ropefish eggs

Question
hello, i recently got a 20 gallon tank with a ropefish and two small young sharks in the catfish family i think. Anyways, the other day i noticed a large amount of eggs on the bottom of my tank. they are whitish orange and are in a transparent sack. I know they aren't from my small catfish like fish because if you take all the eggs together in a pile, the pile would be bigger then my small fish. therefor, i came to the conclusion they must be from my ropefish. my question is, are they fertile? the ropefish was in a tank of 6 ropefish before i got her, could it be possible she was pregnant when i picked her up, or do the males fertile the eggs after they are laid? what should i do about the eggs?

Answer
Hi Jesse:  The rope fish lays her eggs and then the male fertilized them.  I doubt that your rope fish roe are fertile.  They like to live in groups and they are extremely social with each other. You may consider getting another one or two.  In the meantime I would watch the eggs... they should hatch in four days if they are fertile if not just vacuum them out.  dave