Black Ghost Knife Compatibility

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Primetime

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
90
Location
Toronto, ON
I have a 3-4" BGK, and was wondering if he could eat the following fish in the long run:
3 Praecox Rainbows
5 Congo Tetras
2 Kribensis Cichlids

-I am not sure about the Praecox because they're Dwarf Rainbows :(
-Also was wondering if I can keep a pair of German Blue Rams with him
-Also, would Otos be able to not catch his attention, or am I pushing it?

Thanks!

Edit: I was hoping to get a few suggestions by 6, because I'll be going to my LFS to pick up German Blue Rams if they're compatible. The Rams are on sale today for $2.69 each, and I've always wanted them.
 
You may have a problem between the kribs and the rams. They are both cichlids and though they are both dwarfs and share the same water requirements, it's still mixing South American with African and that just doesn't work out well most of the time.

The black ghost knife gets large and is a nocturnal predator and will be able to kill the other fish. Most BGK in captivity rarely get over 18" (out in the wild they can reach 24"), but that is still a hefty fish that requires a very large tank.

On the flip side to the predatory aggression of a BGK, they themselves are not well armed to protect themselves and are vunerable to being picked on. They should be the most aggressive animal in their tanks.

I would say you'd have more of a problem keeping the BGK than introducing rams to the kribs, though that too is a risk especially if the kribs are paired.
 
Primetime said:
Yes, the Kribs are paired. I guess Kribs and Rams are a no-no?

All I'll say is...anything can happen when animals are put into a see through box...LOL and that defying common knowledge in this hobby is of the norm. Meaning, there is a slight possiblity they'll do OK, though only if the tank is large enough and it's still a big 'if'. However, the typical...mixing them is a no no.

Cichlids will cross breed and the presence of another cichlid means direct breeding competition which is the very reason why cichlids are as aggressive as they are. It's all tied to reproduction. When you eliminate this competition, the cichlids do quite well with many types of community fish. I've even kept African Rift Lake cichlids with fish like rainbows and larger gouramis with success because these other fish are NOT cichlids and therefore there is no breeding competition between them. No mate to fight for. Though territorial aggression is still displayed. Best to have the cichlids introduced after the other fish have established territories.
 
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