bladder is connected to the oesophagus, and ropefish (like their relatives the Bichirs) breathe air in and out the mouth just like we do. So it's unlikely there's a swim bladder problem of the type seen in other fish. I'd be concerned about the overall health of the fish first of all. Water quality, diet, temperature should all be checked. Like other air-breathing fish, ropefish can be sensitive to cold and dry air, so it's important that the humidity above the tank is kept high. One thing I might check would be whether there are any signs of paralysis. Sometimes these long, eel-like fish get damaged in transit, for example by having rocks dropped on them when clumsy retailers are trying to capture them. Look to see if the finlets on the back are moving and that the tail swishes from side to side normally. A similar problem can happen when eel-like fish curl up around heaters or too close to water pumps. Check also there's nothing in the aquarium that might have bitten or otherwise molested the fish. Otherwise, nothing springs to my mind as being an obvious case for what you're describing.>
Thanks for your time and help,
Aurora
<Sorry can't be any more specific. Watch, check aquarium conditions. Cheers, Neale>

Ill or injured Bichir, no useful info. 5/20/07
Dear WWM Crew,
 <Everett>
 Thank you for the information and advice your site provides. I have a question about my Senegal Bichir. She is about 3 months old and 6 inches. Recently I noticed redness along her anal fin and tail.
<Mmm, sign of environmental issue/s...>
The tank has no aggressive fish. Is it possible she simply doesn't have enough room to turn in her favorite cave?
<Possibly, but much more likely there is/are something/s amiss with your water quality...>
The cave is a 6"x 6" plastic container that is upside down and covered in rocks. I appreciate your assistance.
<... What re the system make-up, maintenance, water quality tests, foods/feeding... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/polypterids.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Polypterus senegalus, beh., hlth. 5/20/07
Hi
<Hello.>
My polypterus senegalus has recently stared to eat the stones in the tank, I was just wondering if this is natural or could there be a problem with my fish?
<It is extremely *unnatural*. Bichirs are predators that hunt by smell. So they don't normally eat stones. Are you feeding it enough? If so, what are you feeding it? The ideal diet for Bichirs are frozen bloodworms, small pieces of mussel and prawn, and small amounts of frozen fish such as whitebait. Some Bichirs will also eat pellets. Unless you are breeding your own livebearers, do not use live feeder fish and UNDER NO circumstances use goldfish/minnows bought from pet stores, as these are parasite bombs. If you want to use live food, things like mealworms and earthworms are ideal, being clean and easy to obtain.>
Hope to hear from you soon,
<Well, here I am.>
Dave.
<Cheers, Neale>

Question about ropefish and Oxolinic acid... – 5/4/07
Hi, I've bought two ropefish from PetCo (I know, my first mistake). The first one died of white smeary patches, mostly on his face and then his fin.
<"Slime Disease" can be caused by any of a variety of external parasites. It is almost always promoted by poor water conditions and overcrowding, so fixing the husbandry issues is part of the solution.>
We had treated him by adding salt to the water, changing the water, raising the temperature of the water, treating for ammonia, and raising the pH. He still died.
<No surprise. Salt isn't a treatment for anything much. Improve water conditions, and then use an anti-Slime Disease medication.>
The second one we bought (also from PetCo. When will we learn?) started getting the same thing.
<Which should be ringing some alarm bells. Either they have poor conditions in their aquaria, or you do, or both.>
We went to a different pet store and they told us it wasn't Ich but a fungus.
<Can't think why. Fungus looks like little fuzzy patches; slime disease like grey slime.>
We started treating for the fungus with Pimafix, still changing the water, testing for pH, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. We still added salt. We also used Copper safe. He just died. We really don't want to go through this again and would like to know how much Oxolinic acid to use to keep our ropefish safe.
<Saying you're "testing" for things doesn't help me much. What, specifically, are the pH, ammonia, and nitrite levels. For ropefish these should be pH 6.5-7.5, ZERO ammonia and nitrite. You DO NOT NEED salt with these fish. While they sometimes occur in brackish water, there's no real advantage to keeping them thus.>
They're great fish with awesome personalities.
<Yes, they are!>
Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated. I only hope I gave you enough information to help.
<Need more information about your aquarium: size, water chemistry, filtration. Also be sure and read up about ropefish, they're demanding in some ways. Need to be kept in groups, great escape artists, potentially predatory on very small tankmates.>
Thank you very much,
Josh
<Cheers, Neale>

Rope Fish With Spots 4/9/07
Hello, My fiancé and I bought our first Rope Eel (or fish since that's what they come up as under Google) and she looked fine when we were in the store. However, the next morning I notice two small white dots on her back, so I called a friend whose had a fish tank for over 30 years. He assured me that Kaliah didn't have ick, although we went ahead and put Ick away in her tank. This morning when my fiancé and I woke the two dots turned into three large ones, one on her underside and two along the length of her body. We are extremely worried about her since we've grown attached so the question to you is if Kaliah is shedding at all, since the spots do look like dead skin. Is it normal for a rope eel to shed its skin and if not then what can we do to spot it and make her healthy? We feed her tropical fish food and some shrimp, per the sales lady. Thank You. Lotsa Love Aurora
< Check the WWM website for articles on general info on bichirs. To be more specific, your bichir probably has a stubborn bacterial infection. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. The first drug of choice is Oxolinic Acid. Difficult to come by and very expensive, it is a miracle worker on rope fish and other bichirs. If you cannot find it then try a double dose of Nitrofuranace and Metronidazole. Let your local pet shop know so maybe they can treat the next batch before they sell them. Many stores don't know about this treatment and think that rope fish die because they are fragile, but they are actually very hardly and live for many years.-Chuck>

Ropefish - best to do research BEFORE adding fish...not to mention, QT is always a good idea... 3/15/07
Just a quick question...
My husband and I just bought a ropefish approximately 5 hours ago...(Wait that's not a question! Just let me explain first..) When we put him in our 56 gallon tank he seemed content, even happy.
<What, no quarantine tank? Not a good idea; can very easily wipe out an entire established tank in this manner. Additionally, how did you acclimate this fish, if at all? How large is the tank and what else is in there at the moment? What are the current water parameters?>
Over the last 30 minutes he has stopped moving, and will lay face up, or on his side, looking unable to move. In your opinion is he just stressed or is there a legitimate concern?
<The latter. Sounds as though he's in shock. Test your water parameters ASAP - check for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. Without knowing whether you acclimated this fish prior to its introduction, what your setup is like, and what conditions the fish was previously kept in (at the fish store), there's really not too much I can tell you aside from what conditions the ropefish, Erpetoichthys calabaricus *should* be kept in:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/polypterids.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bichirfaqs.htm
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile90.html
If there is a concern please share with me how to take care of him.
<See links above.>
Thanks.
<You're welcome. Jorie>
P.S. - Sorry if I messed anything up grammatically. It might be that it's 2 am, that I just don't care, or that I'm really lazy. Take your pick.
<Wow - I sense a bit of hostility...not totally appropriate, in my opinion, where you're asking for our help/expertise. And, just for the record, I, for one, do try to be reasonable in my requests for proper grammar, punctuation, etc. A small error or two will not result in my returning an e-mail; a blatant disregard for my time, in contrast, will...><<RMF would have ret'd>>

Polypterus delhezi... dead 3/6/07
I had a young polypterus delhezi about 3 in.
<This IS small>
that just died 2 days ago. I was shocked because I've never seen a Bichir suffered like that to death. The body was half paralyzed and it's having a hard time swimming to the water surface to gulp for air until its whole body got paralyzed and died. What killed my fish and how can I prevent that kind of disease? Another thought i fed it with chopped feeder guppies. Do you think that cause my Bichir to die? thanks...
<... Please send your writing through spell- et al. checking... to learn, correct your English. Small Polypterids often are imported with enteric bacterial problems... "chopped feeder guppies" did not help... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/polypterids.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Armored Bichir, with missing nares 2/22/07
I have a young polypterus delhezi about 3.5 in. I noticed that it has only one tubular nostril when i bought it and I'm scared that it will be a big problem for my delhezi cause i know that their nostrils are use for hunting and getting food. Is their a chance growing it back?
<Mmm, yes... if not "bitten too far back"... and even living w/o... in good care. Bob Fenner>

Rope Fish Acting Weird 10/11/06
Hi, I have had my rope fish for a couple years now and it has always done great. But for the last couple of days it has been acting weird. Sometimes it acts normal and swims around normal but then it just kind of floats at the top of the tank. I am worried about swim bladder disease and wanted to know what I can do to help it. Thank you. Toni
<Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Try feeding him some live washed earthworms and see if he perks up. These fish are pretty tough but when they do get sick they get really weird diseases that are tricky to cure.-Chuck>

Sick Rope Fish 9/19/06
Today when my rope fish came out of his den, he seemed to have this white stuff on his skin and seems to be really weak, I don't think it's Ick though. He seems to be really stressed and keeps swimming around the top of the tank. If any of you know what this might be, please send an answer ASAP
<Rope or reed fish come down with this weird bacterial infection that is very difficult to treat. You can try Nitrofurazone but it only seems to stop it but not control it. The only thing that really works is Oxolinic acid. You will probably need to go online to buy it. It is very expensive but really works very well on this disease.-Chuck>

Sick Rope Fish II 9/19/06
Should he be moved to a hospital tank? ( I have a 10 gallon but its not set up)
<A hospital tank would be best. The medication will probably affect the good nitrifying bacteria.-Chuck>

Ropefish
Help.....I have had a ropefish for 3mths now... I have no clue how to properly take care of it. I am really not 100% it is a rope fish... (can you send a picture)
<They're pretty distinctive, will post one on our website's article on their family (Polypteridae: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bichirs.htm
Give me till tomorrow>
It is acting very strange... one sec it is floating or sinking very still and it does it for some time then it swims wildly for 2or 3 sec.s... then back to floating or sinking for a period of time.. is it dying?...
<Probably not... many Ropefish (Erpetoichthys (formerly Calamoichthys) calabaricus if memory serves) perish from the travails of collecting and shipping initially... but you've had yours three months? It's likely just "checking things out" or even respiring and resting at the surface... they're facultative aerial respirators...>
I was told at the Pet Supermarket that it was a ropefish... it looks like the description on the web page. I have feed it what they told me . Tropical flake food and Freeze Dried Tubifex Worms. This is what we were told.. Please reply.. and no he does not have any bused areas marked areas and the tank is very dull... no other fish.. just it. and a piece of pvc pipe at the bottom covered in rocks so he can swim thru it... please e-mail me at yahoo.com or at hotmail.com thanks >
<Be chatting, Bob Fenner>

Ropes and Dragons
Robert,
I have a 45 gallon freshwater live plant setup. PH7.6 Hardness apx10 Ammonia and nitrite at zero. I recently purchased two new rope fish and a Pleco (I think that's what it's called).
<Mmm, maybe a member of the family of mainly South American Sucker Mouth Catfishes, Loricariidae: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/loricariids.htm>
The two rope fish died within two days and a day later the rope that I've had for 6 months died.
<Not unusual to have new Ropes bring in disease, stress... Our coverage of this and the related Bichirs: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bichirs.htm>
Then last night my small dragon Goby died. The ropes got the "glassy" eyes and discoloration before they died and the Dragon lost a lot of weight and showed a large white section on it's tail before it died. So far the other inhabitants haven't shown any problems; they are: a larger Dragon Goby (about 6"), two Bala Sharks, 1 Clown Loach, 1 Pleco (algae eater), and several neon tetras. I did a 20% water change and filter maintenance after the first two died and I've been running my Diatom XL (normally for polishing only) a couple hours a day. Any possibilities you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

As a side note. I have already purchased a cheapy 10 gallon setup to use as a quarantine tank in the future.
<Good idea>
You might also be interested to know that the fish came from Pet (not so) Smart.
<Yikes...>
Thanks Again
Tom Peterson
Kissimmee, Fl
<Sorry to hear of your trials and tribulations. Steady on my friend. You're moving in more positive directions. Bob Fenner>

Re: Ropes and Dragons
Robert,
One more thing I just remembered. The day after the two rope fish died the water became cloudy, that was my initial reason for setting up the Diatom filter. Also, I use a Fluval 204 with just the foam and bio pellets. (No carbon)
I hope you're able to help. I'm really not enjoying the kids reaction and the mortality lessons it forces me to give.

Tom Peterson

Ropefish
Hi my name is Crystal and I hope you can answer my question. My brother has 2 Ropefish, 1 is a couple of months old the other he just got about a week or 2 ago. The one that he just recently got is lying on his back... he/she is still breathing but just lying there. could you possibly be able to tell us what is going on??
<These fish can have difficulties resulting from their capture, shipping... Best to leave them at the store for a good week or two before buying...>
The store he had got him/her from told me to get him to put aquarium salt in the tank because he/she might be having digestive problems. But this person said they knew quite a bit about Ropefish but doesn't know to much about their anatomy's because according to him the only time a fish would be on their backs and still alive is if they have a bladder infection and he doesn't know if that could be a possibility for Ropefish or not because he doesn't know if they have a bladder.
<They and their relatives, the Bichirs do... it is connected to the throat, and ventral to the esophagus... Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/polypterids.htm>
so I thought you could help me on this problem and I really really hope so.
<Do check on continuing water quality... the behavior of lying on their back is not good. Bob Fenner>
Thank you for your time.

Ropefish Problems
<Hello, JasonC here filling in for Bob while he's away diving.>
My Ropefish got out of its tank a couple days ago. <they are very good at this...> It was only out for a little over an hour before I discovered it. <ok> when I did I rinsed it and put it back in. Now the Ropefish is very inactive and seems shy. Is this normal? <probably a little traumatized, after being stuck to the carpet.> I thought at first that it might need some time to adjust back but it has been over two days! Also there seems to be a long tear on its bottom extending from near the head to its tail. <ouch!> I think this might be damage incurred when it escaped. <perhaps...> Any suggestions curing it and do you think that this is the reason for its immobility? <will have to "cure" on its own if it's going to.> It is also not eating when I feed it. <Bob's advice on huger strikes with these is to offer a live earthworm or mealworm - http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bichirs.htm > Before it escaped it used to respond to feedings (I feed it bloodworms), now even when I put the food in front of its nose it won't take it in. Just lays there still. <again, your assessment that it is taking it easy due to the injury sounds correct here.> How should I get it to eat and is that a normal behaviour after they escape the tank? <try those live worms.> I really don't want this fish to die so any help is greatly appreciated! Thx.
<No problem - do check through that link. I do hope your Ropefish makes a speedy recovery. Cheers, J -- >

Ropefish head pores
I was checking out my roper and noticed some very small holes (pores) along the sides of its head. These seem to be symmetrical and don't look bad. Are these normal for Ropefish or is mine diseased?
<Good observation. These are lateral line pores... part of a low vibration sensory apparatus of fishes. Unless they become enlarged, infected (likely not here) there is nothing to worry about. Bob Fenner>

Ornate Bichirs nostrils
Hi,
I would like to know does the tubular nostrils of a Bichir grows back in time it happen to be bitten off by cichlids?
thanks
Rgds
Louis
<If not bitten too far back, yes. Bob Fenner>

Bichir gill growths
Hi Bob,
I'm the guy that owns the 17 inches ornate with a torn left pectoral fins. Thanks for your reply.
In between, I forgot to tell you that a juvenile ornate specimen of mine have 'red color horns' that resembles the Chinese saint animal 'dragon'. The 'horns' grow from inside the gills and go upwards. And the 'horns' grows as the fish grows. I had never seen anything like this before.
No doubt it is BEAUTIFUL, but I am worried that it might be some disease or similar.
<Not likely. Especially if this fish is small/young... they have growths that come out of their gill areas then. Bob Fenner>
Rgds, Uix

Torn Bichir fin
Dear Dr. Fenner,
<Just Bob, please>
Please help me. I own a ornate Bichir which is now currently 17 inches. I love him dearly. Last night, the left hand side of the pectoral fin of my Bichir was torn! Left with only the muscle part, the rest of the fin is gone! I am not sure what happened....... Dr., will the fin grow back in time??? Please tell me.....
<Sounds like either a tremendous injury (did the fish get stuck somehow?) or an aggressive encounter with a tankmate. If the injury isn't too deep the fin will regenerate. These fishes are tough. Bob Fenner>
thanks
Uix

Ropefish troubles
Hi
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have a Ropefish which seems to be having a problem with buoyancy. He always used to lie at the bottom of the tank and swim around the rocks, but for the last 4 days he has trouble submerging, and seems to float around the surface. He wraps himself around the heater and filtration unit to stay down. I haven't noticed any bloating, but he had been suffering with flukes and is now at the end of the "Sterazin" treatment period. Could the treatment have caused the buoyancy problem? Will he recover properly?
<Sterazin appears to be toxic to several species of fish. I would do a 50% water change & filter w/fresh carbon, to remove all traces of meds. Try feeding w/live black/Tubifex worms (well rinsed). That will clean out any intestinal blockage it may have. Nutritious too!>
Thank you for your help,
Kerri
<You're welcome--Pufferpunk>

I Didn't Mean to Call You a Bichir! Another lesson in how Not to Punctuate
Sorry to bother you but I don't know who else to ask.. I have this Bichir who looks very swollen.. from bellow the head to the mid fin.. it has been swollen for weeks now, I have 3 more Bichirs in the tank that are doing fine.. I have a 55 gal thank.. it seems to be ok except for the swelling.. it seems to have gone bigger too in the last couple of days.. I've had that Bichir for more than a year now, at least 1.5 years.. I attached a picture so you can see what I mean.. thanks for your help.
< You need to get some Metronidazole ASAP! This bloat situation can be cured if it is caught early. It usually happens in cichlids mainly Tropheus and some lake Malawian fish. I think it is stress related. Big fish are messy eaters and generate a lot of waste. It is easy to let the wastes build up in the tank and get out of hand unless you do some water changes. If your fish is still alive you need to do a 30% water change now and treat the water for ich. A Formalin-malachite green medication will work. Add a hand full of rock salt too. Look for the Metronidazole at your local store. Check the ingredients for it. It may not be labeled as such. Treat the entire tank with 250 mg per 10 gallons. Use a little extra and use 6 tablets. Remove any carbon from your filters and if you have a Marineland filter with a BioWheel then remove it and place it in a plastic bag with some aquarium water in it. Leave it open and don't let it dry out. Do not treat on the second day and repeat day number one on the third day and every other day until the fish is cured. If the fish dies then watch the others closely in case they don't eat. If they don't it means that they are sick too and need treating. I got this cure a few months ago from another website. The website is called JDTropheus.com. They deal strictly with cichlids in the genus Tropheus and this cure does work. Good Luck.-Chuck>

A Thank You
Hello WWM Crew,
within the following page, concerning to your pages, a person called Chuck gave a very helpful answer to a question concerning a problem
that now also occurred in my tank. I successfully saved my Bichirs using the tips published on your website. I want to say Thank You to Chuck for
his help, so I want you to give me his email address. Sorry, If I did not notice any contact formulas of your page, but I got to your page by
using a German internet search engine, so maybe I did not get the full frameset of your page.
The URL of the page is:
www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bichirfaqs.htm
Thanks a lot for your answer.

Greetings from Germany, yours
Dr. D. Groll

Ropefish
I live at college and all we're allowed to have is fish, so I decided to bring my tank with my Ropefish and a few others. Recently, my Ropefish escaped during the middle of the night.
<Very common... aquatic Houdini's...>
I'm not entirely sure how, because I felt that I had covered the tank very well, but needless to say, I've now closed practically every square centimeter of the tank.
Anyway, when I awoke in the morning, the janitor came by and said "Hey, did anyone lose a lizard?" I followed him to a closet where he had it sitting inside an empty Gatorade bottle (Poor thing). He was sitting in a circle, so I had to cut open the bottle to let him out. I immediately put him back in the tank, where he struggled for a while to remove some
whitish residue that had been building up around his head and part of his body. Now though, he just sits at the top of the tank in a half circle, with his head and tail end pointing downward, and his midsection partially out of the water. Though it has only been a little under a day since I found out about this, it would like to err on the side of caution, particularly because I can't stand to see an animal die, especially on what it most likely my error. If you have any recommendations that you could give me, I would greatly appreciate it.
<I have seen many Ropefish incidents as you cite... among them my own. I would leave the animal as it is for now, and hope that it recovers (many do). If yours develops red sores and/or obvious fungal (white, mycelious) patches, I would elevate the system temperature (to about mid 80's F.) and prescribe an anti-microbial (likely a Furan compound). Bob Fenner>

Oh no! Maybe it wasn't dead!! Ropefish, the lack of utility of "vacation feeding blocks" 6/29/05
Hello, I'm writing on behalf of my husband. He's really the aquatic enthusiast. I've spent the last hour or so reviewing your site and reading over the BichirFAQ's. Before I get to my dilemma, I want to commend you on a spectacular and informative site.
<Welcome>
Also, I am glad to see someone demand better grammar in their postings. This is the first time I've ever taken the time to post on any site as I am usually quickly turned off by the sheer volume of grammatical errors.
<Me too... err, I as well!>
My husband and I were on vacation about two weeks ago and had my mother in law come to feed our pets. Because his mother would not be able to feed the fish for the first weekend we were away, we purchased a 7 day feeder for the fish.
<Mmm, most of these are bunk nutritionally... as well as caustic to water quality>
He has a Bala shark, two bottom feeders, and two other semi-aggressive fish, but I'm not sure what they are. Until we went on vacation, he also had a rope fish approximately 12 inches in length. This was by far my favorite fish. A few days into our vacation, his mother called and said that the fish appeared dead. She said it was floating on the top with its head down and the fins were not moving.
<Perhaps just "natural behavior">
After reading the information on the site, I am astonished at what hardy fish they are! I am afraid that my husband's rope fish was not in fact dead, but simply ill. Is there anything you can tell me that would indicate if this was the behavior of a sick rope fish?
<That it did not move at all... would not respond to the top being lifted, being prodded... That (ultimately) white, reddish marks occurred on its body>
Tragically, she removed the fish from the tank and disposed of it, so it's too late now to save it, but we are trying to replace it and wouldn't want to have a repeat performance. I was hoping you could tell me the likelihood that the feeder was the culprit.
<It was at least a contributor, I agree>
The feeder made the water very cloudy. We changed the filters right away and this seemed to remedy that problem.
We usually fed it frozen bloodworms and pellets. Is it possible it didn't like the new food and starved?
<To some extent, yes>
The other fish all seem unscathed.
<They likely just went w/o food as well...>
My husband is very upset because he has only lost one fish in over two years. He also changes the water and vacuums about once a month. Thank you for your help.
Danielle
<A lesson learned re "feeding blocks"... I will post your input... know that you have saved many other organisms through your writing. Thank you, Bob Fenner>

Sick Rope fish
Hello, We have set up a tank in one of our classrooms here with three rope fish.
The third day we had the fish I noticed that one had a thin red line on its head. Progressively, the line has turned into a nasty patch with white edges that has covered the fish's eyes and is moving to the body. We have been trying to find out what this is and how to treat it. We are not having much luck. You are the only place I found any reference to the red marks and patches. We would appreciate any reply, good or bad news. Thank you!
Kristen Self Program Development Education Department Birmingham Zoo
<Your rope fish probably has a bacterial infection brought on from a bite or scrape with one of the other fish. The red is a bacterial infection and the white fuzzy stuff is a fungal attack. Do a 30% water change and vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat with Nitrofuranace or Erythromycin.-Chuck>

HELP! My rope fish is ill and I don't know what to do! 8/9/05
Hi Bob,
<Terry... your msg. was sent in HTML, your spelling... is this an intentional insult?>
I was wondering if you would be able to help me (I took you email from WetWeb media).
I have a rope fish who up to a couple of days ago was fine.
About 2 days after I did a water change on my tank (1/3 of the total water volume)
<Too much... please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwh2ochgs.htm
and the FAQs linked at top>
the rope fish began to swim around the tank quite aggressively in loops, after which it began to float up side down. It is still alive and if it does swim it rights itself, but it seems to be struggling to keep at the bottom of the tank, so now just floats.
I wasn't sure if there was a link to me cleaning the tank, so I repeated the water tests (nitrate, nitrite, total hardness, Ph, temp) and all seemed fine.
<Toxified.... likely with the sanitizer (chloramine) in your source water>
Any help would be most appreciated, I don't know what to do.
Thanks for your time
Terry
<At this point, not much to do... perhaps add a bit of aquarium salt. Also discussed on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Ropefish scale loss 7/29/05
Hi, we had 2 ropes in our tank now we have 1. We have had them both for about 1 year they have been a pleasant part of our 55 gallon tank.
<Neat animals>
We also house 1 fig.8 puffer, 2 lace catfish, 2 yoyo loaches, 2 clown loaches, 3 skunk loaches, 3 gold killies, (black skirt, serpae, lemon and black neon tetras), (gold, rosy and tiger barbs), 2 pair Kribensis, 1 pair Apistogramma verstrefen, and a couple small Plecos.
<... these fishes have very different water chemistry preferences...>
 The ropes have done very well for just over a year. Then suddenly they started losing scales in patches. I do regular water changes (every 2 weeks about 25%) the first one died 2 days after scale loss started, the second hadn’t lost as many scales, but he is approaching the point that the first was at when he passed. Neither rope showed any signs of appetite loss and the remaining rope is still eating well.
<What is it eating? My first, best guess of the base "cause" of your problem is nutritional>
The first one only started showing signs of distress as loss progressed. Stayed at bottom and so forth but during last 12 hrs he swam erratically like he wanted out of the tank. Ph is at about 7.0, I use easy balance once or twice a month to keep balanced. Nitrate levels are below 40,
<Better below ten>
and nitrites are at .1,
<Should be zero>
total hardness is at 75, and total alkalinity is at about 160. Any possible answers or suggestions?
<Mmm, well, from what you've stated...>
 My husband and I both love these lil guys and it is rough watching them go down so fast. I have treated with Melaleuca,
<Worthless>
and quick cure (Formalin, Malachite green).
<Too toxic>
 No signs of a fungus. Help please. Thanks, Dee
Catch ya later. TTFN D.C.
<Please read re these medications utility, danger... on WWM, do look into more/better filtration, more frequent water changes, and make it known what you're feeding this Ropefish. Bob Fenner>

Re: rope fish scale loss 7/31/05
Just found out that our water dept is having a food grade oil leakage into the water that is being sent to houses and are making repairs to water system next week.
<Interesting>
Figure this is what caused the problems with our ropes.
Wish I had known earlier would have used distilled water in changes. We feed everything from Frozen blood worms, frozen krill and beef heart, to live ghost shrimp and red wiggler worms.
<Very nice>
 List the other rope today though and they were soo cool. no one else seems to be affected by any problems, but I have done a 40% change with distilled water and will do another tomorrow to prevent any more problems till after the water wells are fixed and the towers are purged.
Thanks for the speed of your reply. just wish I'd known about the water problem 3 days ago.
<I want to share a "similar" instance with you... once coming back from the Interzoo tradeshow, on a train to Frankfurt, I got into a conversation with a freshwater fish exporter from Nigeria... and one of his principal "products" was Ropefish... he shared with me a difficulty they had in capturing same (with native labor, plant extracts)... in that the fish would develop "loose scales" and perish in great numbers, from over-exposure... On arrival, outfits I have worked with, did something irregularly with this Polypterids, and poured/saved their shipping water in with the standing systems... to prevent chemical shock... a tough species nonetheless. Bob Fenner>

Improved English, poor behavior <Ropefish rant> - 02/27/06
 So, I see that you have more than enough time to read your e-mails and respond to them...God forbid that you can actually help someone with a problem with their fish!
<<Countless people are helped here everyday.>>
I did not realize that your site is here to make you look good and have the ability to look down on someone for their grammar and refuse to give an honest answer that may actually help people better care for their fish based upon their e-mail not being suitable to your liking.
<<It is not that your email wasn't to the first responder's liking, but that it gets frustrating having to re-write emails with proper capitalization and spelling. All that was asked of you, was that you re-write it and re-send it, as there are many people who need advise.>>
By the way, I used my Yahoo spell checker before I sent my e-mail to you and it still was not good enough for you!
<<Again, it was not a matter of quality of your email. I do not think it is too much to ask that when writing to us (all of whom are volunteers) that your letters are written properly, so that they need-not be re-typed. Many people, from all over the world, read this site, and language is very important for ease of understanding.>>
I thought your site was awesome! Until I actually needed some information on a rope fish that I need help with which, by the way, I read all of your posting's before I e-mailed you and exhausted all means of information available to me before asking this of you.
<<Appreciated>>
You say you do not have enough time to read all e-mails sent to you and respond to them but yet, You have the time to send all the criticism in the world if I AM NOT AN ENGLISH MAJOR!
<<I'm sure it wasn't meant that there is no time to send out all emails, but that it is time consuming, which is fine, but any help we can get from those writing in, makes it easier to reply in a speedy manner to all.>>
I am American born and raised and anyone, and I do mean ANYONE that speaks English could read my e-mail that I sent to you AND understand EVERY word that it contained!
<<Not all that read here are American born, but again, it's not that your email was unreadable, but not suitable for posting as it was at that time.>>
My eight year old even read it and understood every word of it! But yet, you have no time to help but rather criticize what you feel to be proper grammar. EXCUSE ME! I refuse to ever visit your web site EVER again and intend to tell this to every person that I come across as well as my local pet stores which, couldn't tell me what is wrong with my rope and wanted to know your response to help them with their knowledge in the future.
<<That's too bad. I am sure if you had sent it back corrected, you would have been quite please with whomever responded to you.>>
I originally planed on making a donation to your site because it seemed to be extremely help full when people actually needed help with their fishes health.
<<It is quite helpful, yes.>>
Well, no help here!!! As far as my rope fishes health it has gotten no better but a little worse since I e-mailed you initially. But, Obviously you don't give a sXXX.
<<Of course we do, that is why we take the time to do this.>>
So long. I will not bother you or your uppity, uppity class of loser any more! Dan
<>

Dissatisfied Ropefish Response ... Chuck's go - 02/27/06
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing about concerns with our previous correspondence. It has come to my attention that it was difficult for your staff to understand my question. Hopefully this can be resolved, but yet again my question remains unanswered.
Dan.
So, I see that you have more than enough time to read your e-mails and respond to them. God forbid that you can actually help someone with a problem with their fish!
I did not realize that your site is here to make you look good and have the ability to look down on someone for their grammar and refuse to give an honest answer that may actually help people better care for their fish based upon their e-mail not being suitable to your liking. By the way, I used my Yahoo spell checker before I sent my e-mail to you and it still was not good enough for you! I thought your site was awesome! Until I actually needed some information on a rope fish that I need help with which, by the way, I read all of your posting's before I e-mailed you and exhausted all means of information available to me before asking this of you. You say you do not have enough time to read all e-mails sent to you and respond to them but yet, You have the time to send all the criticism in the world if I AM NOT AN ENGLISH MAJOR! I am American born and raised and anyone, and I do mean ANYONE that speaks English could read my e-mail that I sent to you AND understand EVERY word that it contained! My eight year old even read it and understood every word of it! But yet, you have no time to help but rather criticize what you feel to be proper grammar. EXCUSE ME! I refuse to ever visit your web site EVER again and intend to tell this to every person that I come across as well as my local pet stores which, couldn't tell me what is wrong with my rope and wanted to know your response to help them with their knowledge in the future. I originally planed on making a donation to your site because it seemed to be extremely help full when people actually needed help with their fishes health.
Well, no help here!!! As far as my rope fishes health it has gotten no better but a little worse since I e-mailed you initially. But, Obviously you don't give a sh*t. So long. I will not bother you or your uppity, uppity class of loser any more! Dan
<All questions go to a general inbox. From there they are sorted out in categories like Marine, Freshwater and Brackish. Once they are in these categories crew members from around the country check in a any given time and respond to these questions. Generally the questions should be checked for grammar and spelling before they are sent. This is fairly easy request because all computers have these functions. It is up to the individual crew member to decide if the grammar is too poor to respond. We may get up to 100 questions a day. Sometimes the question is not very clear. Occasionally we don't even know what the question is. Crew members are all volunteers and we try to answer as many questions as we have time for. The more time we spend correcting grammar and spelling, the less time we have to answer questions and help to keep organisms alive. Questions that are properly written almost always get answered first. I personally answered your question about a ropefish and the response was posted on the website yesterday. You may have written another question that I am not aware of, and it was answered by another crew member. Have your local fish store start treating their ropefish with Oxolinic Acid as per my previous response. Hope things go better next time.-Chuck>

Dying Ropefish - 02/25/06
Hello, I just bought two ropefish a couple of days ago. I got their tank all set up and then went to work, when I got home about 12 hours later I noticed
that one of my Ropefish was lying on its back on the bottom of my tank. It was in fact dead. I fished it out and noticed that it's anus was bright red
as if it had been bleeding. My other Ropefish was still fine. I thought the problem might have been with the water, the temp was about 78, ph was 7.0, I
had hard water, low alkalinity, and no nitrites or nitrates. I have never had any fish die like this and I'm a bit troubled that this one died. So
anyway, The day after my first Ropefish died I checked my tank and the second one hadn't moved, so I poked it and it started swimming around, but
it only turned to the right and it was doing these barrel rolls as well, something just didn't look right. Then I noticed that it's eyes were clouded
(they weren't like this when I bought it). Now it pretty much only moves if its prodded by me or the other fish. Would have any suggestions as to what
might be the problem?-Thanks, Elliot
< This is a stubborn bacterial infection that has killed many ropefish. Oxolinic Acid works great on this disease. Unfortunately it is difficult to obtain for the average aquarist and is expensive too. Try Kanamycin or Nitrofuranace. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat as per recommended on the package. After treatment you need to add carbon to the filter to remove any excess medication. When the medication is gone to need to get the biological filtration going again so I would add Bio-Spira.-Chuck>

My Ropefish lost his nostrils!! 2/3/06
I have had my Ropefish for about 4 years now. He/she has been great. A couple of weeks ago his tank mates (an Oscar and large Pleco) died of I'm not sure what. He seemed fine until his nose got very red and raw. It went from red, to white, and then to normal. The only thing is his nostrils are gone!! will they ever grow back?
Thanks for any help.
>> Likely you had high ammonia, which killed your other fish, and burned the nostrils off your rope fish. They will grow back.
Sick Calamoichthys... no info. - 08/05/06
Hi I had a question about my ropefish, It doesn't seem its able to sink. He's always at the top and when he tries to go down his tail wont let him, so he
just stays up floating. Is there a way to fix this?
<Can't say with the lack of information presented>
Thank you for your time.
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/polypterids.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Poor English <NNS?>, killing a Ropefish 8/3/06
i

had a question regarding my ropefish.
<What happened to it?>
i bought a couple of weeks ago, ive
been feedin it feeder fish either guppies or minnows.
<Not a good idea...>
i think one of the feeder fish probably had ich or something
<Bingo>
cuz my ropefish got it. ive
<I've>
been medicating with maracide
<Products are proper nouns, capitalized...>
for the recommended time and then used Maracyn 2 also as recommended. but he still broke out again so this time i but him in a
separate tank and rededicating with CopperSafe. ive also noticed that he always at the top of the tank,
is there any reason for that?
<Yes, being poisoned by the Copper>
ive seen other ropefish and the always at the bottom. and when i bought him he was at the top. is he sick or something can it be fixed? Thank you for your time.
<Please fix your English before sending it to us... And read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsubwebindex.htm
search out the articles, FAQs files on Ropefish, Ich, Copper use in FW... Bob Fenner>

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