Bgk Fighting :-(

[dsoucr]

I've had 2 BGK living happily together in a 40Gal tank for the past 5 yrs. They have gotten alot bigger since i purchased them and i have noticed them getting aggressive towards each other lately. So i sat up 1 night and kept a dim light on after i switched of the main light to observe them. The bigger guy kept chasing and tryin to attack the smaller BGK for arnd 20mins after which he stopped. Im sure this is going on every night as i notice them both with cuts in their fins and im afraid the smaller BGK is gonna get injured badly soon. Any suggestions???

Thanx

 

[Curiosity101]

Considering that it's recommended they're kept in 100gal tanks due to their eventual size I suggest you rehome one or both of them.
If you keep one then definitely have a proper think about upgrading it. How big are your two?

 

[kizno1]

They will be getting aggressive because theres not enough room for 1 let alone 2. BGK should get 20"+ long so need a minimum of a 6x2.5x2 foot tank IMO. I would rehome them as soon as you can.

 

[ZoddyZod]

a much much bigger tank is required to house 1 bgk. I'm not even sure you should house 2 together, but some experienced keepers should be able to tell you on here....

3 replies inside 1 minute.....impressive for a Saturday night. Is everyone not watching 'Strictly'???

 

[nmonks]

Your tank is far too small for even one Apteronotus, let alone two. Like all the electric knifefish these fish are hierarchical in captivity, and even though this species may be gregarious in the wild, under aquarium conditions should be kept either singly or in groups of 6+. Dominant fish "jam" weaker fish with their electric signals, trying to push weaker fish away from the best wavelengths for navigation and communication. In big groups no one fish can bully all the other fish at the same time, so a stable hierarchy develops and everyone's more or less happy. In duos and small groups, the dominant fish continually harasses the weaker fish, usually to the point that the weaker fish die either from stress of physical injury.

A single Apteronotus needs _at least_ 55 US gallons; a group of six would need many hundreds of gallons, and probably isn't viable in the home. Although I'm impressed you've kept your specimens alive for 5 years -- no mean feat -- the fact they haven't grown much is a cause for concern, and may indicate problems with their environment.

Cheers, Neale

I've had 2 BGK living happily together in a 40Gal tank for the past 5 yrs. They have gotten alot bigger since i purchased them and i have noticed them getting aggressive towards each other lately. So i sat up 1 night and kept a dim light on after i switched of the main light to observe them. The bigger guy kept chasing and tryin to attack the smaller BGK for arnd 20mins after which he stopped. Im sure this is going on every night as i notice them both with cuts in their fins and im afraid the smaller BGK is gonna get injured badly soon. Any suggestions???

Thanx

 

[rdp50734]

Neil beat me to it!

 

[Squidward]

Hi,

Yeah, gotto agree with what Neale has said.
Not a good idea to keep them in small groups. A few months ago I went to my LFS to buy one. The so called expert (at a large branch of a well known chain) told me I should get a group of 3, instead of just 1. Let's just say there wasn't a happy ending. And I only have 1 left

 

[dsoucr]

Thanks Guys,

Im consdering rehoming the Smaller BGK who is around 12" now. And shortly will upgrade to a 4' tank, so the bigger BGK will have some more room.

Cheers Craig.

 

[Euston]

2 in a 3foot 40gal and the smaller one is 12" !?!?