Black Ghost knifefish

[Abiduwhabi]

So, went down to the LFS today and they had a black ghost in one of their tanks. I have absolutely no experience with knifefish but I was fairly certain that they are predators. I inquired about it and was told that it was a fairly peaceful fish and then she showed me a clear tube that she called a black ghost house.
I told her that I had a 55 gallon with a lot of smaller fish, mostly tetras, and that I had a pair of blue rams. She assured me that the knifefish would be perfectly fine with all of those, but that it was capable of shocking other fish.

Needless to say I take what fish store employees tell me with a grain of salt. I told her I would do some research and get back to her.

So, what is everyone's experience with these fish? Can they actuallydo good in a community tank? Another thing I noticed while researching is that they get rather large. To large for a 55?

 

[Fishman88888]

So, went down to the LFS today and they had a black ghost in one of their tanks. I have absolutely no experience with knifefish but I was fairly certain that they are predators. I inquired about it and was told that it was a fairly peaceful fish and then she showed me a clear tube that she called a black ghost house.
I told her that I had a 55 gallon with a lot of smaller fish, mostly tetras, and that I had a pair of blue rams. She assured me that the knifefish would be perfectly fine with all of those, but that it was capable of shocking other fish.

Needless to say I take what fish store employees tell me with a grain of salt. I told her I would do some research and get back to her.

So, what is everyone's experience with these fish? Can they actuallydo good in a community tank? Another thing I noticed while researching is that they get rather large. To large for a 55?

They send out electrical charges to navigate cause they have poor eyesight, they're safe for other fish... They say to avoid elephant noses though - since they also have electrical signals they use.

They're not exactly peaceful towards small fish... Mine lunges at anything smaller than 2" - 3" if he feels it's encroaching on his territory, and he also does snag the occasional feeder fish I put in the predator tank he lives in. They're peaceful with slightly larger fish though. And mine loves driftwood and caves, as long as you have enough decor for them to feel safe, they won't hide and that ghost tube thing is pointless

As for tank size...55" is prob a bit too small, but I've heard of it being done. They don't exactly need to turn around the same way a normal fish does... But they easily reach big lengths... Mine's already 10" and he isn't even 1 year old yet...

I guess that's just some stuff to think about. The decision is ultimately up to you

 

[GodFan]

So, went down to the LFS today and they had a black ghost in one of their tanks. I have absolutely no experience with knifefish but I was fairly certain that they are predators. I inquired about it and was told that it was a fairly peaceful fish and then she showed me a clear tube that she called a black ghost house.
I told her that I had a 55 gallon with a lot of smaller fish, mostly tetras, and that I had a pair of blue rams. She assured me that the knifefish would be perfectly fine with all of those, but that it was capable of shocking other fish.

Needless to say I take what fish store employees tell me with a grain of salt. I told her I would do some research and get back to her.

So, what is everyone's experience with these fish? Can they actuallydo good in a community tank? Another thing I noticed while researching is that they get rather large. To large for a 55?

To big for the 55. Also it will eat small fish when it gets big. Check out he african brown knife instead

 

[FrankoQ]

I'm thinking on getting one for my 90g tank.
size is the main concern but i read he might be ok on 90g 5foot long.
the brown knife is smaller but the black one just looks so much better.

 

[Mcgolg76]

I am interested in getting a brown knife for a 75. Smallest fish in there are panda Cory's and harlequin rasboras Would a brown knife work

 

[GodFan]

Frank a 90 is not large enough. A 220 would be minimun. They can get to almost 2 foot.

Mcglog african brown knifefish should be safe with those. The only thing I think they would bother would be shrimp. They will annoy any new additions for a few minutes but not long and not in a harmful way. They are curious fish.

 

[Bichir Bro]

BGKF are predatory and will clear out a tank of small fish. Mine ate anything under 4". They also grow stupidly large so a 55 is out of their range. They need at least, and this is the bare Minimum, 180 gallons. Anything over 200 is highly recommended. I do not know much about brown knifes but from what I've heard they do grow large too but I've also heard from people that they are the smaller of the knifes.

 

[GodFan]

BGKF are predatory and will clear out a tank of small fish. Mine ate anything under 4". They also grow stupidly large so a 55 is out of their range. They need at least, and this is the bare Minimum, 180 gallons. Anything over 200 is highly recommended. I do not know much about brown knifes but from what I've heard they do grow large too but I've also heard from people that they are the smaller of the knifes.

African brown knifes rarely exceed 8 inches in aquaria. Not sure about asian brown knifes but I do know the asians are mean.

 

[Fishman88888]

BGKF are predatory and will clear out a tank of small fish. Mine ate anything under 4". They also grow stupidly large so a 55 is out of their range. They need at least, and this is the bare Minimum, 180 gallons. Anything over 200 is highly recommended. I do not know much about brown knifes but from what I've heard they do grow large too but I've also heard from people that they are the smaller of the knifes.

Somehow I doubt he completely consumed a 4" fish

Their mouths are relatively small in relation to their total body size

They can only eat small fish ... They do eat the eyeballs out of other fish that are too slow to get away though lol

 

[AngelFishGirl]

I've heard 75 BARE MINIMUM (with extra water changes and maintenance and a rehome) but no less than 125 if on a strict but regular WC schedule.

 

[FrankoQ]

looks like no ghost knife for me.
Thanks for the comments.

 

[Fishman88888]

I've heard 75 BARE MINIMUM (with extra water changes and maintenance and a rehome) but no less than 125 if on a strict but regular WC schedule.

Agreed

The only diff in a 180 vs a 125 is a few inches in height/width

I can't see that making a huge difference in making the fish any more comfortable in there. They don't normally get to 2 feet in captivity... 15-18" is usually a pretty standard size to expect in a home aquarium

 

[Bichir Bro]

If you read my post it said anything UNDER 4 inches. I never meant for that to be taken as he ate a 4" fish, sorry for the confusion y'all.

 

[Cynic]

To big for the 55. Also it will eat small fish when it gets big. Check out he african brown knife instead

Good post.

 

[cichlidmike]

black knife fish need atleast a 200 gallon, they get huge and need a cave that is twice they're length and cubed, the people on youtube with them and you see them swimming around is only because they are constantly looking for a place to hide. these fish are difficult as hell to keep, trust me i had one!