Freshwater Fish
Ropefish.
The ropefish is a primitive, air-breathing fish from West and Central Africa that hunts by scent after dark — snake-like, slow, and oddly peaceful toward anything too big to swallow. Keep a tight lid on a 55-gallon-plus tank with caves and sand, because this one will find every gap.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Temperament
- Semi aggressive
- Community
- Semi community
- Adult size
- 16"
- Min tank size
- 55 gallons
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Scientific name
- Erpetoichthys calabaricus
Good tank mates
Semi-aggressive only in the sense that it'll eat anything small enough to swallow, but it's peaceful toward fish too big to be a meal. Keep it with larger, calm tankmates it can't fit in its mouth, and skip small tetras, shrimp, and other bite-sized fish. Avoid pairing it with aggressive or fin-nipping fish that would harass a slow, nocturnal hunter, and never trust it around anything it could swallow.
Good to know
The ropefish is a primitive air-breather from the slow waters of West and Central Africa and is a notorious escape artist, slipping through any gap in the lid.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Assorted Angelfish
Seriously Fish explicitly lists angelfish among suitable companions for ropefish — peaceful cichlids large enough as adults to avoid predation (note: do not introduce juveniles, as ropefish will eat any fish that fits in their mouth). Water parameters overlap fully with ropefish requirements.
- S
Severum
Seriously Fish names Severum as a recommended tankmate. A calm, medium-large cichlid (8–12 in) with overlapping water parameters (pH 6.0–7.5, temp 22–28°C) that poses no predation risk to the ropefish and will not outcompete it aggressively at feeding time.
- S
Synodontis Catfish
Seriously Fish calls out Synodontis species specifically as suitable West African biotope companions. They share the ropefish's native range and water chemistry, are too robust to be predated, and are fully peaceful toward elongated bottom fish.
- B
Bichir
Bichirs and ropefish are both Polypteriformes — the same order — sharing identical West African biotope origins, near-identical water parameter requirements, and peaceful temperaments toward each other. Aquarium Source recommends the pairing, and it is widely confirmed across the hobby.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.