black ghost knife fish

cory · Post by **cory** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 7:29 pm

i recently purchased a black ghost knife fish,question is will this fish bother with my 4 dojo loaches and 2 zebra loaches,currently living in a 55g.I have read many contradicting comments on websites,after being told at my lfs were i got he would do fine.right now hes about 2 inches and seems very nervouse in the tank rather than aggressive towards the other fish.

looking for advice

thanks
cory

Emma Turner · Post by **Emma Turner** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 7:42 pm

Hi cory,

Unfortunately, the purchase of this fish was not really that good an idea. Black Ghost Knife fish can grow up to 50cm or more and will eventually require a huge aquarium. They do not like bright lighting at all and must be provided with plenty of dark hiding spots within the aquarium. It can be very difficult to ensure that they are feeding properly when more boisterous, quicker fish (such as the loaches) are present. They can actually be quite timid and usually only aggressive towards their own kind, leaving other peaceful fish (not large enough to swallow!) alone. Also, what temperature are you maintaining the tank at? Dojo (Weather) loaches prefer temperatures much lower than that of Botia striata and the knife fish. Initially, the intense feeding up of such a small specimen would be my main concern though.

Emma

Martin Thoene · Post by **Martin Thoene** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 7:50 pm

I have kept a BGK with Clowns, Yoyos and Botia striata in a 90 gallon tank.

First thing I'll say is that a well-cared for BGK will outgrow a 55 gallon within 6 months. Mine grew from 4" to 10" in that time.

In my experience a BGK that grows up in a tank with other fish will not harm them. Mine used to sleep in close quarters with the loaches. However, if you introduce other fish they will likely be attacked.

BGKs have poor eyesight and navigate by electric fields. They basically build up a radar map of the tank and its inhabitants. Anything new is potentially food. Right now at 2" you probably can't see the true size of its mouth. They appear to have this little pursed lipped mouth, but in actual fact it extends way back past the eyes and is pretty large.

I introduced some adult sized Platties into my aquarium. I had smaller sized Cardinal Tetras in with the knife and Clowns, no problem. Within two days, the Platties were either dissapeared or found floating with neat Knife-sized bites taken out of their bellies.

BGKs are peaceful with other fish they know, but voracious eaters in my experience. They will hoover up sinking pellets and such-like before the loaches get much of a chance.
You should be aware that you'll need at least a 6 foot 120 gallon aquarium to house even a half-grown BGK.

Martin.

cory · Post by **cory** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 8:29 pm

thanks guys thats not what i wanted to hear ,but thankyou for the advice

.this fish is one my girlfriend picked out for her birthday.
The guy at the lfs were we got him said he would do fine in our community tank,and it would be a couple years before he even outgrew our 55g.That sucks we really liked this fish alot,but have decided to take him back for credit

.

Martin Thoene · Post by **Martin Thoene** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 8:40 pm

Good decision cory. These are fantastic and fascinating fish to own, but you have to have the correct sized quarters.

Another "Accuracy of Information" failure by a shop

Martin.

cory · Post by **cory** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 1:43 pm

well,the girlfriend took her BGK back,and came home with a odessa barb and a dwarf pencil fish.We plan on getting some more of each so they will be in groups of there own kind.

i noticed on this site for the zebra loaches they need to be in water with a temperature of 73ºF to 81ºF (23-27°C).

and for dojo loaches 50- 68ºF (10 - 20ºC).

i noticed on this site here http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/l ... oLoach.php it says Temp: 50 -77° F (10 -25° C) for dojos.

ive been keeping the temperature at 24-25.is this ok

only reason i mixed them was again the guy at the pet store said they could be kept together.

sully · Post by **sully** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 8:49 pm

interesting comments about BGK's. I might want to try one again---no I really won't. I kept a BGK. Once mine hit 14" he got very aggressive. It could not stand geophagines (with the exception of "microgeophagus species). It attacked and nearly killed the alpha clown loach--I ended up swapping tanks about a bit. He nipped at some plecos that moved in with him. Any fish that also fed at the bottom of the water column became problematic as tankmates.

He got so territorial that when he hit 18" TL I rehomed him from my 225 to a 1000 gallon display tank at one of the local fish stores.

I have compared my experience with that of others. The aggression is really a specimen dependent thing it seems. Some are more laid back than others. I have come to believe that it is really very difficult to generalize behavior based on the anecdotal info I have shared with others.

cory · Post by **cory** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 8:57 pm

wow a 1000g g fish tank

that must be an amazing fish tank

sully · Post by **sully** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 1:06 am

the front tank is a freshwater tank. On the opposite side is a 1,000 gallon marine tank. Sort of cool to walk in that store. now they just need to learn how to make the effort to provide better care and stocking.

DRLashambe · Post by **DRLashambe** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 4:19 pm

I've got a 12" BGK in with Clown Loaches, Bala Sharks, and Giant Danios in a 90 gallon tank. I was really afraid for my loaches, but so far, they've been beating the BGK around (my clowns range 4' to 6"). The BGK has the largest hiding place, but has given up, and shares it with two clowns. He is surprisingly docile so far, but the only way to get him to make an appearance when the light is on is to feed the tank. Quite the little hoover when he gets going, but he seems totally intimidated by the loaches.

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