Black Ghost Knife???

[AlonelyCody]

My name is Cody and I need some help. I have a Black Ghost Knife he is 6 inchs long and about a month ago i moved him from a 10 gallon tank to my 30 gallon tank. He has established he home and he comes out at night and he will even come out during the day and eat. His white stripe that starts on his nose and goes down his back is turning a lite brown color, the white band on his tail is still white. I was wondering if anyone could help.

Thanks

 

[William]

Your 30 gallon is grossly overstocked, and many of your fish will readily outgrow your tank.


Namely the sharks, and the eel. Those are the ones I see, I'm not familier with the rest, however.

 

[AlonelyCody]

Yes i know that there are to many fish in my 30 gallon tank but they are all really small and i am going to upgrade to a much biger tank when i get my tax refund.

 

[oscarbreeder]

Yes a bigger tank will be MUCH better.

 

[William]

Like...75gal or bigger, I would say..

 

[butterfly]

Umm.. yes overstocked. Is this why the knife fish is changing color?

 

[grimlock3000]

Yes, when a fish is put in an overstocked tank they can frequently stress out which can cause the color change.

As people have said, you have WAY too many fish in that tank. By being that stocked, you are risking all of the fish and sitting on a timebomb. And with the Cichlids in there, disater will soon follow. Few fish last in a community tank with Cichlids once the Cichlids start to grow. Cichlids need to be in a species only tank for the most part.

I would highly reccomend you contact the LFS about returning or trading in some of your fish. When grown, you are going to need two tanks, both 55g and larger for the fish currently in the 30g.

 

[AlonelyCody]

Well i will do some moving in my tanks. i only have 31 inchs of fish in a 30 gallan tank. at one inch of fish per gallon that means the tank is full and starting to get crowded...and it is not a community tank. the black ghost goes around punking everyone else. ok. I know i need a biger tank. i will be geting one very soon. all i was asking for was info on the black ghost..

why are you keeping blue rams in with guppies? they are not the most peacful of fish.

But i do thank everyone for there commints. maybe it will make me get my butt in gear and get a bigger tank sonner.

 

[grimlock3000]

"Well i will do some moving in my tanks. i only have 31 inchs of fish in a 30 gallan tank. at one inch of fish per gallon that means the tank is full and starting to get crowded..."

The 1 inch per gallon rule only really works with full grown smaller tropiocal fish (3 inches and lower for the most part). You need to use the max size, since fish grow pretty quick and can eat a lot as they grow...

4 - 1 Red Tailed Shark
20 (2x10) - 2 Bala Sharks
24 - 1 Black Finned Shark
30 - 1 Tire Track Eel
2 - 1 Rope Eel
9 (3x3) - 3 Gold Barbs
3 - 1 Tiger Barb
18 - Black Ghost Knife
4 - 2 Dwarf Frogs
6 (3x2) - 2 Kuhlii Loachs
30 (6x5) - 6 Assorted Cichlids <assuming there are africans>
6 - 1 Blue Gourami
8 -1 Chinese Algae Eater.
-----------------------------------------
164 INCHES OF FISH WHEN GROWN

 

[AlonelyCody]

I understand that my tanks are what some may say "over crowded" yes, I know I have read that several times. But based on the fact that the fish currently haven't reached MAX size(many are still babies) have rearranged my tanks to make things more suitable for my fish. Currently there is enough room for the fish, this has also been looked at by someone who works in maintaining fish tanks and knows his fish. He said to him it looks as though the tanks are OK but we will need to upgrade as soon as we can so the fish can grow and reach their max size (we are doing this in a few short months).
Now back to the situation, the black ghost knife stripe is brown, this doesn't have to do with "overcrowding" I am just trying to find out if anyone has ever noticed this before.
As for the lengths that our fish WILL get in the FUTURE. We have researched this and many sites report differently as far as length. We have also researched and found that it takes a couple of years for some fish to reach their maximum size, so again, we believe we are GOOD when it comes to our tanks currently. Please if anyone has ever experienced this with their black ghost knife please respond. Just please don't respond with "to many fish for your tank".

 

[grimlock3000]

"why are you keeping blue rams in with guppies? they are not the most peacful of fish."

Blue Rams and many othe Dwarf Cichlids are quite peaceful. The Rams will actually run from the Guppies when the Guppies try getting frisky.

 

[William]

Even if they are all babies, its still to many fish.


There is no where near enough room for them to have their own territories and such. Not only that, but fish get stressed if there ar eto many others in the same area, without someplace to escape to, and theres no escape in a rectangle of glass.


You can not focus just on the blackghosts, since it is just one rung in a net of trouble.

If you gave the BGK a place [ I.E. A less stocked tank ] and time, I'm sure he'd get over what his problem is, altho I have no experiance with BGK personally.


If you don't get your tax return and get a new tank in the next two weeks, I'd say alot of the fish back to the LFS, or do something to get them out of the tank.

 

[grimlock3000]

"Even if they are all babies, its still to many fish.


There is no where near enough room for them to have their own territories and such. Not only that, but fish get stressed if there ar eto many others in the same area, without someplace to escape to, and theres no escape in a rectangle of glass."

x2

 

[AlonelyCody]

Grimlock3000-
*26g* 6x Cherry Barbs - 5x Male Guppies - 2x Blue Rams - 1x HATL Tetra - 1x Bushy Nose Pleco

I'm confused. So many people are saying that my tanks was overcrowded, but yet I look at what you are keeping in your tank and this is what I have come up with. I think this is kind of hypocritical. Here are the numbers I found for your 26 gallon tank.

26g
6x Cherry Barbs -2in.x6=12

5x Male Guppies -2in.x5=10

2x Blue Rams - 3in.x2=6

1x HATL Tetra - 2in.x1=2

1x Bushy nose pleco =4.5 in

I see that it equals 34.5. That is YOUR fish when FULL size!! How is that OK for your size tank? Someone mentioned to me that the per inch didn't matter so I am going by FULL SIZE and that is what everyone has been telling me.

And as for William!! Here is what my research uncovered for you!!

1 Betta = 3in. - 4in.
5 Albino Cory Cats = 2in. x 5= 10in.
3 Danios = 4in. x 3= 12in.
1 Molly = 4in.

And that adds up to 29 - 30 inchs in a 10 gallon tank. That is YOUR fish when FULL size!! So I think that you both should do a little research on your own fish and stop criticizing everyone else because you both seem to be hypocrites! So here are some links so you can do some research on your own Fish!!!

http://www.liveaquaria.com
http://www.aquariacentral.com

So this is to everyone that is telling me that I have to many fish for my tank. Please practice what you preach. If you will notice as well that I have since bought another 10 g. tank.

 

[grimlock3000]

I see that it equals 34.5. How is that OK for your size tank? Someone mentioned to me that the per inch didn't matter so I am going by FULL SIZE and that is what everyone has been telling me.

So this is to everyone that is telling me that I have to many fish for my tank. Please practice what you preach. If you will notice as well that I have since bought another 10 g. tank.

First of all, the one inch per gallon rule is a simple guideline that works well to give people a rough idea of how to stock a tank. Obviously MUCH more is involved, but it give people something to start working with. No one ever said, "HEY YOU CAN ONLY HAVE 30 INCHES OF FISH IN THAT 30g TANK!" If you have 45 inches or something like that and they were compatible, I doubt many people would have a problem with it. Almost everyone who has commented on your setup has said that you have _way_ to many fish in there and are destined for problems. Trying to spin it around and point that finger at everyone else is not going to get you far...

And are you seriously trying to compare my 34.5 inches of fish in a 26 to you 164 inches in a 30? LOL! It is very true that not all fish will not reach full size, but it is a good idea to plan for it. Even with 20% less growth under the max, you are still at 130 inches in a 30, and I would be at 28 inches in a 26. I might as well give you the full details since you pushed...

-3 of the 5 Guppies are "Feeder" Guppies, which top out at about one inch. Mine are actually about .75 inches long and stopped growing there. Fancy Guppies are bred for size and color and get much larger. The other two Guppies are full grown and about 1.5 inches each.

5.25 inches for Guppies.

-My Cherries are half male and half female. The males do not grow larger than 1.5, but the females have grown to just under 2 inches.

10.5 inches for Cherry Barbs.

-I have never seen a Blue Ram that was actually a full three inches, but I suppose it is possible.

6 inches for the Rams.

-The Tetra used to have a bunch of other tankmates, but this fish does not get along with any other Tetras and basically killed off his other Tetras except for the one remaining in the 10g that never fully healed. It currently gets along fine with all the fish in the 26. It is 2 inches.

2 inches for the Tetra

-My Pleco is a Ancistrus claro type of Bushynose, and will not grow past 3 inches:

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/loricari/ancistru/152_f.php

3 inches for the Pleco...

That brings my actually full grown total to 26.75 inches. Also, aside from the Tetra, my fish have other like fish they can swim with. Each group has its own area, and when fish do cross paths, there is no aggression that would harm any of the fish. I have posted my setup many times in the past, and asked for opinions on adding new fish (before I got my Rams) and the common agreement from many experienced fishkeepers has been that my tank is just fine. This has never been the case for you.

Story time... Person I know starts the nasty habit locking a dog in a basement and then saying it is fine because the dog smiles and gives people attention when they open the door. The owner thinks the dog is better of this way because it can not get into trouble. People (like me) tried to help the owner with the dog, the owner would complain that everyone else's dogs looked fat and got fed too much. The basement dog had a nasty rash from chewing on its leg because it had nothing else to do except for live in its own waste and get infected. The owner would try to blame the rash on something else and say it was fine. The dog eventually was put down because the person never listened to other people trying to help.

People here, are only trying to help. Got anything else for me?

 

[Fruitbat]

OK....time to quit bickering here.

Alonelycody....let's see if we can figure out what's going on with your Black Ghost Knife. You mentioned that the light stripe that runs the length of the fish is turning from white to brown....correct? I haven't personally kept this fish but it is my understanding that it is not at all unusual for the longitudinal stripe to fade almost completely, leaving only the white stripe on the tail to contrast spectacularly with the satiny black body. Does your Black Ghost Knife seem to be acting normally in all other ways? If so....I suspect you're seeing a normal result of growth and maturation.

 

[Christmasfish]

knife out of luck

He has posted this somewhere else too.
And got the same answers....

Not going to find anywhere that the concensus condones your numbers. And it looks like you added something new even..... I 'll think I will actually look. And the black knife question has been answered. The beast is stressed! And may become ill soon.

He was told then that his tank is a crowded metropolis and his black knife, being a sensitive and electric species, is having a nervous breakdown. And he never was clear how much refuge he had either.
And someone else keeping too many fish...is a different concern.
(remember mom? "I suppose if todd &Jim jump in front of a truck its okay for you too!?")
size]Don't be stubborn, we mean well. Just go pick up a cheap 10 gallon and split your community. Or do you like doing 50% changes every 3-4 days?

 

[William]

And as for William!! Here is what my research uncovered for you!!

1 Betta = 3in. - 4in.
5 Albino Cory Cats = 2in. x 5= 10in.
3 Danios = 4in. x 3= 12in.
1 Molly = 4in.

And that adds up to 29 - 30 inchs in a 10 gallon tank. That is YOUR fish when FULL size!! So I think that you both should do a little research on your own fish and stop criticizing everyone else because you both seem to be hypocrites! So here are some links so you can do some research on your own Fish!!!

http://www.liveaquaria.com

http://www.aquariacentral.com

So this is to everyone that is telling me that I have to many fish for my tank. Please practice what you preach. If you will notice as well that I have since bought another 10 g. tank.

One, I have not updated my profile in a while, I gave the molly and two of my Cory Cats to someone else because they only had one and it didn't want to buy more. [ Cories like to be in groups ]


Two, The inch rule is a guideline, not a fact. You also have to take into account which level of the tank the fish live in, The cories live on the bottom and never leaveit, The betta likes to hang around the middle of the tank, and the danios dash around near the surface. No one gets in anyones way and they are all small fish that do very little on the bioload.


On top of all that, I have a filter that turns the tank water over about 7x an hour.


You can't just go by the inches, You have to go by where they live in the tank, and how much they effect the bioload. Danios, Cories and Bettas are very light on my bioload bioload.



You asked for help, and thats all we're giving. You need to quit getting so upset over it.


Everyone says your tank is overstocked by a gross ammount, So its not going to do any good to pick out one or two people and argue with them baselessly.

 

[ferret]

It is greatly confusing me that there are two threads for this, and for that matter containing nearly identical posts. Could they perhaps be merged?

 

[AlonelyCody]

OK, I am sorry to anyone and everyone that might have offended. that isn't what i wanted. I just get defensive some times when i am told that i am in the wrong or going to kill my fish. I got another 10 gallon tank last night and am moving some of the ones in the 30 gallon to it. And ferret, thank you. your post had made me want to be a member of this forum. And the resin that there are two posts about this is no one was reading it or responding to it so i re posted it and both of them started to get hits. I do want to take care of my fish I love my fish and yes i know i have to many. i know that a 10 gallon tank is to small for the Cichlids, but for now they are doing good. I understand that soon they will need to be in a larger tank. soon i am going to get a 55 or a 75 gallon tank and move what is in my 30 gallon in to it. then the Cichlids will move over to the 30 gallon. as for the black ghost knife i have moved him in to another 10 gallon with 3 gold barbs a gold gourami and 1 koolii loach. he found his home right off the bat and he seems to be happier, For now. I know they get big and he will need a much larger tank. And last night his first night in the new tank he ate 3 feeder guppies which is good he would never eat them before, just flake, bloodworms and brine. so i think he will do better. the one thing that i want everyone to realize is i love fish i love my fish and i don't want to harm them, i know i have to many, and i am trying to get more tanks. at one time i had almost all the fish i have in the 30 gallon and the lfs said it was fine. yes i am somewhat new at the hobby. i apologize and will try to take critasizem better in the future. thank you for all of your repossess and your concern.

And the black ghost knife has always acted fine has eaten and has had his own home and territory. was he stressed probably, but he is in a different take and he has more rome to roam if he wants.

Cody :|