BGK in a 55 gal?

[happygirl65]

Hello again!

I really love the BGK but do you think it will get too large for a 55 gal tank? The tank is 48 inches long and 13 front to back.

I also like the brown ghost which from what I am seeing does not get quite as big...anyone know anything about them? They dont appear to be as easy to find as the BGK.

Thanks!
Tori

 

[physicsdude]

Hi- yea, u can house one in a 55 gallon. I bought one that was 4" long and put him in my 20 gallon and it loves it- plenty of swimming room and such. Plus, they grow sorta slow. I feed mine 2x daily with flake food, which he absolutely goes nuts for! It was 4" about 4 montsh ago and now its around 5.5-6". According to their growth rate in NATURE, they get around 16" or so. Yet, most owners I have met usually have ones that top off at around 12-14", and thats in the big 125 gallon tanks where they're 2' feet wide! If you buy a small one like I did and grow him out, it should be fine.
As it is, I plan on getting a 30 or 38 to house my fish, so that base is covered. Some here will consider it animal cruelty to house them in a 55, but I think that as long as it isnt some overgrown 2' monster of a knife, a 10-12" specimen would be all right in your tank.
Besides, Dr. foster and Smith have a good article on them:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=857
Just note that that max size is the documented size in the WILD- obviously it would be a contradiction to write its aquarium size as 2' when the tank size recommended is a 55 gallon!! And I think that they're capable enough to not make that mistake!
Good luck! I guarrantee u'll love them!

 

[hc8719]

i have a BGK in a 55 currently, he's only like 4 inches. trotty and hara though have bigger BGKs, you'll have to ask them what there tank is. from what i understand they only grow 12 " captivity, so probably will be too small, but that will take years. i believe hara said hers was 12" in 6 years too, all the more reason to ask.

if you do plan on upgrading your BGKs tank, dont be intimidated by some lps $600 kit, most lfs are usually alot cheaper

as far as the brown ghost, ive never seen them in stores, they are alot smaller than BGKs, i wouldnt put one in with the BGK though, they dont like each others electric signals, and when the BGK gets big enough, may kill the brown ghost to get rid of the electric signal

EDIT: physics dude, isnt a 6" fish in a 20gal tank a little small? and you dont feed yours frozen blood worms? i dont think flakes have enough protein for a BGK. if you think they go crazy for flakes, put in some frozen blood worms...

 

[Hara]

Plus, they grow sorta slow. I feed mine 2x daily with flake food, which he absolutely goes nuts for! It was 4" about 4 montsh ago and now its around 5.5-6".

I am sorry, but you are wrong. They do not grow slow. When fed CORRECTLY, they grow quite fast. Your statement also says yours grew almost 2 inches in 4 months, how can you consider that to be slow growth?

I think a BGK would be ok in a 55 gallon tanks for a couple years or so. Ulitimately, it should have a bigger tank.

 

[hc8719]

exactly...

 

[happygirl65]

Thanks you guys! When I mentioned the brown ghost I was thinking of it as an alternative to the BGK just because of the smaller size. Since I dont think we will be upgrading our tank anytime soon....although I am not against it I think it would be a hard sell to my husband considering he just built me this beautiful set up for my 55.
Thanks to all, I do plan on having more tanks eventually if I can ever figure out a place to put one, perhaps I could get something 100 g+ that would be AWESOME!

Thanks again, you all are great!
Tori

 

[Elmware2000]

You can put a BGK in a 29 gal. even. Do not put two or more BGKs in the tank though because their electrical fields which they use to navigate will confuse each other.

 

[hc8719]

how do you figure?

 

[Blazeherd2306]

You can put a BGK in a 29 gal. even. Do not put two or more BGKs in the tank though because their electrical fields which they use to navigate will confuse each other.

Sorry, but a 29 gal is way too small for a BGK. If I remember correctly, they can grow up to 18".

A 55 gal will be ok temporarily, but only temporarily.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

Hi- yea, u can house one in a 55 gallon. I bought one that was 4" long and put him in my 20 gallon and it loves it- plenty of swimming room and such. Plus, they grow sorta slow. I feed mine 2x daily with flake food, which he absolutely goes nuts for! It was 4" about 4 montsh ago and now its around 5.5-6". According to their growth rate in NATURE, they get around 16" or so. Yet, most owners I have met usually have ones that top off at around 12-14", and thats in the big 125 gallon tanks where they're 2' feet wide! If you buy a small one like I did and grow him out, it should be fine.
As it is, I plan on getting a 30 or 38 to house my fish, so that base is covered. Some here will consider it animal cruelty to house them in a 55, but I think that as long as it isnt some overgrown 2' monster of a knife, a 10-12" specimen would be all right in your tank.
Besides, Dr. foster and Smith have a good article on them:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=857
Just note that that max size is the documented size in the WILD- obviously it would be a contradiction to write its aquarium size as 2' when the tank size recommended is a 55 gallon!! And I think that they're capable enough to not make that mistake!
Good luck! I guarrantee u'll love them!

To me, it seems like you are implying that the fish will only grow to the size of its tank. That is a myth...the fish will continue to grow, except it will become stunted with a deformed spine. Stunted fish live nowhere near as long as one would if given an adequate amount of swimming room.

 

[hc8719]

yes, even the link physicsdude left says they only need a 50 gallon, but it also says it will grow to 1' 6", thats 18" and a 50 gal tank is 12" wide. and btw physics guy, a 125 gallon is not 2' wide, not one ive ever seen, try like 16"

i seriously dont know why i wasnt more hard on this eailier. BGKs need a huge tank, be responsible, dont get a fish you cant take care of.

and for the love God physics dude, a 6" fish in a 20 gallon tank... im gonna stop right here before there are *BEEPS *BEEPS all over

 

[severum mama]

The 50 gallon tanks we sell at the store are 36"x18". The 55 gallons are 48"x13 and 1/2" I believe. I agree that either tank would still be much too small for a BGK, but can we try to be more polite about this?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Lets keep the topic civil. This is the final warning.

I agree that a 55 gal tank will be suitable for a period of time. But eventually the tank will need to be upgraded to a larger size. www.liveaquaria.com is known to under and over estimate the tank sizes that are recommended. They also state that Bala Sharks are suitable for a 70 gal tank. Considering that the Bala is a schooling fish and easily grows to 10" in size, it is an under estimate.

 

[evercl92]

btw physics guy, a 125 gallon is not 2' wide, not one ive ever seen, try like 16"

I'm not going to contradict the other comments you (hc8719) made, because I completely agree.

My 125gal is 48in x 24in x 24in. I believe a standard 125gal is 6ft x 18in wide x ?? Given the width of my tank, I would think that my BGK will be fine in here for years to come.

I'm not trying to say that a BGK will be permanently ok in a 55 gal, but I'm sure he can stay there a while. I've read that they grow slow, but mine has went from 4 inches to 5.5 in about 10 weeks. Given that pace, it's about 7.5 inches / year. I don't consider that a slow growth rate, but I'm sure it will peak, and the growth rate will eventually level off.

 

[coldmachineUK]

IMHO the BGK is another fish along with the likes of arowana that people love to keep but generally do so inhumanely...
If you love them so much, go patronise your local public aquarium or something

 

[Jchillin]

Folks, a moderator posted a warning regarding keeping this civil. That has been ignored. The offenders are now prohibitied from posting in this thread going further.

Lastly, the OP was satisfied with the advice given and this is turning into a personal opinion thread. If you have nothing to add for the benefit of the OP, move on.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

coldmachineuk, I agree with you on that. Besides of their large tank requirements, they are not very exciting fish. They are noturnal, so don't expect one to be foraging around much during the daytime.

I don't get why people like them so much.

 

[rkilling1]

coldmachineuk, I agree with you on that. Besides of their large tank requirements, they are not very exciting fish. They are noturnal, so don't expect one to be foraging around much during the daytime.

I don't get why people like them so much.

I must say that the BGK that i own is the MOST exciting fish that i have every owned. He comes out whenever i put my hand in the tank. He will lay in my hand and eat for minutes at a time.

 

[hc8719]

Jchillen, i didnt take offense to what everclear said about contradicting the 125 remark

 

[physicsdude]

Yes, they are 2' feet wide- you can order them that way hc. Second of all, flakes are fine for the bgk,a s I know ppl who havbe grown their knives only on flakes to well over a 12" long- and they are marvels of beauty.
I never tried to imply that they will grow to the size of the tank, Blaze. If I did, I apologize cause that certainly was not my intention. I have the BGK for my boss- I am growing him out till he can set-up his 210 gallon tank.
I don't know why people on this forum seem so argumentative at times. All it does it ruins the point of friendly, constructive discussion.