black knife ghost

[Chaos553]

i don't really plan on getting one anytime soon, unless i can make it suitable for my tank, but i was really interested in these guys a while back. i was wondering if anybody knew like the parameters of these guys and what they can be with tankmate wise. thanks

[SBDTHUR]

I haven't had one but I know they are relativly slower swimmers. So fish like Barbs, and quick fish that tend to be fin-nippers are bad for him. I've seen them at my LFS store at about 5-6". They also need plant's or driftwood to hide in.

[Plecostomus]

I'm pretty sure BGKs are relatively peaceful. I see them for sale in the same tank as loaches, so loaches would make good tankmates

[Dr_House]

I don't have much experience with these fish myself, but there seems to be a fair amount of information here you may want to check out. I hope that helps.

[Chaos553]

yea i know they like to hide in caves or PVC pipes, but whenever i see them at my LFS i never see any other fish in the tank besides their species. i didnt know loahces were compatible, so thanks. im pretty sure smaller fish like neons, fancy guppies, and some tetras wouldnt go well either since i hear they usually take the night shift and sometimes eat other community fish. thanks for the help, and keep posting if you found out more.

[SBDTHUR]

I wouldn't worry about them eating other fish unless there really small, they have tiny mouths.

[Scuba Kid]

Originally Posted by SBDTHUR

I wouldn't worry about them eating other fish unless there really small, they have tiny mouths.

Actually, BGKs will not hesitate to eat anything that can fit into their mouths. And you'd be surprised what can fit in it. They are known to prey on smaller fish at night.

This mouth looks pretty big to me.



They grow slow but they do grow large and will eventually need a tank at least 75-100 gallons.

[Chaos553]

do you know on average how big they grow a year? and yea i thought they would eat anything they want, so im not going to bother getting one right now.

[SBDTHUR]

It's mouth get's that big when it's 12" long.. Which probably won't happen unless it's in a good size tank.

[Dr_House]

If you are maintaining a healthy environment, the size of the aquarium is not a factor in the adult size of the fish. I've seen plenty of fish that have grown to nearly touch both sides of the aquarium at once. If you are keeping the fish correctly, it will reach its adult size, allowing for some variation due to the individual fish.

[flamingo]

It's mouth is always large whether or not it's 4 inches or a foot long. At all sizes, it will pick off community fish, or attack certain types of fish at night. All knifefish are strictly predators, with unusual eyes and an electrical "pulse" to seek out fish during the day, and at night. It isn't really a community fish to begin with.

Like said, ghost knifefish do grow slow, but even so, it's unethical to keep them in small tanks.

[SBDTHUR]

The one's at my petstore were 4 inches and didn't have big mouths at all.

[Scuba Kid]

Keep arguing, SBDTHUR, but you are wrong.

The knifefish in that picture is only 6 inches long, not 12 inches. You may not be able to see just how large its mouth is by watching swim around in a pet store tank, but when they want to eat something they can open their mouths very wide. They are known to pick off community fish and disagree all you want based on your "small mouth" theory, but they are predatory fish.

And the idea that fish grow to the size of their aquarium is BS. Fish become stunted and die prematurely, but a BGK should have no trouble reaching 12 inches or more if it is well taken care and in the proper size tank.

[Chaos553]

lol i totally agree right there. my cousin used to have one, and its amazing how you cant tell how big his jaw is until you actually feed them. the fact that they swim in many different positions amazes me as well since no other fish swims like that, unless they are dead.

[Scuba Kid]

Yes, their swimming is quite fascinating. I personally like the head standing position. lol

[Dr_House]

That's awesome! Most of the "small mouthed ghosts" I see swim with their butts on the ground. Really an awesome fish if you've got the right setup, which I never will.

[Chaos553]

a while back i actually daw my LFS have a transparent knife ghost, which looked incredibly weird! =/ yea the headstanding position is a classic

[Ravynnm]

I have a BGK, aka Slicer. He's been with me a bit over a year and has grown maybe an inch or two; he's about 8". He lives most contently in a 55, black water. His roomies are 3 angels (1 black lace, 2 koi), a shoal of 6 cory elgans, 1.5 - 2.5 inches, 4 very frisky clown loaches about 5" give or take, 2 bristle nose plecos (they don't get big and I virtually never see them since they're nocturnal), and about six german rams.

Everyone has room and gets along fine.

The Sliceman hides much of the time my tanks has drift wood and rocks from one end to the other, I mean with rams come on, it's a must. However, when I turn the lights on in the morning for feeding time, that pup is up and at them. He darts to the surface for a bite and then back to hiding then back for more.

They are awesome fish and fun to "fish peep" at. I wouldn't rec a tank smaller than 55 though. They do need plenty of room to hide. Slice hangs in one space for a week or so, then moves to another, and then another and then repeats. However, if you keep up with the tank, they're easy and I highly rec them. However, I've never done dithery guys like tetras. My angels would consider them a snack, never mind Slicer. Bear in mind my black lace is about 8" top to bottom, and I've only him a year and a bit and he was half dollar size when I got him. The koi angels are "slightly" smaller.

If you have more questions, just let me know.

Ravyn

[jotrimble23]

i used to own an african knifefish.. i got rid of him though because he was a fin nipper (in my opinion worse than just eating the little guys). he nipped up my gourami pretty bad, so i didn't keep him because i was afraid he would nip up the arowana (arowana was in a different tank at the time). i might be lucky they werent together. What got me on this is the internet and the pet store say these guys are great because they are very docile and get big.

[Apotheosis]

All knifefish are predatory. I wouldn't put a BGK in a community tank with small fish (like guppies). They can also get pretty big (I think 18" or so max?)....I wouldn't put them in anything less than a 75 gal.