Black Ghost Knife fish HELP!

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smurph27

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jan 12, 2015
Messages
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So recently I have gotten a BGK and at first he wanted to explore, but I had a tank bully that I gave to a friend yesterday. Ever since the first day I got him He has either been hiding behind my tank's filter or right near my heater. I am concerned that he is not eating and I don't want him to die. All I am wondering is if this is normal or not? I know the BGK are shy at first but I always thought they hid at the bottom of tanks not the top. My tank has lots of hiding spots so this doesn't make sense to me. What should I do?:confused:
 
What size tank is it? How big is the knife? What was the bully? What does the knife eat?
I am a BGK keeper as well and hope the knife survives.
 
For now it is in a 36 gallon tank. The bully was a small african cichlid. For him, I got frozen brine shrimp. Currently he is around 4"
 
Is there ANY ammonia? And what is the Temp?My syno cat hid behind the heater for a few days.
 
I am not sure of the ammonia but the temp is 80-82 degrees. All of my other fish are doing fine.
 
1 silver angel
3 black tetras
2 bala sharks
1 betta
1 red tail
1 yo yo loach
1 columbian cat
 
For starters they take a while to become comfortable in a tank. They're also nocturnal, have poor visibility, and prefer a dimly lit tank. With the stock that you have in the tank now, the Columbian Cat, Bala Sharks, and RTS all require larger tanks. The tetras should be in a larger group (at least 5+) to help them feel safer. I would recommend more loaches as well. The betta is a risk in that tank and should be housed separately.

A test kit is vital !!! It's the only way to be sure that your parameters are in check. Liquid kits are much more accurate than test strips. Also, how long has the tank been set up and what is your WC routine ?


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I am aware I need a bigger tank and I will be getting one in the summer, but I just made my tank dimmer too. The tank has been setup for around 4 months now. So far I have just been doing 20% water changes every two weeks because my fish arn't don't produce too much waste.
 
Also, the betta has been in there from the start and hasn't bothered any fish yet. I did some research to make sure it would be ok and it said as long as it is the only betta or similar looking fish
 
Should I give it a few days to see if it adjusts before I make any decisions?
 
Without having an accurate set of parameters, it's all just a guessing game. At this point I would increase your WC's to at least weekly and closer to 50%. A 20% WC is not enough IMO. Your fish are producing more waste than you think.


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Alright, thanks guys all I'm worried about is that he is sitting at the top of my tank behind the part of the filter that sucks up the water. Like is this normal?
 
Give him a large tube to hide in.
Then research their behaviour.

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I have a large pvc tube with three openings and a smaller one that his a little bigger than him, but he won't move from the top. I have tried pushing him out from behind in hooes that maybe he will try and explore the tank again but he just goes right back to that spot
 
ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1421111206.153746.jpg This is the current tank setup. ( you can kind of see his tail stivking out in the upper left corner
 
I have a large pvc tube with three openings and a smaller one that his a little bigger than him, but he won't move from the top. I have tried pushing him out from behind in hooes that maybe he will try and explore the tank again but he just goes right back to that spot


Your tank is too bright. He's trying to hide in the darkest spot available but there isn't one.

Sent from my iPhone that doesn't like me. Or you !!
 
ThImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1421111864.809912.jpg this is it currently. I just added something to dimm the light a while ago
 
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