black ghost knife

[MacD]

I'm very much interested in getting one of these guys, and so I've been doing some research on them. Here's my question: If the minimum recommended tank size for a bgk is 75 gal. and you're not supposed to have any other fish with them, are people who want to keep this fish expected to set up a 75 gal. and basically just have one fish in it (the bgk)? Seems like a lot of trouble/expense to me for one fish. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

[Blue Cray]

Oto's would be a bad idea. As long as the fish you put it with are to big for it too eat (they have huge mouths btw) and very friendly. Other knife fish shouldn't be kept with them other because they grow to hate their own kind. Something like a large clown loach, plecos, catfish, angels would work as long as they are large.

[Fishfirst]

yep large fish that aren't nippy work.

[GoodMike]

IME bgks are not really agressive. they take well to prepared foods. you dont have to keep them by themselves, i have kept them with angels, discus, rams, rainbows, tetras, etc.

[Blue Cray]

I've seen them with mollies and platys, they can get along fine with them until they get big enough to eat the mollies.

[GoodMike]

ive never had them eat fish, and i got mine up to 15 inches, with small fish

[Blue Cray]

Thats really cool that he never touched the smaller fish. Were they cardinal tetras or other fast fish? BGK tend to go for slow sleepy fish.

[GoodMike]

do you have first hand experience with this? at all?

[Blue Cray]

Yes but not for too long lol

[Fishfirst]

I have customers who feed their ghost knife fish feeders (although I never recommend it)

[redpaulhus]

I had a 10" BGK who used to suck the eyeballs out of his tankmates (usually platies) if he felt he wasn't getting enough earthworms, blackworms, and bloodworms.
My wife named him Imotep

I had rescued him from somebody who's tank wasn't big enough, and I ended up giving him away because the biggest tank I had with no tankmates or compatable tankmates was only 55g, and I didn't want to risk the eyes of the fishes in my 125g.
Orignally, I was planning on putting him in the 125g once he came out of quarentine, but watching him blind the platies that I was also keeping in the Q tank killed that notion.
I had always been told that they would do fine with non-aggresive tankmates as long as they had enough space I learned my lesson the hard way...

Here's my question: If the minimum recommended tank size for a bgk is 75 gal. and you're not supposed to have any other fish with them, are people who want to keep this fish expected to set up a 75 gal. and basically just have one fish in it (the bgk)? Seems like a lot of trouble/expense to me for one fish. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

This isn't aimed at you MacD - you're just asking a good question - but it raises a point thats been bugging me lately.

I always assume that people are expected to do what's best for a pet.
If the best thing to do for a parrot is to put it by itself in a properly sized parrot cage, do people complain that they cannot also keep canaries and finches in the parrot cage ? (not that I've ever heard)

Nobody buys a hamster cage and then gets mad when the sales staff at the LFS tells them they shouldn't put a rabbit in there (I hope).
Is this type of thinking unique to aquariums ? Or is it part of a larger issue, that many people don't see aquariums as pets, they see them as decoration ?

Why do so many people have a problem understanding that they should pick a tank size that matches the fish they want (and vice versa) ?

I hear this almost every weekend at work (LFS):
"I've got a (10g or 20g) tank, but I don't want these fish, I want big fish"
(usually after I show them appropriate fish for their 10g or 20g tanks) - and I just don't get it.

Then they look at me funny when I ask them if they would put a rabbit in a hamster cage

[trashion]

I hear this almost every weekend at work (LFS):
"I've got a (10g or 20g) tank, but I don't want these fish, I want big fish"
(usually after I show them appropriate fish for their 10g or 20g tanks) - and I just don't get it.

OH GOD I KNOW. AGH.

[Fishfirst]

Nobody buys a hamster cage and then gets mad when the sales staff at the LFS tells them they shouldn't put a rabbit in there (I hope).

I've actually been in a similar situation. They wanted to mix hamsters and guinea pigs... people are so rediculous.

[sidneymysnake]

Originally Posted by redpaulhus

Nobody buys a hamster cage and then gets mad when the sales staff at the LFS tells them they shouldn't put a rabbit in there (I hope).

When I was working at a pet store once this lady got mad at me because I wouldn't sell her a rabbit because she wanted to buy a hamster cage to put it in. Her justification was because it was only gonna be in there at night.

[MissMod]

I have a black ghost knife and he is very well with my other fish. I even have a Needlenose in there along with a Tire Track eel and they just leave one another alone. My friend as even gotten his ghost knife to eat out of his hand. The miminium tank size is a 50 gallon for one of these, they are very peaceful so get fish that have the same temperment.

[BGKLOVER]

I really do belive that it is fine to have them in smaller tanks while they are young, but when they start to reach a certain size you either need a bigger tank, or you need to sell them to a pet shop somewhere, but if there is no place to sell them, and you can't have a bigger tank than please don't get them. It would be like makeing fish veal.



I have four black knife ghost fish. They get along with everything I have in my 55gal. Never tried them in my 10 gal.

55gal

• 6 Balla Sharks ( 3 lg., 2 med., 1 sm. )
  4 Black Knife Ghost Fish
  2 Red Tail Sharks
  2 Rainbow Sharks ( 1 Is Albino )
  2 Iridescent Sharks
  1 Silver Tiped Shark
  1 Catfish
  1 Blue Lobster
  1 Pleco (XXL)

10gal

• 6 Cardinal Tetras
  5 Glowlite Tetras
  4 Flame Tetras ( 2 male, 2 female )
  2 Plecos ( 1 common, 1 spotted )
  1 Chinese Algae Eater
  1 Clown Loach

First attempt I was able to hand feed them. As a matter of fact that was how I got them to eat for the first time since I brought them home. I hand fed them freeze dried shrimp. They love them, but sometimes have problems getting past the exo-skeleton. The very next day I had them eating Tubifex Worms (freeze-dried). Every once in a while if I can land a sinking carnivor pelet next to their hide-out (which they hardly ever use) they might pick at it. Not very good luck there. As far as freeze dried blood worms go I'm just clogging my filter. I hope to accedentaly breed them one day. Oh and one more thing...They get along perfect with each other except for the occacional nudge to get to the food first.