2 Knife Fish

[sic0198]

Got a quick question, I aldready have a black ghost knife, I've had it for over 6 months so it's pretty big. The other day I aquired a Brown Knife fish, so I now have two knife fish. The LFS dude claimed they loved to play so I thought , Hey a friend for Blade! That's my BGK's name, blade. Anyway is what the LFS dude told me true or will the fight to the death. Which isn't good since Blade is my favorite.

 

[J4MES]

Im not too sure but i know more than 1 BGK in a tank is asking for trouble.

J4MES

 

[MojoDex]

alot of ppl who say BGK's cant live together have never tried it i think ive never done it myself, but there there a few ppl on here who have and say they have had no problems at all! one guy on here has even bred his BGK's so they obviously got on ok together!

as for mixing them with other species im really not all that sure but i personally wouldnt chance it. if they di decide to fight u need to worry about the smaller of the 2 but just keep an eye on them for now

my BGK got realy aggressive with my ornate bichir i even made a post about it on here the ornate bichir was alot bigger and now i have no BGK! so keep an eye on them and if it comes to it take the brown back to your lfs

 

[CFC]

It all depends on tank size and availabilty of secure hiding places, in an average sized tank two knife fish in one tank is a bad idea as they have no space to avoid contact with each other but in tanks of 150 gallons or more your chances are better. Likewise if there isnt enough suitable hiding places both knife fish will want to take the same spot which will cause fighting, if you add a minimum of 3 hiding places per fish it gives them pleanty of choice and lessens the chances of territorial battles.

 

[MojoDex]

how big is the tank actually?

 

[Ristof]

I have 2 BGK's about 5cm each and they swim around the tank like cazy all day long.
When it's feeding time they are both there feeding at the top of the tank with the rest of the fish.

These 2 are the fisrt ones that swim around like this that I have had - my last one that was 15cm long when he died but he used to hide all the time in his log. Didn't worry me too much because I used to hand feed him.

Anyway I have had no trouble with these two dodging and weaving their way through plants after each other.

My tank size is a custom made 4ft tank. it is about 2ft high, 1ft wide and 4ft long

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

not sure if the fish can go together but the fact that the brown knife is fully grown at like half the size of a fully grown BGK might help.

 

[Earthgirl]

Please listen to CFC....(although I don't)
Depends on the size of the tank.
knife fish create somewhat of an electric current.
They will be fine together until the get bigger and become more territoral (sorry, I am horrid at spelling).

 

[pica_nuttalli]

I have 2 BGK's about 5cm each and they swim around the tank like cazy all day long.
When it's feeding time they are both there feeding at the top of the tank with the rest of the fish.

These 2 are the fisrt ones that swim around like this that I have had - my last one that was 15cm long when he died but he used to hide all the time in his log. Didn't worry me too much because I used to hand feed him.

Anyway I have had no trouble with these two dodging and weaving their way through plants after each other.

My tank size is a custom made 4ft tank. it is about 2ft high, 1ft wide and 4ft long

5 cm? that's roughly the length of two knuckles on my little girly hands. are you sure of that measure?

anyways, a healthy adult BGK will easily reach 45 cm (16"). while it's possible to stunt these fish, (don't do it ) stunting results in an unhealthy fish and is likely to result in an early death. but that's not a major issue in a 60g, although an adult will struggle to turn around in your tank.

what *is* going to be an issue is that your tank won't offer enough territory for 2 adult BGK to share. you may want to look into a new tank or a new owner for one of them.

 

[Ristof]

I have 2 BGK's about 5cm each and they swim around the tank like cazy all day long.
When it's feeding time they are both there feeding at the top of the tank with the rest of the fish.

These 2 are the fisrt ones that swim around like this that I have had - my last one that was 15cm long when he died but he used to hide all the time in his log. Didn't worry me too much because I used to hand feed him.

Anyway I have had no trouble with these two dodging and weaving their way through plants after each other.

My tank size is a custom made 4ft tank. it is about 2ft high, 1ft wide and 4ft long

5 cm? that's roughly the length of two knuckles on my little girly hands. are you sure of that measure?

anyways, a healthy adult BGK will easily reach 45 cm (16"). while it's possible to stunt these fish, (don't do it ) stunting results in an unhealthy fish and is likely to result in an early death. but that's not a major issue in a 60g, although an adult will struggle to turn around in your tank.

what *is* going to be an issue is that your tank won't offer enough territory for 2 adult BGK to share. you may want to look into a new tank or a new owner for one of them.

Well ok they are about 8cm long
I am planning on getting a 6ft tank, well maybe more of a wishing that I want to put my community fish into.

The other guy I had wasn't a fast grower and he got to around 20 - 25cm in a 3ft tank.
He was the best untill I stuffed up and lost half of my tank.