Black ghost knife fish

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

POLARBEAR0871

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
1,169
Iv had a black ghost knife fish for several months now and the only way to get it to show itself was to feed it by hand and draw it out. Just last night I walked into my room and noticed it was swimming around the tank is there any reason why it's just now starting to swim around the tank
 
Ghost knifes are very timid fish. They will hide most of the time and are nocturnal by nature so are usually only out at night
 
Even at night he stays hidden he's never came out ever and he's kinda swimming vertically I did a water change last night do you think that has something to do with it
 
It definitely could! Knifes are very sensitive to water so they will hide more if the water isn't perfect
 
Never seen mine swim vertically. He cruises all over the tank when I feed everyone and also at night.
 
Is it also normal for them to swim sideways mine seems to not know how to swim right and he only eats if I hand feed him
 
Again I ask...

Tank size?
Nitrate level?
PWC schedule and size?

One more...
Tank mates?
 
Again I ask...

Tank size?
Nitrate level?
PWC schedule and size?

One more...
Tank mates?

It's a 40G tall but soon it'll be a 55 long and idk what the nitrate levels are and iv never heard of pwc schedule and size what is that and tank mates are two clown knife fish a dragon fish and a crawdad
 
It's a 40G tall but soon it'll be a 55 long and idk what the nitrate levels are and iv never heard of pwc schedule and size what is that and tank mates are two clown knife fish a dragon fish and a crawdad

Haha wow, no offense intended but let's do some research on your stock. Clown knives get gigantic as well to black ghosts, they also should not be housed together as they get territorial and will eventually kill each other. They all need tanks much larger than 55 gallons too. PWC schedule means your water change routine. Like for example I remove and replace 40% of my tank water ever Sunday and some times more often. You really need a liquid water test kit so you'll be able to test your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and ph. Did you properly cycle your tank?

Also, what is your "dragon fish"? Is it a bichir or arowana?
 
Haha wow, no offense intended but let's do some research on your stock. Clown knives get gigantic as well to black ghosts, they also should not be housed together as they get territorial and will eventually kill each other. They all need tanks much larger than 55 gallons too. PWC schedule means your water change routine. Like for example I remove and replace 40% of my tank water ever Sunday and some times more often. You really need a liquid water test kit so you'll be able to test your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and ph. Did you properly cycle your tank?

Also, what is your "dragon fish"? Is it a bichir or arowana?[/QUOTE]

It's a bichir lol and forget the black ghost it ended up getting ate by another fish somehow it sucks cuz that was the only fish I could hand feed and yes they do get bigger but my fish are only 6 1/2 inches and 8 inches they're not that big
 
I'm going to guess you're just over stocked and that's what is causing issues. You had 3 6-8" fish plus a bichir in a tank that's too small and are unable to test the nitrates. You should really get a test kit and try to work out your stock list soon. How did you cycle your tank?
 
I'm going to guess you're just over stocked and that's what is causing issues. You had 3 6-8" fish plus a bichir in a tank that's too small and are unable to test the nitrates. You should really get a test kit and try to work out your stock list soon. How did you cycle your tank?

What do you mean by how did I cycle it???
 
How did you cycle your tank?

Zimmanski is asking if you took the two-three month time to properly balance your Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate or did you just add water then add fish?

Edit- and i kinda agree with Zimm, eventually you'll need a 125-150G just for the BGK(Black Ghost Knifefish) i don't know a thing about the clown knives. the smallest bichir that i know is the Sengal Bichir and it will still reach an impressive 12" or more... i have a Sengal Bichir in my 125G, and i still could've picked a larger species of Bichir but thats just because i don't want a monster Bichir lol
 
The number one advice I would recommend you follow...

Research, research, research.

The article section of this site has lots of good articles on how to cycle a tank, and how to test your water. Once you have a solid grasp on basic fish-keeping, then you can move on to basic husbandry of the species you've tossed together.

First off, Black Ghost Knifefish are one of the most challenging fish to keep alive long term. They're nocturnal, extremely shy, and easily bullied into starvation by the larger clown knife and the bichir. The vast majority of them die within the first 6 months because people just can't meet their needs. Those that do manage to live are usually eventually eaten when kept with a clown knife fish due to the drastic size difference between the two. I would strongly recommend you not try to buy another to replace your loss.

Secondly, look at the max length of your remaining two species. Clown knife fish tops out anywhere between 10-20" in the aquarium, though they get even larger in the wild. Depending on the bichir species, you're looking at anywhere between 12" to 39" for an adult fish. Both are predators, which means they are messy eaters, and therefore need more water with frequent changes to do well. Depending on the size of the bichir species and the final adult size of the clown, one very well might even eat the other. Minimum tank size for either fish is about 200 gallons, ideally closer to 300 for the clown. 55 gallons is barely adequate for a juvenile of either species, let alone both in the same tank.

Please, save yourself a huge headache and dead fish later.... Research what it takes to keep both of your remaining fish happy, and get to work ASAP on putting together a tank that will meet those needs. If they need more than you're willing to provide, rehome them or return them to the store. If you do choose to keep them, you'll need a diligent water change schedule and watch those water parameters like a hawk until your new tank is set up and cycled for them.
 
What do you mean by how did I cycle it???

That's what I was thinking. Look through the getting started threads and do some heavy research about cycling a tank, testing the water, and the nitrate cycle. At this point I would bet money your fish are dying and timid because of poor water quality and a build up of ammonia nitrite or nitrates (if you're lucky nitrates, but I'd bet not). Feel free to ask any more questions, were not trying to jump on you but like its been said before research is your best friend.
 
I've seen the 40" max size listed in some places too, but I believe that's their wild size. The captivity sizes I've seen listed for them top out around 2 feet max. Still needs a 200-300 gallon tank though.

I don't know about that... There is a Clown Knife in a LFS just down the highway from me that I could probably cram into a 40b with some grease and a plunger (not that I would). The thing is just HUGE.
 
Back
Top Bottom