Fwee! New baby Ghost Knife!

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Christmasfish

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Jan 11, 2004
Messages
1,601
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The South-SOoTHWEsT that is
Who care what lives under the filter! I am making out ! I will take EVERY precaution to ensure that they make their appointment with him in a couple weeks.
He gave me four of the eggers back and will provide feasting supplies as needed until they too are the size he wants. Just look like weird tiny whiskered eels to me. *finally got a good glance at 3am* he doesn't want me to change anything, do anything nor even know what they are. HE is afraid I might change something if I know what they are suposed to be. I almost did. the tank is looking disgusting! but the water is reaching zero on near everything so I just keep adding more fresh.
I got some mondo credit for this task. I don't care if they are the "rare Bohemian gold-spitting tree eel". Heh! Prolly would have special requirements as a juvie anyway then!
When I expressed interest in possible needding a big one he gave me this little guy! He is missing most a pec fin on one side, but......
He so sleek and glossy! And the little blaze on his nose is adorable when he peeks out his decoration. He even acts playful when it's lights down time.

Once his QT days are done though...
What is the minimum size-safe companion for a 4-5 inch knife that is?
Most of the planned fish for MY tank are a couple gourami sized things and cleaning crew. The QT ghost shrimp are gone. ^.^ .
I don't think my new little botia should room with him. HE's cute enough to be alone except meals.
 
Think he/she just bought a Black Ghost, or has breed some... which is very very rare. Christmasfish has explained the normally habits of a Ghost Knife in that his particular one is hiding from him etc. doesn't want the tank played with and only comes out at lightsout...... I think?
 
I also didn't understand much of that LOL wanna try again Xmasfish?

In the meantime, tankmates should be fish that won't fit in his mouth! I know some folks keep em with angelfish.
 
Soorry..clarify

let me clear this......
in one set of my posts were these events:

1Christmasfish(me)
has 2 gourami that went breeding like wild. Got many gourami and had to make my big planted decorated tank into fry tank. (second set of posts)

2 Plant die off; because of covering tank for gourami fry development stage of swimming and snails.

3. Go to lfs for more stuff (baby food, questions and plants). lfs out of plants and gives me all the java fern he had left from all "non-planted" tanks.

4 Later, mysterious fish hatch in tank and hide under the undergravel filter. Not sure they were different, til later. Unholy number of fry with me picking up the non-swimmers and replacing them to nest(I stopped!)

5. the unholy number of free swimming gourami fry finally is bumped down to hundred+ I spot the gravel ghosts... dark long and twice the other fry size. Ask pet store about mystery guest. He thinks I am "charmed" to have that many visible fry. And says if i bring more than 30 surviver at 3 months...I am unusual

6. Weird eggers (floating fry) found during turkey baster gravel clean. bring to pet store the living looking ones.

7. lfs guy freaks asks again what the mystery fry look like (listens this time ^.^ Then tells me not to "touch" anything and starts showering with gifts (read:CREDIT :D ). Tells me not sweat if NO gourami fry make it, I can have some. Says test! test! test! Don't change the tank or attempt catch. he is like superstitious and the word "jinx" came out.
Gives me...free decorations, free nitrAte test and refill for my Ammonia. Gives me a **** load of ghost shrimp and plants. And a bunch of food.


8. Today, the eggers excite him still, he gave me four back to return to the tank and asked if i would keep that tank as is . And when I admired the Knife fish, he gave me a baby black one with a missing fin. i am so thrilled i rambled the above post! ^.^
And put out the theory that this is like the offspring of the Fabulous Singing Gold-shitting Eel. And somehow my tank was like the mystery magis tank sprinkled with pixie dust...heh! (the word is l-u-c-k!)
 
NOW I get it..sorta LOL he didn't tell you WHAT the mystery fry were?? Get us some pics!! Lets see if we can figure it out (or at least a description); maybe they're worth even more then he's telling you *grin*
 
Part 8... So wait, you gave him some eggs? You have to find out what you have so you know how to deal with the lfs. This is pretty interesting that they're giving you all this stuff for free, lol.
 
Yeah, took the eggs in to see if he could identify them (or have em identified. He's pretty saavy compared to my other choices (wallyworld or Pestmart) but half his odd stock are brought in as trades. I see them come in a bucket every other time I am there. He is not real familiar on bettas or anabantids (which is why I ended up here; when the petsmart bettas became infested with everything), so he may have other species knowledge gaps ...... but he is agreeable and generous (just MORE so now).

Mystery fry...
Currently..maybe 2-3 cm
Dark colored but now one? some? are developing some mottles
When peeking through uplift tube, (the top isn't there cause I rigged low flow for fry safety) sometimes see pointy reptilish or eely head with one set of whiskers? well nubs actually, big enough to see.
Lightening fast and only leave ugf at o-dark hundred. The two sightings were after approaching with the stealth of EOD disarming a nitro-fuse on a phosphorous round. Getting big as fast as they scoot.
Those 2 brief sightings had what looked like an eel or two zipping under the lifted spot like bullet trains.
They hatched maybe when I had the heater set too high one day (temp crept up to 88.I think that because they eggers appeared after another heat hike up to 90 from same heater (exchanged for new yesterday) The eggers are maybe 2mm around where the eyes are located, with a still curled tail and yolk goo.
pictures? I am still having trouble getting pics of the nosy fry that swim right up to the camera to come out visible.

My lfs has all kinds of long snaky things in the shop. Arowana and lungfish and eels and weird catfish and maybe some loaches? all his tanks have loaches. Which fish are which? heh!
Nearly all the whacky things are in his monster tanks in the back. But even my baby gourami looked like a bubble driven by a stick at first. Maybe they get fat later?
You have to find out what you have so you know how to deal with the lfs. [/qoute]
They are not really mine anyway, I never bought any "whats-its". Just plants and ghost shrimp. It'd be like keeping a puppy you found and raising it. Or keepin select kitttens from an unplanned breeding. The stud owner still get a pick or the fee. It is yours kinda but technically the original owners.
:) What do I care about unknown whats-its anyway? That may or may not turn out valuable. I still think they are special catfish of some sort. Bleh! I am more than happy to take what has amounted to maybe? 50 bucks and whatever juvenile black knifefish run for? Maybe that valuable? maybe NOT! Haha! He set the terms and I'm sticking to em! :wink: Except a gulper, I only planned on having tanks of small friendly fish and a few gourami. And my new knife fishwill be a gulper right? I am happy as a clam at high tide! And excited by what I got. And for this bounty already given; all I have to do is keep the creepy little things alive one more month and they are all his! Then I'll have my 18 gallon back! The eggers? eh, we'll see. The slippery little sneaks might eat those too. Any catfish worth more than a nickle out there?
:p
 
Yeah, took the eggs in to see if he could identify them (or have em identified. He's pretty saavy compared to my other choices (wallyworld or Pestmart) but half his odd stock are brought in as trades. I see them come in a bucket every other time I am there. He is not real familiar on bettas or anabantids (which is why I ended up here; when the petsmart bettas became infested with everything), so he may have other species knowledge gaps ...... but he is agreeable and generous (just MORE so now).

Mystery fry...
Currently..maybe 2-3 cm
Dark colored but now one? some? are developing some mottles
When peeking through uplift tube, (the top isn't there cause I rigged low flow for fry safety) sometimes see pointy reptilish or eely head with one set of whiskers? well nubs actually, big enough to see.
Lightening fast and only leave ugf at o-dark hundred. The two sightings were after approaching with the stealth of EOD disarming a nitro-fuse on a phosphorous round. Getting big as fast as they scoot.
Those 2 brief sightings had what looked like an eel or two zipping under the lifted spot like bullet trains.
They hatched maybe when I had the heater set too high one day (temp crept up to 88.I think that because they eggers appeared after another heat hike up to 90 from same heater (exchanged for new yesterday) The eggers are maybe 2mm around where the eyes are located, with a still curled tail and yolk goo.
pictures? I am still having trouble getting pics of the nosy fry that swim right up to the camera to come out visible.

My lfs has all kinds of long snaky things in the shop. Arowana and lungfish and eels and weird catfish and maybe some loaches? all his tanks have loaches. Which fish are which? heh!
Nearly all the whacky things are in his monster tanks in the back. But even my baby gourami looked like a bubble driven by a stick at first. Maybe they get fat later?
You have to find out what you have so you know how to deal with the lfs.
They are not really mine anyway, I never bought any "whats-its". Just plants and ghost shrimp. It'd be like keeping a puppy you found and raising it. Or keepin select kitttens from an unplanned breeding. The stud owner still get a pick or the fee. It is yours kinda but technically the original owners.
:) What do I care about unknown whats-its anyway? That may or may not turn out valuable. I still think they are special catfish of some sort. Bleh! I am more than happy to take what has amounted to maybe? 50 bucks and whatever juvenile black knifefish run for? Maybe that valuable? maybe NOT! Haha! He set the terms and I'm sticking to em! :wink: Except a gulper, I only planned on having tanks of small friendly fish and a few gourami. And my new knife fishwill be a gulper right? I am happy as a clam at high tide! And excited by what I got. And for this bounty already given; all I have to do is keep the creepy little things alive one more month and they are all his! Then I'll have my 18 gallon back! The eggers? eh, we'll see. The slippery little sneaks might eat those too. Any catfish worth more than a nickle out there?
:p
 
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