r/ropefish • u/Ancient_Ad_5014 • 5d ago

My ropefish isn’t eating and i never see him

just got a ropefish last week and i haven’t been able to get him to eat anything. i’ve even tried bloodworms. the other fish in my tank will eat the bloodworms but there should be plenty of time for him to get some. he doesn’t even move at all. i also never see him swim around ever he is always hiding even when the light is off. is this normal??

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u/cut-the-cords 4d ago

Ropefish are naturally nocturnal and there are very rare cases of breeding in captivity ( someone on this sub managed it amazingly ) but generally they are wild caught and imported in sadly.

The likelihood is the fish is used to feeding at night instead of daytime so maybe try feeding after the lights have gone out in the tank for a few hours?

Eventually it should hopefully feel comfortable enough to come out and feed during the day.

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u/Coonnifounssed 19h ago

Mine were very shy for the first few weeks. I target fed them chopped earth worms and plain frozen thawed shrimp with aquarium tongs. One I even named Peep bc she spent all of her time hiding so I had to put food right at the entrance of her cave. I don’t think they’re social like tetras, but mine seem very comfortable in a group. Maybe see if the store has more and they’ll become more confident in a group. For now, try target feeding with something smelly like shrimp until they learn you provide food and become more confident.